Booking a session

Your photographer's booking page lists what they offer. Pick one and work through the steps. It takes a few minutes.

There's no separate "book now" button: choosing a service takes you straight into booking it.

Picking a time

You'll either see a calendar, or, for mini sessions, a row of dates with times underneath. Times showing Full are gone. Some show how many places are left.

Times are shown in your photographer's timezone, with that timezone in brackets next to the date, like (GMT+1). Nothing is changed to your local time. That's usually what you want, since you're travelling to them. Check it if you're booking a video call from another country.

If the photographer offers different session lengths, a Duration field sits above the calendar. Picking a longer one narrows the times to those where the whole block is free.

Some services list Add-ons underneath, each with a minus and plus, or a number you can type, to choose how many you want. The total updates as you go.

The 30-minute hold

Once you pick a time and continue, you're asked to confirm. Under a heading like We'll hold this time for you, it says the slot you chose "will be reserved for you for 30 minutes while you complete the required steps". Press Continue and a small Slot held timer sits in the corner counting down. Nothing is held until you press it.

If it runs out, Your hold has expired tells you the time is no longer reserved and asks you to pick again. Nothing else is lost. It does mean this isn't a form to start and come back to tomorrow.

If you change your mind about the time, just pick a different one. The old hold is released straight away.

The steps

A small progress bar at the top shows where you are. After the time, you'll be asked for your details, and then, depending on your photographer:

• A few questions about the session
• A contract to sign, which works the same way as signing a contract: draw or type your signature, tick the box, done
• A review screen showing everything, including what's due

Paying

If your photographer takes payment when you book, the last screen before your booking page is Review, and the button reads Pay deposit or Full payment with the amount on it. When a deposit applies there's a small menu beside it if you'd rather pay the whole thing now.

Pressing it opens a short panel headed Pay and the amount, listing whatever they accept:

• Card takes you to a secure checkout page, where you enter your card, Apple Pay or Google Pay details.
• A bank transfer or another method they handle themselves shows their instructions. You can attach proof, an image or PDF up to 5MB, and a note. The button reads I've made this payment, and your photographer confirms it at their end.

Your booking is made when you choose a method and go through to pay, not when the panel opens. If you open it and close the tab, there's no booking waiting for you, and the time is released when your hold runs out.

If your photographer takes no payment when you book, there's no review screen. The button on the last step reads Confirm booking.

Either way you land on your booking page.

Your booking page

Keep the link. It's the one page with everything on it:

• Whether you're confirmed or still waiting on something
• The date, time and place
• Add to Google Calendar, or Download .ics for any other calendar
• Your contract and questionnaire, with a button for whatever's next
• Payments, with any balance and a Pay button
• Your photographer's cancellation policy, which you can expand

For a video session, the join link is on this page too, where the location would be. It isn't in the confirmation email, so come back here on the day.

If you're still waiting on something, the page is headed Complete your booking and tells you what to do and by when. If your payment is with the photographer for checking, it reads Awaiting confirmation instead.

If the deadline passes before everything is done, the page reads This booking has expired and the time was released. Contact your photographer: if you've paid, they'll tell you what happens next.

If the page says the service changed

Your photographer changed something while you had the page open. Reload the page and start again. Irritating, but it means you're booking today's prices and times rather than ones from ten minutes ago.

Changing or cancelling

You can't do either yourself. There's no cancel button and no reschedule link. That's deliberate, because dates are worth a conversation.

Email your photographer. Their address is at the bottom of your booking page. Read their cancellation policy on the same page first, so you know where you stand before you write.

Just asking a question

Some photographers take inquiries rather than direct bookings. You fill in a short form, they reply by email, and you agree on the details together before anything is booked.

Nothing is reserved when you inquire. The button reads Send inquiry. Afterwards you land on a page headed Inquiry received, showing your name, the service and the date you sent it. An acknowledgement arrives by email straight away, and a proper reply from them follows. If a specific date matters, say so in your message, because the form doesn't ask for one.