Built by a working photographer
Studio management, galleries & websites for photographers
ShootCal helps with all the work around a photo session. Finding a good start time, keeping up with clients, sending contracts and invoices, and delivering the finished pictures. It works with your Google Calendar and includes online booking, client galleries, and a website builder. Use the Apple or Android apps, or open the web app on your computer.
The ShootCal Calendar and Studio Management app is free, and every account includes a Free Galleries studio and Website. Upgrading Galleries is optional.
From the first booking request to the finished gallery
How a job moves through ShootCal
- 1Clients choose a session type and send a request through your booking page.
- 2Reply from ShootCal or your email to discuss the details.
- 3Accept the request to add the session to your Google Calendar and save the client.
- 4Send an invoice or contract with the agreed package and price.
- 5Keep track of the deposit and remaining payments with the job.
- 6Deliver the photos through ShootCal Galleries, with print ordering if you choose to offer it.
The story: why I built ShootCal
I’ve been a professional photographer for almost 20 years. Scheduling clients is one of the most time-consuming parts of the job. For many years I used Fantastical and Google Calendar. I had to look up the sunset time for every date, send the best time to start back to the client, track who had paid a deposit, and much more. So I built ShootCal to automate those exact tasks. This is the scheduling app built by an actual photographer who uses it every day, so I know exactly what features a real photographer needs.
I’ve made countless little tweaks only a photographer would appreciate, from small things like making it easy to copy client names into Lightroom and showing bride and groom names on the Apple Watch widget to glance at during a wedding. To large things like easy-to-sign online wedding contracts and an online availability calendar. As I get more users, please give me feedback if there is anything I missed that you need to make your business better.
— Ryan Smith Photography
Online booking & availability
A booking page that fits right into your website
Share your booking link or add the page to your website. Clients choose a session type, check open dates, and send you a request. A sunset session uses the sunset time for that date to suggest when to start. You set the photos, prices, durations, and booking rules for each type.
Accept a request in ShootCal to save the client and add the session to your Google Calendar. You can also turn on instant booking for a session type if you want clients to confirm an open time themselves.
The public calendar shows open, limited, and booked days. Client names, locations, and event details stay private. Try the booking page →.
Studio management, built in
Run the business side without leaving your calendar
Keep client details, booking requests, contracts, invoices, and payments together. You can import clients from past Google Calendar events, send agreements for an online signature, and take invoice payments through your own Stripe account. Record cash, checks, or other payments too.
Your schedule stays in Google Calendar. Follow-up tasks sync with Google Tasks, and you can send session reminders from your Gmail account. The details are there when you need to check a deposit or follow up with a client.
ShootCal Galleries
Send the finished photos in a gallery with your brand on it
Send clients one link to view their photos, mark favorites, and download full-resolution files. They don’t need to create an account. Add your logo, and use your own gallery domain on Plus or Pro. You can publish photos straight from Lightroom Classic with the ShootCal plugin.
If you offer prints, White House Custom Colour (WHCC) produces and ships the orders, and payments go to your Stripe account. Paid plans have 0% ShootCal print commission. Video galleries on paid plans include playback up to 1080p and downloads of your original files, including 4K.
Every account includes a Free Galleries studio with 20 GB for photos. Plus is 150 GB for $12/mo with 30 active video minutes; Pro is 1,000 GB for $25/mo with 180 active video minutes. Both paid plans are billed month-to-month with no annual contract.
Scheduling
Plan the session before you pick up the camera
Golden hour, weather and tides
Set your location and ShootCal shows sunrise and sunset for the date you’re planning. Use a sunset or sunrise session type to calculate the start time. Check the available weather, wind, and tide forecast as the session gets closer.
Your own session types
Add the kinds of shoots you offer, such as Family, Wedding, Engagement, or Real Estate. Save the duration and timing for each one, then use those defaults when you add a session or take a booking request.
Two-way Google Calendar sync
Add or change a session in ShootCal and it updates your Google Calendar. Changes you make in Google Calendar come back to ShootCal too, so you can keep using the calendar you already have.
Apple Watch and home-screen widgets
Check upcoming clients on your Apple Watch or home-screen widget. The Names Only complication is useful when you need a quick reminder of the bride and groom’s names during a wedding.
Connect your Google Calendar
Connect through Google’s sign-in screen without giving ShootCal your Google password. Your events stay in your own Google Calendar account, and you can remove ShootCal’s access from your Google settings.
Free scheduling and studio management
The ShootCal app is free, with no app subscription required. Use it for your calendar, clients, booking, contracts, invoices, and deposits. Every account also includes a Free Galleries studio; Plus and Pro gallery plans are optional.
Photographers, share your experience
Using ShootCal in your business? Tell me how it’s working for you, and I’ll feature your review right here on the site.
Frequently asked questions
Is ShootCal really free?
Yes. The ShootCal scheduling and studio-management app is free, with no app subscription required. Every account includes a Free Galleries studio with 20 GB for photo delivery, and upgrading to Plus or Pro is optional. Your calendar remains in your Google account, so you are never locked into a closed calendar platform.
How does the golden-hour scheduling work?
Set your location and choose sunset or sunrise timing for a session type. ShootCal uses the sun time for the date and your session’s duration to calculate when to start. You can also use fixed times, studio hours, or all-day sessions.
Does it sync with Google Calendar?
Yes. You create, edit, and delete events directly in the app, and two-way background sync ensures your changes update automatically.
Can I use ShootCal on a Windows PC?
Yes. Open the web app in Chrome or Edge and click Install in the address bar. ShootCal then runs in its own window like a native app, with a Start-menu and taskbar icon, session reminder notifications, and no browser tabs. Everything stays in sync with your Google Calendar, same as on any device.
Can clients book me through ShootCal?
Yes. Add your session types and turn on your booking page. A client picks a session type, then an open day (and a time slot, if you offer them), sends their details, and the request lands in your ShootCal inbox. You review it and accept to add it to your calendar, or decline with a quick reply. Nothing is booked automatically unless you turn on instant booking for a session type; otherwise every request waits for you to accept.
Can I track deposits and payments?
Yes. ShootCal’s professional invoices are included at no extra cost. Accept Stripe cards or record Zelle, Cash App, Venmo, check, cash, and custom manual payments; payment and refund history stays with the job and updates its deposit status. ShootCal adds no payment or platform fee to Stripe invoice payments, although Stripe’s standard processing fees still apply.
Can clients see my whole calendar?
No. The public availability calendar on your website shows only which days are open, limited, or fully booked. Event titles, locations, and details are never exposed.
Does ShootCal include client galleries?
Yes. Every account includes a Free Galleries studio with 20 GB for photos, full-resolution downloads, favorites for proofing, and Lightroom publishing. Optional paid plans add more storage and video, with playback up to 1080p and downloads of original files, including 4K. You can also offer prints and wall art produced and shipped by White House Custom Colour (WHCC). Explore ShootCal Galleries →