iMessage for photographers, videographers and event pros

Wedding and event work has a shape almost nothing else in this guide shares: the booking happens twelve to eighteen months before delivery, there are usually two clients rather than one, and the gap between paying a deposit and seeing anything is enormous. Silence in that gap is what generates anxious emails.

Put the couple in one thread

Two people are deciding, and messaging one of them means the other hears a paraphrase. A group thread named for the event — 'Reyes wedding, 14 June' — means both see the same timeline, the same shot list question, the same schedule change. How to run one.

export const studio = {
  // The message that stops the long-silence anxiety.
  checkIn: (c: Ctx) =>
    `Hi both — ${c.photographerName} here. ${c.monthsOut} months out from ` +
    `${c.eventDate}. Nothing needed yet, just saying hello. ` +
    `Shot list and timings around ${c.planningMonth}.`,
 
  weekBefore: (c: Ctx) =>
    `${c.studio}: one week to go. I'll arrive at ${c.arrivalTime} at ` +
    `${c.venue}. Anything changed on the timings?`,
 
  sneakPeek: (c: Ctx) =>
    `A couple from yesterday while you wait for the rest — ` +
    `the full gallery lands ${c.galleryDate}. ${c.link}`,
 
  balanceDue: (c: Ctx) =>
    `${c.studio}: final balance of ${c.amount} is due ${c.dueDate}. ` +
    `${c.link} — shout if you need to spread it.`,
};

Schedule the quiet-period check-ins

A message at nine months, six months and three months that asks for nothing at all is what separates photographers clients rave about from photographers clients chase. Queue them at booking so they go out whether or not you remember.

Payments and the awkward conversation

Final balances fall due right when couples are most stretched. A friendly reminder well before the date, with an explicit offer to split it, collects more and generates less resentment than a formal invoice chase. Payment collection.

Ask for the review once the gallery has landed and been enjoyed — not on delivery day, when they are still looking. A week later is the window. Review requests.