For wedding studios that hire second shooters
Wedding studios book a long way ahead. Each weekend they call in second shooters and helpers from a changing list. The photos go out months after the day. The hard part is not the booking. One wedding day makes a client contract, a crew list and a set of hours. It also makes an edit deadline and several people to pay. Most studios keep those in five different places. In bckendIQ, the confirmed booking opens the shoot and its crew slots. So the client record and the crew record are one record.
What eats your time
Your list of shooters changes every weekend
You have twenty people you might call. You call six of them often. Who is free? Who has shot this venue? Who do you still owe from last month? That lives in your head, and in a sheet that is always a bit wrong.
A Saturday wedding makes Monday paperwork
One wedding gives you a second shooter’s hours and a helper’s day rate. Add travel, an editor’s job and a delivery date. Now do that for three weddings a weekend in season.
What you owe piles up until month end
There is no running total per person. So working out what you owe becomes a monthly puzzle. You piece it together from memory, card folders and messages.
The client asks where their gallery is
The photos go out months after the shoot. So the client hears nothing for a long time. Most studios fill that silence by hand, one email at a time.
Booking to payslip, for wedding photography studios
One chain, from the moment the client says yes to the moment everyone is paid.
- 01
The client books the date
They ask about a shoot. You send a quote. They sign and pay the deposit. The shoot opens for that date on its own.
- 02
Crew slots open on the shoot
Second shooter, helper, videographer. Each is a slot with a role and a head count. Your shooters claim them.
- 03
The day is recorded as it happens
Each person clocks in and out per session. So the ceremony hours and the reception hours stay separate.
- 04
The edit becomes its own job
The edit gets its own deadline and its own pay. It is no longer an open-ended favour.
- 05
The gallery reaches the client
The couple pick their favourites from their own gallery. They leave notes and approve.
- 06
Everyone’s pay is already worked out
Hours, rates and overtime become one amount per person. It is locked to the cent, with a payslip.
Questions from wedding photography studios
Does this work if my second shooters change every weekend?
Yes. That is the case it is built for. Your crew are a bench, not a fixed team. Slots open per shoot. People claim the dates they can work. Hours and pay are tracked per person, per shoot, however often they work for you.
Can second shooters see only their own shoots?
Yes. Crew see the shoots they are on, their own hours and their own payslips. They do not see client contracts, invoices or anyone else’s pay.
What about weddings booked eighteen months out?
A booking holds the date and the contract from the day it is confirmed. Crew slots can be filled any time before the shoot. So a date can wait a year, staffed or not, and never drop out.
Most wedding photography studios start on Studio Pro, at $69 a month. 5 team members, 500GB of storage
Try it on your next shoot
Free through October 31, 2026. Paid plans start November 1, 2026. No card needed.