Proposal and invoice tool for photographers
A Saturday pencilled in on a DM, with no money behind it
Send the link in the DM where the enquiry came in: packages, usage terms and the price laid out. The client approves and pays the booking retainer at once; the balance is paid on the same page before the gallery goes out.
Get started freeThe problem
Sound familiar?
A date held on 'yes, book me in'
A couple says yes in a message. You pencil in the Saturday, turn away two enquiries, and the retainer they promised never lands. They cancel a month out; you have an empty date and nothing in writing.
Pricing explained one DM at a time
The enquiry arrives on Instagram. You explain the mini session, the full session, what an edited image is and why RAW is not included, for the fourth time this week. Half vanish at the number.
The gallery is out and the balance is not in
You released the gallery to meet the Christmas card deadline. They downloaded everything that night. The balance invoice is still there in February; the RAW file request arrived before the payment did.
The solution
How VytDeal helps
Packages the way you sell them
Mini session, full session, half day or full day, each listing the hours, the edited images and the turnaround. One-off lines for a second shooter, travel, prints or albums. The client picks one and that is the booking.
Booking retainer on approval, balance before the gallery
The booking retainer is the deposit share you set, 30 percent by default; many wedding photographers take 20 to 30 percent. Paid on approval, so the date is held with money; the balance comes due on the same page when you mark the gallery delivered.
Card, bank transfer or PayID, with GST on its own line
Card is Stripe, into your own account. Offer bank transfer, BPAY or PayID on any deal; the client marks the transfer made and you confirm it. The invoice is created on approval, GST as its own line.
Usage, RAW and cancellation in the accepted terms
Your terms on the page: what the licence covers, that RAW is not included, what happens to the retainer on cancellation. The client ticks them to approve and the dated record carries them with what they were shown.
How it works
Three steps to getting paid
Build the packages once
Set up your sessions or day rates with what each includes, add your terms and the deposit share, and set the expiry date. Save it as a template.
Send the link in the DM
The client opens it without an account, compares the packages and approves. The booking retainer is paid on the same page.
Shoot, edit, release when paid
You know when they have opened it. After the shoot, mark the gallery delivered; the balance comes due on the same link, and the download link goes out once paid.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can I call it a booking retainer, not a deposit, and make it non-refundable?
The payment line reads as a deposit; your terms say what it is. Write that it is a booking retainer that reserves the date and is kept on cancellation; the client ticks those terms to approve. The approval can carry a code emailed to the client, if you require one for the booking. The record is of acceptance, not a contract or an e-signature, and VytDeal gives no legal advice on the wording.
Can the balance fall due before the shoot date rather than on delivery?
The balance comes due when you mark the work delivered, so it sits before the gallery goes out, not before the day. For the whole fee in before a wedding, set the deposit to full payment, paid on approval. The page never ties a balance to a calendar date.
Can the gallery stay locked until the payment clears?
Yes, because you hold the link. Mark the shoot delivered with a note that the gallery is ready; the balance comes due on the page and the link goes out once paid. For a bank transfer, you confirm it first.
Can the usage licence live in the proposal, with a separate licensing line?
Yes. Purpose, media, territory and duration go in your terms, and the licensing fee sits as its own one-off line beside the day rate. Terms and price are accepted together and both are in the record. For weddings, say who owns what too.
Is this a studio management system like Studio Ninja?
No. It is the one link you send when someone wants to book: packages, approval, invoice, payment. No calendar, no client messaging, no contract drafting; your scheduling and gallery stay put, and so do your contract and model release, which sit alongside the page. Clients never need an account; they open the link, approve and pay.
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