Session types are the photography services that you offer clients on your Booking Site. Typically, your session types will be the kind of photoshoots you offer but it can also include related services such as consultations. This article will cover how to create a full length session type, a perfect option for family, maternity, wedding photoshoots.
Note: If you are looking to set up mini sessions, check out our dedicated guide instead: How do I create a mini session for my clients?
On this page:
- Creating a new Session Type
- Customizing the Session Type’s Design
- Previewing and Publishing the Session Type
Creating a new Session Type
To create a new session type, go to your Studio Manager Dashboard > Bookings > Session Types. Then, click New Session Type and select Full Session as your session type.
Once you click New Session Type, a draft session type will be created with the following sections: General, Availability, Intake Form, Payments, Confirmation, and Booking Rules.
General
In the General tab, you have the ability to set up the following details:
- Session Type Name: The name of the session type that your client will see on your Booking Site.
- Session Image: The cover image shown on your Booking Site during your client’s booking process.
- Description: An optional description where you can give a brief summary of the session type.
- Duration: The length of the session type, which is displayed to clients upon booking. This can set from anywhere from 5 minutes to 12 hours.
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Location: Specify a location to give your client a better idea of how their session type will take place. The following options are available:
- Location: A physical location for an in-person session.
- Phone Call: Provide or request a phone number for the session. If you provide a phone number, it will only be displayed to the client after the booking is confirmed.
- Zoom: Connect your Zoom account to Studio Manager, and automatically generate a unique Zoom video call link for you and your client upon booking.
- Google Meet: Connect your Google account to Studio Manager, and automatically generate a unique Google Meet video call link for you and your client upon booking.
- Session Link: The URL slug for your session type (e.g. /family-session)
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Who can book this session?: Determine the privacy setting of the session type based on two settings:
- Public: The session type is displayed publicly on your Booking Site. Anyone viewing it can make a booking.
- Private: The session type is hidden from your Booking Site. Only people with a direct link to the specific session type will be able to view and make a booking.
- Session Color: Select a color associated with the event (appears only on your Dashboard)
Availability
For an in-depth review of the availability section, check out our dedicated "Setting up your Session Availability" guide here.
In the Availability tab, you can set up a custom schedule or select a shared schedule to determine what time slots clients will see.
There are three views in which you can use to help manage your availability for the specific session: List View, Calendar View, and Client View. The different views share the same information, so any changes you make in one view will automatically appear in the others.
List View
If you prefer to set your availability through a list, you can use the List View instead. This view is the easiest way to set your weekly hours!
For each day, you can add, modify, or remove your availability. Any changes to a day’s availability will be automatically applied to every week (e.g. every Wednesday).
Date Specific Hours
In List View, if you have a specific date where your availability is different from the weekly hours you’ve established, you can easily add this with the Date Specific Hours feature on the right:
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Click +Add date.
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In the Add a Date Override pop-up that appears, confirm the specific date and your availability. Then, click Apply. Once applied, the specific date’s availability will appear listed in the Date Specific Hours column.
Calendar View
If you prefer to set your availability visually through a calendar, you can use the dedicated Calendar View. While viewing the calendar, you can click on any specific date to set its availability.
Underneath your availability settings, there are additional options such as start time increments and availability request.
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Show time slots in increments of: Select the increments of time in which your availability will appear to clients when booking a session.
- Example: 30 minute increments (11:00, 11:30 AM, 12:00 PM, 12:30 PM, etc.)
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Availability Request: Determine whether clients can request for session availability outside of your set schedule.
- Do not allow availability request: A client can only select a session from the availability that you set in Calendar View/List View.
- Allow availability request: A client can select from your availability that you set in Calendar View/List View, or they can submit an alternative date and time for your approval.
- Session by request only: Your client is in charge of selecting their preferred date and time for your approval. If this option is selected, your availability in Calendar View/List View/Client View will be turned off.
Intake Form
In the Intake Form tab, you can determine what information a client is required to fill out during the inquiry or booking step.
If you are on an upgraded Studio Manager Plan or Suite Plan, you can also attach an existing contract or questionnaire template to your session type and use them as session intake documents. Attaching an intake document is a great way to streamline your workflow and ensure that you have all the necessary information and required agreements collected immediately upon booking. You can learn more about intake documents here.
Payments
In the Payments tab, you can decide whether or not your client is required to pay for their session before they can confirm a booking.
If Collect Payment is turned On, you can determine the following settings:
- Amount: The full amount that your client will need to pay for this session.
- Tax: Add up to two tax rates which will be applied to the amount total.
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Collect Only Partial: Collect a partial amount as a deposit/retainer and then collect the remainder afterwards. You will need to share a separate invoice for the remaining amount manually.
- Auto create invoice for remaining amount: If toggled on alongside Collect Only Partial, our system will automatically generate a draft invoice assigned to the client for the remaining amount.
- Allow Tip: Allow clients to leave a tip when paying for their session. If Allow Tip is turned On, the client will have the options of No tip, 5%, 10%, 15%, or Custom.
- Accepted Payment Methods: The Accepted Payment Methods option allows you to determine how your client can pay for the specific session, based on the payment methods you've set up.
Confirmation
In the Confirmation tab, you can determine settings related to what happens after a client books a session:
- Confirmation Message: Include an optional message to your client after they book a session. This will be shown in the confirmation page as well as the confirmation email sent to their inbox.
- Session Reminder: Set up automatic email reminders for your client about their upcoming session. When toggled On, you can select from 14 days before, 7 days before, and 1 day before.
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Manually Approve New Sessions: By default, new sessions are automatically accepted. If this setting is toggled On though, the session will be placed into Inquiry status instead so that you have the opportunity to approve or decline it from your Dashboard.
- Note: If Collect Payment is turned on, your client will be prompted to pay only after you manually approve the session.
Booking Rules
Under Booking Rules, there are advanced settings that affect your available time slots, such as buffer time, cancellation policy, how far in the future a client can book your slots, and more.
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How far into the future can clients book: Determine up to how many days away a client can book a session.
- Example: If set to 180 days, your client will only see available time slots up to 180 days in the future.
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What is the minimum notice you need?: Prevent clients from booking without enough notice.
- Example: If set to 3 hours, your client will only see availability that is 3+ hours away.
- Buffer Time: Set an amount of additional time to block off before and/or after a client’s session time. This setting allows you to prepare without having sessions booked back to back.
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Cancellation Policy: Determine whether clients can cancel their booked session ahead of time.
- Do not allow cancellation: The client will not see any option to cancel their session.
- Allow cancellation: The client can cancel their session any time before their scheduled time.
- Allow up to X hours before and Custom: The client can cancel their session up to a pre-determined amount of time before their scheduled time.
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Rescheduling Policy: Determine whether clients can reschedule their booked session ahead of time.
- Do not allow reschedule: The client will not see any option to reschedule their session.
- Allow reschedule: The client can reschedule their session any time before their scheduled time.
- Allow up to X hours before and Custom: The client can reschedule their session up to a pre-determined amount of time before their scheduled time.
Customizing the Session Type’s Design
To edit the design of your session, simply click on the Session Image thumbnail located in the General section. In the right-hand panel that appears, you can select a cover image for the specific session. For more information about adding, selecting, and adjusting a session’s cover image, click here.
Previewing and Publishing the Session Type
Once you are finished setting up your session type, you can preview how it would look to a potential client by clicking Preview in the top right hand corner. If you are happy with your draft session type, you can publish it by clicking Publish in the top right hand corner!
Once published, you can share your session type with your client.