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Boost your photography mini session business: How to maximize growth with online booking.

Looking to grow your photography mini session business, save time, and get more bookings? Read about how pro photographer Lindsey Winkler uses Zenfolio’s online booking tool, BookMe, to streamline her workflow, wow clients, and maximize revenue. Get tips to set your sessions apart and spend less time on admin—so you can focus on what you love.

Meet Lindsey Winkler: Building a Mini Session Empire

Lindsey Winkler, owner of LKW photography based in Yukon, OK, has been pursuing her passion for photography over the past 10 years. She originally started taking photos of her niece’s high school cheer and pom teams after her husband gifted her a new camera as a Christmas gift. As her photography hobby turned into a passion she started booking high school seniors to do their senior portraits and in Lindsey’s words–it’s her JAM! In 2020 she started using Zenfolio’s booking and scheduling tool; it became a lifesaver for her mini sessions and helped to simplify and save her time when booking all of her loyal client’s photoshoots. Check out Lindsey’s interview below:

How online booking transformed Lindsey’s mini session workflow.

How has BookMe helped your business workflow? 

1. It has saved me countless hours of back and forth communication and organizing with clients. 
2. I don’t have to chase clients to collect money for their shoot or remind them to pay the day of when I’m shooting. So much less hassle and less to worry about!  
3. BookMe’s automatic reminders regarding session times, locations, and payment reminders when needed saves me so much time!

What was your workflow like prior to using bookme? 

My workflow was just little ‘ol me doing it all manually in a calendar book or on a spreadsheet.  It definitely took more effort lining everyone up in their time slots and making sure they sent their payment to me via any payment method possible.  BookMe keeps my shoots all in one place and I don’t have to micromanage them or client payments.kMe keeps my shoots all in one place and I don’t have to micromanage them or client payments.

How do you determine pricing and custom packages for senior portraits? 

I had a starting point and have increased my “Collection” prices ( and what is included with each Collection) each year that my business grows. I try to stay competitive with the industry pricing in my area but not be the top tier. I offer several collections to meet my varying clientele’s different budget needs. 

Any tricks you have learned or secrets that have really helped you during a senior photo session?  

I make sure I’m more awkward than they feel they are. 🙂  I make it laid back and fun so they don’t feel too much pressure, so their personalities shine, and so they are comfortable and have a blast.  

Do you meet with the senior prior to shooting to gather information about them or prepare/plan for their shoot? 

We correspond via text, social media, email or phone calls. I carefully plan out each session to coordinate with their outfit choices, personality, and scenery preferences.   

When did you start shooting mini sessions and what do your clients love about them? 

I have offered mini sessions several times a year since I started my business. BookMe has been a lifesaver for booking and organizing my mini sessions. It even creates the galleries for me after I approve the booking. Clients can budget to do a mini session several times a year to capture their kids ever-changing faces and milestones.  They love the fast paced photo session time (especially for little ones and cranky husbands) 🙂

Lindsey’s top tips for smooth mini sessions.

1. I suggest leaving a 5-10 minute time buffer in between every single client.  It never fails, someone will show up late or a session will run late if you are working hard to get a little one to cooperate and you may run over your time. 
2. I always prep clients beforehand, requesting they arrive early, plan for tricky parking or crazy traffic, etc. 
3. Always check that you have extra SD/Memory cards and extra charged camera batteries on hand for mini session days. 

Pro tip: When you are out doing a photoshoot, keep safety pins, hairspray, and lotion on hand for faulty clothing, flyaways, and ashy knees. 

Lindsey’s tips for photographers starting a portrait business: 

Focus on your personal growth as a photographer: don’t compare yourself to others. Follow anyone who inspires you to grow and push you to be better as a photographer, but don’t let it bring you down if you can’t immediately achieve what they do or have. Watch tutorials, read books about your camera, and practice!

Word of mouth marketing: Most of my clients are from word-of-mouth referrals. However, I use Instagram and social media to post content and engage people through stories. 

Photography Packaging: 

1. Create packages that work best for you and your business. 
2. Include extra prints and perks–only if you can cover cost of goods and the time you put into creating the ordering, templating, etc. 
3. Go as simple or as extravagant as you want–just make sure you can keep up with it and aren’t losing money. 

Equipment: 

• Invest in good glass (lenses) and equipment. You don’t need a ton of expensive equipment but a high quality DSLR (or mirrorless) and nice lenses are important. You don’t need to rush out and buy 5 different lenses right off the bat. I started with a Canon Rebel and a “nifty 50,” Then I moved up to a Canon 5D Mark IV. My favorite lens is the Tamron 35 1.4, I also have a Sigma Art 135 1.8 and Sigma Art 50 1.4–all amazing. 
• Invest in yourself. Educate yourself, practice and get creative! YouTube has so many tutorials and there are a lot of beginner photography groups and forums that are great resources. 

With a little time spent setting your services up, you can customize online booking using BookMe to easily integrate right into your photography business workflow. Clients will love the simplicity and ease when it comes to booking a shoot or consultation, and you will save hours of time coordinating your future photo shoots and collecting payments.  

Have you tried offering online booking and scheduling to your photography clients? Try it free today.

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