Why You Should Have a Retainer

Have you ever had a portrait client cancel on you? It happens all the time. Many photographers don't collect retainers for these sessions, thinking it's just one more step to manage. However, when cancellations occur, the frustration is inevitable.

Why You Should Be Using a Retainer

There are many reasons to collect a retainer (note: it’s not a deposit, it’s a non-refundable retainer). Here are three key reasons recommended by industry expert, photographer, and lawyer Rachel Brenke, also known as The LawTog:

Set the Stage for a Professional Relationship: Using a retainer starts your client relationship on the right foot. Rachel recommends the retainer, along with a contract, to establish a professional relationship early on. "Retainers paired with contract signing demonstrate an act manifesting the intent to enter into a legal relationship." – TheLawTog

Decrease Cancellations: Collecting a retainer not only boosts your confidence that cancellations won’t happen, but it also makes clients more likely to fulfill their commitment when money is involved. "Both parties having money on the line helps to put skin in the game." – TheLawTog

Attract Your Ideal Clients: Requesting a retainer helps attract serious and appreciative clients. Those who aren't committed to your work are unlikely to pay a retainer. "Retainers act to prevent flaky or irresponsible clients from abusing your resources (time, money, and energy!)" – TheLawTog

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ShootQ Migration FAQs

By Maria Eveslage • February 10, 2025

What’s Changing? The technology behind our legacy platform has reliably supported our users for many years. However, maintaining and updating this older system has become increasingly challenging, and its limitations have prevented us from delivering the best possible user experience. Therefore, we have decided to transition all users to our more modern and robust platform, which has already been successfully serving thousands of photographers for the past five years. This change is a step forward in our commitment to providing superior tools and services that meet the evolving needs of professional photographers. Why This Change Is Happening Our new platform leverages modern technology that resolves the issues encountered with the old system. It introduces powerful features designed to streamline the management of client relationships. Expect a faster, more stable, and comprehensive system to support your business growth. What is being migrated? To ensure a seamless transition, we will migrate the following items: Jobs Invoices Contacts Contracts Proposals Email Templates Contract Templates Contact Form Templates Product & Services Templates Workflow Templates What will not be migrated? Certain elements will not be carried over to the new system: Client Portals Job Notes In-Progress Workflows (workflow templates will be migrated) Payment Schedule Templates Discount Templates Tax Templates Referrals set in existing jobs Transition to the New System As the legacy system is phased out, here are steps to help you adjust: Disable Legacy Settings: To avoid confusion, disable any unnecessary settings in the legacy system, such as invoice reminders by navigating to Settings > Invoices & Payments > Invoice Settings and unchecking "Send automatic email reminders for unpaid invoices." Complete the New Setup Guide: Utilize the Setup Guide in the new system found under Settings > Onboarding Setup Guide to fully adapt to the new functionalities. Updates on Integrations We are thrilled to share some exciting enhancements that are on the horizon for our new platform. In response to feedback and the evolving needs of our community, we will be implementing integrations with QuickBooks and ProSelect in the near future. These updates are designed to streamline your financial management and client interactions, enhancing your overall workflow efficiency. Stay tuned for these valuable additions that will further empower your photography business. Multiple Brands Additionally, we are excited to announce that support for managing multiple brands is now available, providing you with the flexibility to handle various aspects of your business from a single account. These integrations and features are designed to enrich your experience by streamlining financial management and client interactions, making your workflow smoother and more efficient. Stay tuned for these exciting updates that will further empower your photography business. Further Assistance For a smoother transition, visit our YouTube Tutorial Series and consult the Getting Started Knowledge Base . Our support team is also ready to assist you every step of the way. What If I’m Not Using My Account Anymore? If your account has been inactive for more than 12 months, your account will not be migrated. If you wish to have your account migrated, you will simply need to login to your account before March 3, 2025. Final Migration Notice This migration is essential for enhancing your photography business operations. We are committed to supporting you through this transition and ensuring a smooth and effective upgrade to our new platform.