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As a photography business, the ability to provide invoices to your clients is as vital as providing beautiful photographs. Skynova's invoice template allows photography businesses to create and customize professional invoices in minutes. Compared to creating invoices in Microsoft Word or Excel, Skynova's invoice template will help you look more professional and speed up the process.
Skynova's invoice template is a professional template that you can edit, print, or download as a PDF. You can even send it to any email address online, no download necessary. You'll also be able to see when your client opens your invoice, which will collectively result in a speedier, smoother payment process — and more time to focus on your creative work. Learn more about how to create your free photography invoice template below:
You probably didn't get into photography because you wanted to worry about office paperwork, right? Administrative aspects of any business can be tedious at best.
However, without a system for keeping up with client payments, your business can suffer. Fortunately, utilizing Skynova's invoice template means you don't have to spend valuable time creating and sending invoices.
Follow the steps below to create and customize a professional photographer's invoice in minutes. With Skynova's photography invoice template, you can get back to capturing great shots and making memorable portraits.
A strong invoice should visibly and immediately indicate the sender and the recipient. If you run your photography business under your personal name or a separate business name, enter that information into the "Your Name" field in the Skynova template. Take the time to enter the client's name, as well, and make certain that you are addressing the correct individual or company.
For clarity and ease, include additional contact information in the "Your Address" and "Client Address" sections. For instance, providing an email address, fax, or studio phone number gives your clients quick access to your business. Always double-check every piece of information on your invoice for typos, grammatical errors, or other mistakes before sending it out.
Remember that the billing system associated with your photography business needs to serve you and your clients. This means you will require a simple and easy way of keeping track of your invoices. A distinct invoice number for each bill makes it easier to tell invoices apart and will aid you in keeping better records. This is especially important if you are handling shoots for a single client multiple times or multiple clients with similar requests or names.
With our free invoice template, simply create a starting number and save it to your account. Then, Skynova's system will automatically and sequentially create numbers on the next invoices you make. This prevents confusion, duplication, and the unnecessary stress of potentially double-billing clients or failing to bill them at all.
For your photography business to run smoothly, establishing a clear due date for payment is essential. Although conversations about money are generally not anyone's favorite, remember that your agreement with your clients is a transaction and deciding when and how that transaction takes place is only natural.
Setting deadlines for payment and photography work allows everyone to be on the same page with regard to expectations and keeps you as the studio owner from worrying about income. When it comes to work deadlines and payment timelines, it is advisable to communicate and collaborate with your client at the start. You may determine that all projects for your photography business must be paid on the day of agreed-upon delivery, or it might be more suitable for you to establish that a 50% deposit is due upfront on the day of the shoot.
Adjusting payment reminders and timelines to individual client or scenario needs is always an option, but be sure to discuss any changes with the clients ahead of time. Calculating payment and project dates accurately and in accordance with agreements established with clients reflects well on your studio's professionalism.
A note about invoice dates: Generally speaking, you will be in charge of inputting the correct day on which the invoice is created. This means that if you complete a set of photos on a Friday night but do not generate an invoice for that project until Monday morning, the invoice would reflect the Monday date. This is just one more reason to let Skynova's invoice template eliminate lag time and help you stay prompt with billing.
In the field of photography, the nature of an individual project can determine what supplies will be required. For example, with a wedding photography invoice, the creation of a digital wedding album may call for the purchase of CD-ROMs while shooting graduation portraits may require high-quality paper — both of which should be included in an event photography invoice. Be sure to include an accurate representation of what it will cost you to complete a given photography project in the quote you initially provide to your clients.
Creating separate line items on your invoices for all necessary supplies is a must. To add more lines to the invoice itemization, simply click the "+ New Line" button. The Skynova invoice template allows for unique itemization for any number of supplies. You can enter individual item prices alongside the quantity that will be needed and the Skynova system will automatically tally the total cost for you in the "Amount" box.
Professional photographers working in multiple formats may find it handy to spend some time deciding how specific to be in these line item inclusions. For example, will you be charging for individual contact sheets or grouping the cost of negative proofing into a larger category, such as "Film?"
Other considerations, like travel costs, background setups, and props, should be itemized individually. As many photography projects today will center on digital mediums, it is wise to include expenses relating to cloud storage, as well.
Many professional photographers work on a per-project rate that can relate to the total hours spent and how intricate or simple a photoshoot turns out to be. Some photographers choose to work on an hourly rate, which will mean keeping an accurate record of time spent on a photo session. Still, others charge by the image, which entails coming up with a flat fee for different styles of image and perhaps establishing a distinction between the time it takes to complete a digital image versus the time required for print options.
The "Unit Price" field in our photography invoice template allows you to enter the hourly rate on which your studio and your clients agreed. The "Quantity" field is where you will place the total number of hours you spend on any project. These lines can be modified to meet distinctions you set up for different photography mediums, such as print or digital.
Likewise, if you are developing pictures in multiple file formats for a single client, you can create different lines for each type of project. By contrast, if you are planning to work at a flat rate for all of your photography projects, you can select the "Product" category from the drop-down list under the "Item" tab, enter a description of the shoot, and set a price. This method of billing streamlines your invoicing process even further.
Everyone loves to save money, and one memorable way for your new photography business to create interest is to offer discounts. Target audiences that you feel will be in need of your photography services and send out specialized discounts via your business's social media accounts. You can also reward followers by instituting a referral discount for clients who recommend your studio to friends.
Skynova's photography invoice template contains a built-in place for you to include discounts alongside all of your other line items. Choosing the "Discount" category from the drop-down list under the "Item" tab allows you to describe the discount in simple terms for your clients.
The amount of the discount can then be entered directly into the "Unit Price" field. This amount will appear as a negative number (e.g., "-75.00") and will automatically be deducted from your invoice total.
As every client may not be familiar with photography terminology, some line items on your invoice may require additional explanation or context. There may also be projects where it is prudent or necessary to include reminders to the client about previously arranged billing agreements or licensing information. The "Notes" section of our invoice template is there for these and all other reasons you may need to addend information to your photography invoices.
Adding a note of any kind lends a human element to your invoices that not only promotes your business but can encourage clients to pay you more promptly. Whether needed to prevent confusion or simply to provide further details about a project, you can use this section of our photography invoice template to personalize your client's experience with your studio.
"Notes" is also an excellent place to express your gratitude and appreciation for your clients in a way that will remind them why your business should be the first they think of for all of their photography needs.
Our template assists you in the creation of a professional photography invoice. However, ensuring that you receive correct and consistent payment for your photographs may extend beyond the invoice itself.
Below you will find a few additional tips for successful invoicing as a professional or freelance photographer. Following these tips can aid you in avoiding some of the more common problems photographers face in the invoicing process.
As photography is a visual medium that most clients will associate with reflecting the beautiful moments of life, your invoice needs to do the same. Among many other handy features, our photography invoice template allows you to utilize your own logo. This could be anything from a word-based image created by a graphic designer to the incorporation of one of your most iconic photographs.
Making your invoice visibly attractive sends the quiet message to your clients that your studio takes a well-rounded approach to its artistic endeavors. When even the invoice is lovely to look at, clients are not only more likely to accelerate payment but also to form a stronger positive opinion of your abilities as an artist.
Many photographers offer discounts and rate adjustments when their clients pre-book a session. The allowance of pre-booking keeps your shooting schedule more organized and provides a further incentive for new clients to try your photography services.
Skynova's invoice template can accommodate pre-booking discounts or rewards in a couple of ways. If a monetary discount will be associated with pre-booking in your studio, you can stipulate that using the "Discounts" category on the drop-down list under the "Item" tab. If you would rather establish pre-booking as a set line item bonus on all of your invoices, that can be accomplished via the "Product" category.
Unfortunately, the photography industry is somewhat notorious for having to deal with late payments. Some clients will not pay on time without an established financial incentive to do so. For this reason, adding late-payment terms to your invoice notes section is a smart idea, such as time-based or total-based late-payment terms.
Deciding to make a career out of your passion for photography is both rewarding and challenging. Don't let the necessary invoicing process add unnecessary hassles to the task of running your studio.
You can spare yourself valuable time and get back to the darkroom or computer editing software faster when you use our photography invoice template to simplify this part of your administrative chores.
Making a living as an artist requires both passion and persistence. Accordingly, there's no reason to devote unnecessary focus to administrative tasks. In following the steps and utilizing the tips we have provided here, you will be well on your way to requesting and receiving payment in a diplomatic yet effective way. Streamlining the way you get paid means having more energy to take pictures and establishes your work as a professional.
Skynova is committed to serving professional photographers like you. Our invoicing software is built with your billing and accounting needs in mind, and our customizable templates allow you to present invoices that are as unique to your style as your photographs.
Check out our products to see which aspects of your business we can help you simplify today. Let us streamline the paperwork so you can spend your time on the photographs!