For wedding, portrait and commercial photographers
Book the date, take the retainer, deliver the gallery, get paid in full.
Weddings, portraits, headshots and brand shoots all run on the same rhythm: a package, a retainer to hold the date, a balance due before the event, and add-ons like second shooters, albums and travel. Fee-Lion puts that whole rhythm on one link your couple or client can approve and pay from.
Explore the live demo See the client portal
No signup, no password: walk around Golden Hour Photo’s workspace. Or start your free trial.
Sound familiar?
The paperwork side of the job.
- A couple says "we're in!" and then takes two weeks to send the retainer, while another couple asks about the same date.
- The wedding balance is due two weeks before the day and you are the one who has to bring it up, mid-planning.
- Album orders, extra prints and the second shooter get agreed in DMs and forgotten on the final invoice.
- Travel for the out-of-town wedding, the second shooter's fee and the album lab bill all come out of your account with no link to the job.
- Mini-session days mean twenty small invoices in an afternoon.
A real example
What an estimate looks like.
Line by line, the way you’d actually quote it: quantity times rate, tax worked out for you, and the deposit collected the moment the client approves.
- Your client opens one link and approves it, paying the deposit by card.
- Approved estimates turn into invoices in one click.
- Your logo, your terms, and your line items saved for next time.
Prepared for Priya Natarajan & Sam Cole
| Item | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wedding day coverage, 8 hours, lead photographer, online gallery 1 ea × $3,800.00 | 1 ea | $3,800.00 | $3,800.00 |
| Second shooter, ceremony through first dance 6 hr × $85.00 | 6 hr | $85.00 | $510.00 |
| Engagement session, 90 minutes, one location 1 ea × $450.00 | 1 ea | $450.00 | $450.00 |
| Heirloom album, 10x10, 30 spreads 1 ea × $1,150.00 | 1 ea | $1,150.00 | $1,150.00 |
| Parent albums, 8x8 duplicates 2 ea × $325.00 | 2 ea | $325.00 | $650.00 |
| Travel beyond 50 miles (112 miles round trip) 112 mi × $0.70 | 112 mi | $0.70 | $78.40 |
The 30% retainer reserves your date and is non-refundable. Balance due 14 days before the wedding. Edited gallery delivered within 6 weeks; album design begins once you pick your images. Sales tax on albums added where your state requires it.
Sent with Fee-Lion · example document, fictional client
How Fee-Lion fits
The parts that do the heavy lifting.
Packages as estimates
Coverage hours, second shooter, engagement session, album and travel on one clear proposal. Your couple approves it from their phone.
More on estimates & proposalsRetainer holds the date
The retainer is the deposit, paid by card the moment they approve. The date is booked when the money is in, not when the email is.
More on online paymentsBalance reminders
Convert the estimate to the balance invoice with the retainer credited, due two weeks before the wedding. Fee-Lion sends the reminder so you do not have to.
More on invoicingShoot-day checklist
Shot list, timeline confirmation, venue walkthrough, gallery delivery and album proofing as a shared checklist your couple can follow and add to.
More on project managementCosts per wedding
Second shooter fees, album lab orders, mileage and hotel as expenses tied to the job, so each wedding shows what it actually earned.
More on expense tracking & bookkeepingSeasonal revenue
Revenue by month makes the wedding season and the quiet winter visible, and estimate win/loss shows how your inquiries convert.
More on reports & insightsA day with Fee-Lion
How it actually plays out.
- An inquiry for June 13 comes in. Build the proposal from your collection lines, add the second shooter and travel, and send the link the same day.
- The couple opens it that night, asks in a comment whether the parent albums can be 8x8, then approves and pays the 30% retainer. The date is theirs.
- Share the planning checklist: timeline, family photo list, venue walkthrough. The couple ticks off their items in the portal.
- Convert the estimate to the balance invoice, due 14 days before the wedding, with the retainer credited. The reminder goes out by itself.
- After the wedding: the second shooter's fee, the album lab invoice and the mileage go in as expenses on the job.
- Gallery delivered, album ordered, balance paid. The wedding shows its true profit next to the rest of the season.
Live demo
Click around Golden Hour Photo.
A wedding and portrait photographer in season: collections with retainers, balance invoices due before the day, albums, second shooters and travel.
A real Fee-Lion workspace set up as Golden Hour Photo, with sample clients, jobs, estimates and invoices. No signup, no password. Changes are switched off, so click anything.
Questions
What people ask before they switch.
How much retainer should a wedding photographer charge?
Retainers of 25 to 50 percent are common, with many photographers taking about a third to hold the date and the balance due a week or two before the wedding. In Fee-Lion the retainer is the estimate's deposit, paid by card when the couple approves.
When should the wedding photography balance be due?
Most photographers ask for the balance 7 to 30 days before the wedding, so payment is not a conversation on the day. Convert the approved estimate to an invoice with that due date and let the automatic reminders handle it.
Should photographers charge a travel fee?
Many include travel within a set radius and charge mileage or a flat fee beyond it, plus lodging for destination events. List it as its own line so the couple sees it before they approve.
How do I pay and track a second shooter?
Second shooters are usually paid a flat day rate or hourly by the lead photographer. Record what you pay them as an expense tied to that wedding's project so the job's profit reflects it.
Can clients pay photography invoices online?
Yes. Retainers and invoices are payable by card through Stripe from the same link the client used to approve. You can also record checks or transfers yourself.
Your next estimate could go out tonight.
Start a 14-day free trial, no card needed, or look around Golden Hour Photo first.