With Studio Manager, you can easily create session types that your clients can book from any device. 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 (i.e. newborn, wedding, family, etc.) but it can also include related services such as consultations. This article will cover how to create a new session type. 

 

On this page:

• Creating a new Session Type
  • General
  • Availability
  • Intake Form
  • Payments
  • Confirmation
• 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.

Once you click New Session Type, a draft session type will be created with the following sections: General, Availability, Intake Form, Payments, and Confirmation.

 

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.
• Location: An optional location to help your client get a better idea of where their session type will take place
• Session Link: The URL slug for your session type (e.g. /family-session)
• 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:

1. Click +Add date.

2. 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.

 

Advanced Options

Underneath both Calendar View and List View, there are additional settings such as time zone, availability request, buffer time, and more.

• • Start Time Increments: 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.)
  • 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.
  • Minimum/Maximum Notice: Determine how far in advance a client can book a session.
    • Example: If set to 180 days maximum notice, your client will only see availability up to 180 days in the future.
    • Example: If set to 3 hours minimum notice, your client will only see availability that is 3+ hours away.
  • 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, you determine what information a client is required to fill out before they can complete their booking.

 

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.
• Collect Only Partial: Collect a partial amount as a deposit/retainer and then collect the rest manually. If turned On, you have the option to auto create an invoice 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.

Note: If you have set up Stripe and/or PayPal within your Studio Manager Settings, they will be automatically turned on as payment methods for your client. Manual Payments cannot be used for session bookings.

 

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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Manually Approve New Sessions: By default, new sessions are automatically accepted. If this setting is toggled On though, the session will be placed into Pending 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.

Customizing the Session Type’s Design

To edit the design of your session, simply click Edit Design in the top right hand corner. 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.