From smart scheduling and automated payments to intelligent waitlists and rain plan activation, MiniShoots delivers every feature photographers need to run profitable mini sessions without the manual work.
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Every feature designed specifically for photographers running mini sessions
Never worry about double-bookings again. Our intelligent scheduling system prevents conflicts automatically. When a client selects a time slot, it's held for 10 minutes exclusively for them while they complete payment. If they don't finish, the slot automatically releases back to availability. This means your calendar stays accurate in real-time, even when multiple clients are booking simultaneously.
The system manages capacity limits, prevents overbooking, and ensures that once someone pays, their slot is locked. No more awkward conversations about double-bookings or manually tracking who claimed which time slot first. It all happens automatically in the background while you focus on creating amazing photos.
Powered by Square, MiniShoots handles all payment collection automatically. Accept deposits or require full payment upfront—you choose. When clients book, they pay instantly via credit card, and funds are deposited directly into your bank account, typically within one business day. No more chasing Venmo payments or tracking who still owes you money.
For deposit-based bookings, the system automatically charges the remaining balance seven days before the event. Clients receive friendly reminders, and payment happens seamlessly without any manual intervention from you. If a payment fails, the system automatically notifies the client and puts their slot on hold until payment is resolved. Complete payment automation from start to finish.
When you sell out, clients can join the waitlist for specific time slots. If someone cancels or a no-show occurs, the system automatically notifies the top three people on the waitlist via SMS and email. The first person to complete payment secures the slot—completely automatic, completely fair.
This eliminates the manual work of maintaining spreadsheets, tracking interest, and coordinating with multiple people about cancelled slots. The waitlist runs itself, filling cancellations instantly and maximizing your revenue without requiring you to lift a finger. Many photographers report recovering 100% of cancelled bookings thanks to automated waitlist processing.
Give clients the power to reschedule themselves with secure, personalized links. Each booking confirmation includes a unique reschedule link that allows clients to view available time slots and move their appointment—up to 24 hours before the original time. You set the cutoff, and the system enforces it automatically.
When a client reschedules, their old slot automatically becomes available and the waitlist is notified instantly. This means you never lose revenue from schedule changes, and you never spend time coordinating back-and-forth about new times. The entire process is self-service, saving you hours of communication while providing exceptional client experience.
Weather threatening your outdoor mini sessions? Activate your rain plan with a single tap. The system instantly sends SMS and email notifications to all attendees with the new date, time, and location. What used to take six hours of manually texting 40 clients now happens in 60 seconds.
Clients who can't make the rain date are automatically moved to a waitlist for the original date (in case weather clears) or given the option to request a refund. The entire mass-reschedule process is handled automatically, with crystal-clear communication to everyone affected. No confusion, no missed messages, no stress—just smooth, professional crisis management.
Increase session revenue by 30-50% automatically with add-ons. During booking, clients are presented with optional upgrades like extended session time, additional family members, digital downloads, prints, or holiday cards. These upsells appear naturally in the booking flow, making it easy for clients to add extras.
You configure add-ons once when creating an event, and the system handles everything else—displaying options, calculating totals, processing payments, and tracking who ordered what. Many photographers find that add-ons become their most profitable revenue stream, turning $150 sessions into $225 sessions with zero extra sales effort required from you.
Every booking automatically creates a client profile with contact information, booking history, total revenue, and lifetime value. See at a glance who your most valuable repeat clients are, who books frequently, and which clients might be ready for full-session upgrades.
The client directory enables targeted marketing campaigns, VIP programs for repeat clients, and personalized communication based on booking patterns. You can tag clients, add notes, track preferences, and build deeper relationships that lead to more bookings and referrals. This CRM-lite functionality helps you treat mini sessions like a real business, not just one-off events.
Track total revenue, booking conversion rates, average session value, add-on performance, and more—all in real-time. See which events sell out fastest, which add-ons generate the most revenue, and how your mini session business grows over time.
Analytics help you make data-driven decisions about pricing, capacity, add-on offerings, and marketing. Understand your business metrics without exporting spreadsheets or doing manual calculations. Everything you need to optimize profitability is presented clearly in beautiful charts and graphs that update automatically as bookings come in.
Send SMS updates to all attendees of an event with a single tap. Whether you need to communicate last-minute location changes, parking instructions, what to wear, or important reminders, mass texting makes it effortless to reach everyone instantly.
Messages are personalized with each client's name and details, maintaining a professional, personal touch even when communicating with dozens of people simultaneously. This feature is essential for providing exceptional client experience and ensuring everyone has the information they need to show up prepared and on time.
Every event gets a stunning, professional booking page that looks amazing on mobile devices. Since most clients book from Instagram on their phones, mobile optimization isn't optional—it's essential. MiniShoots booking pages load fast, look beautiful, and make booking frictionless.
Share your booking link in Instagram Stories, bio links, Facebook posts, or anywhere else. The page showcases your event details, available time slots, pricing, add-ons, and photos in a clean, branded layout that builds trust and drives conversions. No design skills required—just create the event and get a professional booking page automatically.
See the difference purpose-built mini session software makes
MiniShoots adapts to your unique photography business
Run engagement mini sessions to build your wedding portfolio and book more couples. Perfect for testing new locations and creating content for Instagram marketing.
Seasonal family mini sessions—fall, spring, holiday, back-to-school. Build recurring revenue with clients who book multiple times per year for family updates.
Holiday card sessions, Easter bunny photos, Santa minis, Halloween costume shoots. High-volume events that need serious booking automation to manage demand.
Bluebonnet sessions, cherry blossom shoots, beach sessions, desert photography. Capitalize on limited-time natural backdrops with efficient booking systems.
Headshots, personal branding sessions, milestone photos. Run regularly scheduled mini session days to fill your studio calendar and generate consistent income.
Build your portfolio and client base with affordable mini sessions. Test your skills, gain experience, and create a steady stream of new clients and referrals.
Everything you need to know about our mini session management platform
When a client selects a time slot, it's held exclusively for them for 10 minutes while they complete payment. If they don't finish, the slot automatically releases. Once payment is complete, the slot is locked and removed from availability. This real-time system makes double-bookings technically impossible.
You choose! You can require full payment upfront or accept deposits (like 50% down). If you choose deposits, the system automatically charges the remaining balance seven days before the event. Clients receive friendly reminders, and everything happens automatically.
When a slot becomes available, the top three people on the waitlist are notified simultaneously via SMS and email. The first person to complete payment gets the slot—it's first-come, first-served based on payment completion. Completely fair and fully automated.
Clients receive the rain plan notification and can confirm the new date or request alternative options. Those who can't make the rain date are given the choice to join a waitlist for the original date (in case weather clears) or request a refund. The system handles all communication automatically.
During the booking process, clients see optional add-ons like extended time, extra family members, digital downloads, prints, or other products you configure. Because add-ons appear naturally in the flow, many clients select them, increasing average transaction value without any sales pressure from you.
Absolutely! Both the booking pages your clients see and the dashboard you use to manage events are fully optimized for mobile. Since most bookings happen on mobile devices via Instagram, this isn't optional—it's essential, and MiniShoots is built mobile-first.
Booking pages are professionally designed and mobile-optimized out of the box. While extensive customization isn't currently available, the clean, modern design works beautifully for all photography businesses and converts visitors into bookings at high rates.
Track total revenue, number of bookings, booking conversion rates, average session value, add-on performance, client lifetime value, repeat booking rates, and more. All metrics update in real-time and help you make data-driven decisions about pricing, capacity, and offerings.
Join photographers who automated their bookings and boosted revenue by 30-50% with MiniShoots
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