ShootCalOpen web app

Quick Start Guide

Everything you need to get ShootCal running on Apple devices, Android, Windows, or the web—from connecting your calendar to booking, clients, contracts, galleries, and the shortcuts that make scheduling a session take seconds.

Browse full documentation →

1. Initial setup

  • Connect: Open Settings (the gear icon) and sign in with your Google account.
  • Choose calendar: Select the specific Google Calendar you want to use for your bookings.
  • Set location: Enter your city so the app can accurately calculate your local sunset times, plus tides if you’re near the beach.
  • Customize: Add your session types (Family, Senior, Wedding, etc.) and set your preferred default durations.
  • On the web: Prefer a browser, or not on a Mac? Go to app.shootcal.com and sign in with the same Google account. Everything stays in sync.

    • 2. Scheduling & editing

  • Book a session: Click any date on the calendar, then click New Event (or press ⌘N).
  • Fill details: Enter the client name and pick a session type. The start and end times automatically snap to the correct golden-hour window.
  • Track deposits: Toggle Deposit Received to instantly color-code the session as paid or unpaid.
  • Edit: Click any event chip to view its details, then click Edit, or right-click the event for quick actions.
  • Reschedule: Drag and drop events across the calendar grid to move them to a new date.

    • 3. Session types

    Set up the kinds of shoots you offer once, and ShootCal handles the timing for each.

  • Per-type defaults: Give each session type (Family, Senior, Wedding, Newborn, and so on) its own default length and color.
  • Scheduling rule: Golden-hour types cascade around sunset automatically, studio types follow the studio hours you set, and per-day limits keep you from overbooking a single day.

    • 4. Clients

  • Client manager: Open the Clients area to keep every client’s contact details, session history, and last-booked date in one place.
  • Google Contacts: Clients link to your Google Contacts, so the names and numbers you already have are right there.
  • At a glance: See who is booked, how many sessions each client has had, and who is due for a follow-up.

    • 5. Online booking and availability

  • Share your openings: Publish a public availability calendar (private by design) that shows which days you are free without ever exposing a client’s name, location, or session details.
  • Take requests: A client picks an open day and sends a booking request. It lands in your Booking Requests inbox inside the Clients area.
  • Accept in a tap: Accepting a request books the session on your calendar and saves the client automatically. You can also reply right from your email and ShootCal marks the request handled.

    • Booking and availability are set up from the ShootCal website (see Using ShootCal on the web below).

    6. Deposits, reminders, and reports

  • Deposit tracking: Toggle Deposit Received on any session to color-code it paid or pending at a glance.
  • Automatic reminders: ShootCal can send your clients a friendly reminder email before their session, so you do not have to.
  • Reports: See booking trends and deposit flags, plus a separate cash-received summary for confirmed ShootCal invoice payments.

    • 7. Contracts

  • Build a template: Create a reusable contract for weddings, portraits, or any session type, in your own wording.
  • Send it filled in: Generate a contract for a client with the package, total, and retainer already populated, then share the signing link.
  • They e-sign online: Your client reviews and signs in their browser, and you can see the moment it is done. No printing, scanning, or chasing paperwork.

    • 8. Invoices, payments, and accounting

    Professional invoices are included with ShootCal at no extra cost. Use ShootCal for client billing, payments, refunds, and cash-basis reports; move to full accounting software when your business needs complete books.

  • Create one clear invoice: Bill the full job once, optionally show the deposit due within that total, and start from a saved contract package or your own item. The protected invoice uses the studio logo you already saved for contracts.
  • Apply sales tax deliberately: Save a default label and rate, then choose whether the whole invoice is taxable.
  • Choose how clients pay: Connect your own Stripe account for card payments, or offer Zelle, Cash App, Venmo, check, cash, and custom instructions. ShootCal adds no payment or platform fee; Stripe’s standard processing fees still apply.
  • Review cash received: Confirmed card and manual payments, partial or full refunds, sales tax, and outstanding balances feed cash-basis reports. Download the cash-received and invoice-list CSV exports when needed.
  • Move to full bookkeeping when needed: Use Wave, QuickBooks, or another accounting system for expenses, reconciliation, profit-and-loss statements, payroll, or other complex accounting. ShootCal does not connect or sync with those systems.

    • 9. Using ShootCal on the web

    Alongside the native Apple apps, ShootCal has a full web app at app.shootcal.com. Sign in with the same Google account and your calendar, clients, bookings, contracts, invoices, questionnaires, reports, and tasks are all there.

  • Any device: Use the full web app from a Windows PC, an Android phone, or any modern browser when you are away from your own machine. A native Android app is also available on Google Play.
  • Where setup lives: Your availability page, contracts, invoice terms, Stripe connection, manual payment methods, and reports are set up from the web app. Booking requests can be accepted from the native app, the web app, or straight from the notification email.

    • 10. Navigation & shortcuts

  • Search: Press ⌘F to search your entire calendar by client name, session type, or location.
  • Locations: Type a location name into the session form to trigger Apple Maps address auto-fill.

    • Keyboard shortcuts (Mac)

  • ⌘N: New event
  • ⌘T: Jump to today
  • ⌘R: Force refresh Google Calendar
  • ⌘F: Search events
  • ⌘?: Open the built-in Help menu

    • Mobile gestures (iPhone & iPad)

  • Swipe to navigate between months.
  • Tap any event chip for an instant read-only preview before editing.
  • Long-press an event for more options.

    • 11. Forms, tasks, and gallery delivery

    Questionnaires: Build reusable client forms in the web app, send them before a session, and keep each response with the client. Read the questionnaires guide →

    Tasks: Add follow-ups such as “deliver the gallery in two weeks” directly from a session. They appear beside your calendar and sync through Google Tasks. Read the tasks guide →

    Galleries: Create a client gallery from a booking, publish the finished photos from Lightroom Classic, then send one branded link for downloads and favorites. Start the Galleries guide →

    12. System requirements

  • macOS 26 or later, or iOS / iPadOS 26 or later, for the native Apple apps
  • Any modern web browser for the web app at app.shootcal.com
  • A Google account with Calendar access
  • An internet connection for background syncing