Notes

A client onboarding checklist for photographers

The booking is the easy part. What happens between "yes, we would love to work with you" and the day of the shoot decides whether the client feels looked after, and whether you spend your evenings answering avoidable questions.

What onboarding is for

Onboarding does three jobs. It confirms the practical things: date, time, place, price, deliverables. It collects what you need from the client, such as names, locations, shot lists and family details. And it sets expectations, so nobody is surprised by turnaround times, usage rights or what happens if it rains. A good process does all three without a stream of improvised emails.

The checklist below has twelve steps. Adjust it for weddings, portraits, events or commercial work, and delete whatever does not apply.

The twelve steps

1. Confirm the inquiry in writing

Reply to the inquiry with availability and a short summary of what you understood: the type of session, the date, the rough location. This catches misunderstandings before money changes hands.

2. Send the quote or proposal

Include what is covered, what is not, the price, how many edited images they receive and when. Keep it to a page or two. Put an expiry date on the offer so the date is not held forever.

3. Send the contract

Cover the date, payment schedule, cancellation and rescheduling, delivery timeline and usage. A contract is a legal document, so have your wording checked by someone qualified in your area; do not rely on a generic template alone.

4. Take the deposit

Send the deposit invoice at the same time as the contract, and state that the date is secured only once both are complete. Record the invoice number in your tracker.

5. Confirm the booking

When the signed contract and deposit arrive, send a short confirmation. Add the date to your calendar with travel time either side and a reminder a week ahead. Mark the client "Booked".

6. Send the questionnaire

Ask the questions you would otherwise ask by phone: names and pronunciations, people who must be photographed, locations, timings, anything sensitive, and the three images they most want. Short forms get completed; long ones get abandoned. Ten questions is plenty.

7. Send a preparation guide

Give practical advice: what to wear, how long the session takes, what to bring, what to do with young children or pets, and your plan if the weather turns. One page, in plain language, is better than a long PDF.

8. Scout or plan the location

Check the light at the time of day you will be there, parking, permits if needed, and a wet-weather alternative. Note it down so the plan is written, not remembered.

9. Send the pre-session reminder

Two or three days before, send the time, place, contact number and one reassuring line. Confirm the balance due date if there is one. This single email prevents a surprising number of no-shows and late arrivals.

10. Check your equipment and backups

Charge batteries, format cards, pack a spare body or lens if you have one, and confirm your backup method for the day. Tick it off on a list; this is a step where "I think I did it" is not good enough.

11. Shoot, then back up straight away

Copy the files to two places the same day, before you do anything else. Only then clear the cards. Record in your tracker that the session happened and the date you promised delivery.

12. Send a next-steps note

Within a day, tell the client the session went well, when they will see a preview or gallery, and what happens next. Then move them on to your delivery and review procedures.

A simple way to track it

Whatever you use, you want to see each client as a row with a status and a next action. A spreadsheet works fine. One column for the client, one for the stage, one for each of the twelve steps, and one for the next date something is due. Sort by that last column every morning and you know what to do.

Client | Stage | Contract | Deposit | Questionnaire | Reminder | Next due
[Name] | Booked | Signed | Paid | Waiting | Not sent | [Date]

Colour or flag anything overdue. A client who has had the questionnaire for a week without replying needs a nudge, and you will only remember if the sheet tells you.

Writing your messages once

Most of the emails above are nearly identical from client to client. Write each one once, save it as a template with [placeholders] for name, date and location, and keep them in a single document. Personalise the first line, change the brackets and send. You keep the warmth and lose the typing. Always read the bracketed items twice before sending, since a wrong name is worse than a slow reply.

Adapting the list

• Weddings: add a planning call, a family-group list and a timeline shared with the venue and other suppliers.
• Portraits and families: focus on preparation guidance and keeping the questionnaire short.
• Commercial work: add a brief, a usage and licence section, and a named approver for the final images.
• Events: add an access and parking check, and the contact who will be on site.

What to do when something slips

It will. A client will sign late, forget the questionnaire or change the location. The checklist is not there to make you rigid, it is there so you notice early. When a step is missed, do it as soon as you spot it, tell the client plainly if it affects them, and add a note to the checklist about how to avoid it next time.

Start small

If twelve steps feels like a lot, begin with four: a written confirmation, a deposit before the date is held, a questionnaire and a reminder. Add the rest as they become habits. A client who feels organised around is more likely to relax in front of the camera, to pay on time and to recommend you.

If you want this set up ready-made, the Client Onboarding Tracker is an Excel workbook with a 12-step checklist, a project pipeline with overdue flags and a dashboard. It is a template to adapt, not professional advice, so have contracts and legal terms checked locally.