The booking conversation is the same every time: what do you offer, what does it cost, when are you free, can I pay the deposit. You can keep answering that by hand, or you can turn it into one link that does all of it. Here is how to set up genuine online booking for a photography business in WordPress.
What “real” booking includes
A booking link worth having does more than show a calendar. It should:
- Show the right offering with its price and deposit.
- Only offer times you are actually available.
- Collect the client’s details and create their record.
- Request the retainer and send a confirmation, automatically.
Step 1: Define your offerings
In Mankai, create a session type for each thing you sell, for example Family, Newborn, and Senior. Each one carries its own price, deposit, duration, questionnaire, and contract requirement. Define it once and it books itself correctly forever.
Step 2: Set your availability
Set the weekly hours you actually want to shoot, and block any dates you need off. The booking form reads this, so clients can never grab a slot you are already shooting. For outdoor work, use the golden-hour markers to steer sessions into good light.
Step 3: Get the booking link
Each session type generates its own public booking link. Copy it and test it in a private browser window so you see exactly what a client sees.
Step 4: Put the link where clients are
- Add a “Book a session” item to your site menu.
- Use it as your Instagram bio link.
- Drop it into your email signature and pricing page.
Step 5: Let the automation run
When a client books, the system creates their account and session, requests the deposit, and sends a branded confirmation. Add a reminder a few days before the shoot and you have removed the three emails you used to send by hand.
The payoff
The usual back-and-forth becomes a link. You wake up to booked sessions with deposits paid and questionnaires answered, all on your own domain. For the click-by-click setup, see the docs on availability and the calendar and embedding your booking link.