Top 5 Best Mini Session Booking Software Tools For 2023

What are mini sessions?

Simply put, mini sessions are smaller packages offered by photographers. On the whole, they run for roughly half an hour and come with cheaper preset fees. One of the main reasons photographers offer mini sessions is to give clients a taste of their full services. Ultimately, offering mini photography sessions can enable you to increase your bookings, making up the difference left by larger projects.

Mostly, mini sessions are used for smaller projects like headshots, family portraits, graduation photos, and pet pics. Moreover, lots of photographers also offer services for seasonal portraits, as well as providing gift packages for events like Father’s Day.

The great thing about being a photographer is the freedom to change location. Not all mini sessions have to take place in the studio, and many mobile photographers often travel to locations (offices, homes, parks, etc.) preselected by the client.

Why do photographers need a session booking software?

As a photographer, you need to be able to manage your time and schedule efficiently in order to be successful. A session booking software can help you do just that. With a session booking software, you can keep track of your bookings, payments, and client information all in one place. This can help you save time and stay organized.

A session booking software can also help you manage your finances. You can use it to track your income and expenses, so you always know where you stand financially. This can help you budget better and make more informed decisions about your business.

Overall, a session booking software is a valuable tool for any photographer. If you're looking to streamline your photography business, a session booking software is definitely worth considering.

What features should photographers look for in a session booking software?

There are a few key features that photographers should look for when choosing a session booking software tool:

• The software should be easy to use and understand. It should have a user-friendly interface that makes it quick and easy to book sessions.
• The software should have a wide range of features to choose from. It should allow photographers to customize their bookings to suit their needs.
• The software should be affordable. It should offer a variety of pricing options to fit different budgets.
• The software should be reliable. It should have a good reputation and offer customer support in case there are any problems.

These are just some of the things that photographers should look for in a session booking software tool. By keeping these factors in mind, they can choose the best software for their needs.

The Top 5 Best Mini Session Booking Software Tools For 2023 are: 

1. Baluu
2. Session
3. SimplyBook
4. Picktime
5. Setmore

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at our top 5 picks for the best mini-session software tools for 2023. We believe photographers need look no further than these great options.
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1. Baluu

Founded: 2021
HQ: London

There’s a good reason Baluu is our number one pick for photographers looking for the best mini-session booking software. In a relatively short time, the UK-based company has completely changed the way small businesses approach taking bookings. Baluu combines a website builder, booking platform, and payment provider in a single easy-to-use, out-of-the-box solution.

No coding experience? No problem! In a matter of hours, photographers can build their website from the ground up, add their mini sessions and payment details and begin reaping the rewards!  

Among other aspects, this ease of use makes Baluu a perfect option for photographers who need to create eye-catching mini-sessions. In our step-by-step guide we go into more detail about how you can create your very own booking website using Baluu.

Introducing Baluu's brand new booking widget!

Baluu is paving the way for streamlining bookings for small businesses. Its new, fully brandable and customisable booking widget can be integrated onto your existing website in a matter of minutes. No more finicky coding or entire booking pages: the innovative new app has every tool and feature you need to take and manage your bookings, process payments, and promote your businesses. Try Baluu's 30 day free trial and see for yourself!

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Ultimately, what makes Baluu stand out from the other options specifically designed for photographers is its range of features. From event customizability to marketing options, to website design, Baluu gives you a deceptive amount of freedom for an affordable price.

Baluu Key Features

• Create an eye-catching website from scratch in a few hours with Baluu's in-build website builder - no coding experience required!
• Develop a slick, branded booking experience for your customers.
• Using Baluu's customisable booking widget, you can integrated all Baluu's booking features onto your existing website.
• Clients can control, modify, and cancel their own reservations.
• Organize your team quickly, use variable permissions.
• Use custom data collecting fields on customer intake forms to gather vital consumer information.
• Develop integrated marketing campaigns, create a range of discounts, and gain meaningful insights.
• Sell products, gift cards, and learning kits, and make an unlimited number of listings with different ticket types.

If you’re interested in giving Baluu a shot, be sure to try a free trial, or book a free demo. You won’t be disappointed!
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2. Session

Founded: 2018

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Since 2018 Session has been showing you don’t have to be a huge company to make a significant impact. What makes Session such a unique CRM is that not only does it cater not just to photographers, but was designed for mini sessions specifically. In this respect, Session may be the best option for photographers who want to focus mainly on mini sessions.  

Session’s main strength is its automation. This automation is actually built into the system, meaning all you have to do is input the relevant information (session description, invoice, contract, and chosen questionnaire template) and Session does the hard work for you. To add to this, it automatically sends reminder emails to your clients.  

Another plus for Session is its sleek, no-nonsense design, and easy-to-use interface. This also extends to the Client view, which is very pleasing to the eye and enables clients to add time slots, sign contracts, pay retainers, and fill out questionnaires in a simple straightforward manner.
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Session Key Features

• Ability to easily create and schedule mini sessions, define available time slots, and set the duration and pricing for each session.
• Offer multiple clients the option to book the same time slot, making it simple for you to organize and manage group mini sessions or back-to-back individual sessions.
• Pre-designed templates tailored for mini sessions, allowing you to quickly set up your booking pages with a professional and consistent look that matches your brand.
• The system automatically manages available time slots, showing only those that are open for booking, and updating availability in real-time as clients book their mini sessions.
• Set a limit on the number of mini sessions that can be booked by each client, ensuring fair access to your services and preventing overbooking.
• Adding buffer times between mini sessions to give you enough time to reset, prepare, and transition from one session to another.
• Offer mini session packages that bundle multiple sessions together, providing clients with discounts or incentives for booking multiple sessions at once.

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3. SimplyBook

Founded: 2011
HQ: Cyprus

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SimplyBook is an online appointment booking platform designed mainly for small businesses. That being said, what makes it stands out is its array of features and integrations,  providing a whole lot more than simple appointment bookings. 

The range of features SimplyBook offers is staggering. You can integrate its booking functionality with Google, Facebook, or Instagram, sell membership subscriptions, group your services into categories, and much more. SimplyBook even has an in-built loyalty system that lets your clients earn loyalty points upon purchases.

They also have a mobile app for Android and OS users through which they can manage the available times and dates as well as online bookings. 

Despite its impressive array of features, SimplyBook has a highly intuitive interface that renders navigation a walk in the park. 

All in all, SimplyBook may be one of the most versatile cloud-based appointment booking and scheduling platforms available. The client app makes self-scheduling easy, and its multiple features and integrations make SimplyBook a chief contender for the crown of online scheduling apps.
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SimplyBook Key Features

• The platform supports multiple clients booking the same time slot, making it simple to organize and manage group mini sessions or back-to-back individual sessions.
• Pre-designed templates tailored for mini sessions enable you to quickly set up booking pages with a professional and consistent look that reflects your brand.
• The system automatically manages available time slots, displaying only those open for booking and updating availability in real-time as clients book their mini sessions.
• Photographers can set limits on the number of mini sessions that can be booked by each client, ensuring fair access to their services and preventing overbooking.
• Add buffer times between mini sessions, providing enough time to reset, prepare, and transition from one session to another.
• Photographers can offer mini session packages that bundle multiple sessions together, providing clients with discounts or incentives for booking multiple sessions at once.
• If mini sessions are fully booked, clients can join a waitlist, and the system will automatically notify them if a spot becomes available due to cancellations or rescheduling.
• Enables photographers to define custom deposit requirements and cancellation policies for their mini sessions.

Bear in mind, the premium pricing option is only really applicable for larger businesses that take a large number of bookings. The lower subscription prices may be all photographers need in order to create great mini sessions, and it's good to know the option is always there if you want to scale the software with your business.
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4. Picktime

Founded: 2018
HQ: Texas

Picktime is a free appointment scheduling software specifically designed for photographers. Whether you run your business alone or have a team of assistants and photographers, Picktime ensures you can manage your schedule and take bookings easily.

With its seamless user interface and customizability with no coding experience requires, Picktime is a great option for photographers looking to create fantastic-looking mini-sessions. One cursory glance at your dashboard will give you a comprehensive overview of your bookings and schedule. Many Customers have praised Picktime’s ease of use, along with its ability to schedule bookings according to category. 

You can also add multiple reps and employees to be selected for appointments and are able to toggle this feature off so clients don’t have to select a specific person, meaning they can skip to choosing their service for booking.  

Picktime offers an array of winning features:  a one-click book now button for your website, recurring appointments, automated SMS and email reminders, multiple location access, integration with your Facebook page, and much more.

There truly are few cons to using Picktime, but one customer noted that the software lacks a way to notify all members of a change in time and venue, as the attendees are only notified during the time of cancellation.
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Picktime Key Features

• Easily set up and schedule mini sessions by defining available time slots, durations, and pricing for each session.
• The platform enables multiple clients to book the same time slot, simplifying the organization and management of group mini sessions or back-to-back individual sessions.
• Picktime provides customizable templates designed for mini sessions, helping photographers create booking pages with a consistent and professional look that matches their brand.
• The system automatically handles available time slots, showing only those open for booking and updating availability in real-time as clients secure their mini sessions.
• Photographers can establish limits on the number of mini sessions that can be booked by each client, ensuring fair access to their services and avoiding overbooking.
• Create packages that bundle multiple mini sessions together, offering clients discounts or incentives for booking several sessions at once.

5. Setmore

Founded: 2011
HQ: Portland

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Founded in 2011, Setmore is a booking software that helps small businesses take bookings quickly and easily. It has many great features that are well-suited to photographers who want to create mini-sessions.

Of course, it has all the tools you’d expect from one of the big players in the online booking world—an online payment system,  the ability to integrate with your existing website, email automation, and more.

Setmore also enables you to enhance the brand of your photography business by collecting reviews from customers, drawing attention to stellar feedback, and encouraging new clients to book.

One drawback of Setmore is the fact it only offers online customer support, meaning those who aren’t that tech-savvy may be better off with an option that offers phone, and email support.

Scheduling is rendered incredibly straightforward with Setmore, allowing customers to self-book with minimum hassle. You can also create a two-way calendar sync so your staff is able to keep track of their own timetable. Setmore also has a mobile app for android and IOS users, meaning you can always stay on top of your bookings.
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Setmore Key Features

• Setmore allows photographers to effortlessly set up and schedule mini sessions by defining available time slots, durations, and pricing for each session.
• Fully customizable booking website allows photographers to create a professional and consistent look that matches their brand.
• Supports multiple clients booking the same time slot, making it simple to organize and manage group mini sessions or back-to-back individual sessions.

• Setmore syncs with popular calendar apps like Google Calendar, Outlook, and iCal, enabling photographers to manage their appointments and avoid double bookings.
• Automated email and SMS notifications help reduce no-shows by sending appointment confirmations and reminders to both clients and staff.
• Photographers can create custom intake forms to collect essential information from clients during the booking process, streamlining data collection and improving client management.

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Conclusion

Being a photographer is time-consuming enough without having to mess around with niggling scheduling issues. What’s more, mini-sessions are supposed to be simple and straightforward. They shouldn’t require endless coding or exorbitant developer fees. This is where the options on this list can help.

They’ll enable you to automate your bookings and manage your business with ease. What’s also great about these booking platforms, is their free trial and free plan options, meaning you can try them out for yourself before choosing a paid subscription.

Need more bookings software advice? Have a read of some related guides below: ‍

• Top 5 Best Free Booking Systems
• How To Make A Bookings Website: A Step By Step Guide
• How To Create An Online Booking System: The Ultimate Guide
• Top 10 Best Booking Systems For Small Businesses
• Top 5 Best Wix Booking Apps
• Top 7 Best Appointment Scheduling Apps
• Top 5 Best Appointment Booking Systems For Any Business
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*all pricing mentioned in this article was taken from the aforementioned company websites and was accurate at the time of writing (21/03/2023) but may have now changed.