A booking is the center of a photography job. It can connect a client, package, location, timeline, questionnaires, contract, gallery, team, and payment plan.
Start a new booking
- Open Bookings.
- Select New Booking.
- Choose a full session or mini-session workflow.
- Choose the photography category and enter a clear session title.
- For a full session, choose a client or add a new person. Mini-session clients are assigned to individual time slots after the event is created.
- Add the required session date, start time, and duration, plus a location when known.
- Choose a package or enter the booking price.
- Add private notes if needed, then select Save session.
Select Category to choose from photography types such as Wedding, Family, Portrait, Headshot, or Mini.
Notes marked private are for your studio and are not shown to the client.
Understand required scheduling
New and edited bookings require a session date and start time. Vignette treats the schedule as a core part of the booking and uses it for the Calendar, availability conflicts, reminders, timelines, payment dates, and client details.
A new booking can still remain Pending while its client confirmation, contract, or payment steps are unfinished. Pending describes the client workflow; it does not mean the booking can be saved without a schedule.
Busy times stay visible but cannot be chosen after the session duration is known. Vignette checks the complete time range, not only the start time. It checks again when you save in case another tab or person used the time while the form was open.
The start-time picker shows that day's golden hour, sunrise, and sunset for the session location so you can plan around the light.
The booking uses the event or studio time zone. Times that do not exist during a daylight-saving clock change are not available.
Add a location
Search for a venue or address and choose a result to verify the exact location. Confirm the map preview before saving, especially when several venues have similar names.
You may leave the location blank. Vignette shows To be determined to you and the client, and it hides the map. A blank location does not stop you from saving or sending the booking.
A typed place name is useful as a label. A verified address can also provide a map and travel help. Vignette does not guess a map location from To be determined.
Use a package
Choosing a package copies useful service information into the booking. Review the booking price and duration before saving because a booking may need a custom adjustment.
- Select Populate from package at the top of the form.
- Choose a saved package. Its price and duration show on the right.
- Review the fields Vignette filled in. They are highlighted in green.
Configure client payments when needed
Enter the booking price and optional retainer. Turn on Enable payments on this booking when clients should pay through Vignette, then choose a plan type:
- Pay in full for one payment
- Retainer + balance for an initial retainer and one later balance
- Installments for several scheduled payments
You can save the booking before creating its payment plan and return when the amounts and due dates are final. Online collection also requires a connected payment account.
Learn how to create installments and record payments.
Add delivery details, a contract, and notes
Every booking needs a Delivery timeline and at least one Deliverable. Fields marked with the page icon are also added to your contract. Turn on Enable contracts on this booking and choose a contract template when this job needs an agreement. Notes are private; your clients never see them.
What happens next
After saving, open the booking details to:
- Confirm the inquiry
- Add a timeline or client questionnaire
- Add a contract
- Set up payments
- Add and invite booking team members
- Request temporary team file handoffs
- Link a gallery
- Preview the client workflow
Learn how to manage the complete booking workflow.
What Vignette does behind the scenes
Choosing a package copies its useful starting details into the booking. The booking then keeps its own copy. Changing the package later does not rewrite a job you already agreed on with a client.
Vignette saves dates as one exact moment, then shows that moment in the booking's time zone. This helps the client, calendar, reminders, and team see the same session time even when they use different devices.