How a client moves through CoreHue
CoreHue works best when its parts hand off to each other. Here's the path most photographers follow, from a stranger's first message to a client downloading their photos, and what CoreHue creates at each step.
1. They get in touch
A client finds your booking page and sends an inquiry through one of your inquiry services, or fills in a contact form on your website. CoreHue creates a contact for them as a Lead.
Nothing is held and nothing is charged. It's the start of a conversation, and it shows in Bookings → Inquiries or Messages.
2. You reply
Open the inquiry and write back. The client's original message stays on the inquiry page, and the conversation thread starts with your reply. See Managing inquiries.
3. You send a proposal
For bigger jobs, put together a proposal: what's included, optional add-ons, packages to choose between, your contract and a payment schedule, all on one link. Sending it doesn't create anything else yet. It just waits with your client.
For a quick portrait session you might skip this and book them straight in. See Turning an inquiry into a booking.
4. They accept, sign and pay
Your client picks their options and accepts. Their choices lock, and CoreHue creates the contract with those choices written in and, if you switched payment on, the invoice. A short list of next steps walks them through signing and paying on the same page.
They sign by drawing or typing their name. They pay by card if you've connected Stripe, or follow your bank transfer instructions and tell you they've paid so you can confirm it.
Signing or paying also moves the contact from Lead to Client on its own. See Leads vs clients.
5. The booking confirms
If the proposal was set to create a booking, it appears once they've signed and paid, already Confirmed, and lands on your calendar. With Google Calendar connected, it shows there too. Your client gets their own booking page with the date, the details and their documents.
6. You gather the details
Send a questionnaire for timelines, addresses and shot lists. A booking service can send one automatically, a set number of days before the session. See Sending a questionnaire automatically after booking.
7. You deliver the gallery
After the shoot, create a gallery and link it to the same contact. Share it by email with the password and download PIN included. Your client opens one link and sees your cover, your typeface and your photos, plus any videos on Plus and Pro.
8. They pick favorites
Your client stars photos into collections and sends them to you, which is handy for album picks or retouching. You can also send a selection request with a brief and a target number. See Requesting client selections.
9. They pay the balance
If the invoice had a payment schedule, the remaining payments are already on it with their own dates. With automatic reminders on, CoreHue nudges your client when one is due.
The short version for simple jobs
Not every job needs all nine steps. With a direct booking service, a client picks a time, answers your questions, signs your contract and pays the deposit in one sitting. The booking confirms itself before they close the tab.
What links to what
| Record | Connected to |
|---|---|
| Contact | Every inquiry, proposal, booking, invoice, contract, questionnaire, message and linked gallery for that person |
| Proposal | The contract and invoice it creates when accepted, and the booking once signed and paid |
| Booking | Its invoices, contract and questionnaires, and the service it came from |
| Gallery | Up to 10 linked contacts, shown on each contact's Galleries tab |
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to use proposals?
No. Proposals suit jobs that need options and a conversation first. Many photographers take bookings directly and only use proposals for weddings or commercial quotes.
Can a questionnaire go inside a proposal?
No. Questionnaires are sent on their own or attached to a booking service, which can send them automatically around the booking.
Will my client see one consistent brand throughout?
Yes. Booking pages, proposals, contracts, invoices, questionnaires and galleries all carry your logo and business name, and can run on your own domain on Plus and Pro.
Does a gallery have to be linked to a contact?
No, but linking it puts the gallery on their contact page and offers them first when you share it. See Linking a gallery to your contacts.