Inquiry vs direct booking vs mini sessions
Every service in CoreHue runs in one of three modes: Inquiry, Direct booking or Mini sessions. The mode decides whether your client starts a conversation with you or leaves with a confirmed, paid booking, so the right choice saves you a lot of back-and-forth about dates.
The short answer
- Your price depends on a conversation? Use Inquiry.
- Same session, same price, every time? Use Direct booking.
- One day, lots of short slots, sold fast? Use Mini sessions.
Side by side
| Inquiry | Direct booking | Mini sessions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What the client does | Sends their details and a message | Picks a time and books it | Claims a slot on a date you set |
| Is anything booked straight away? | No | Yes | Yes |
| Client picks a date and time | No | Yes, from your real availability | Yes, from your fixed slots |
| Price on the page | Optional: fixed, "starting at", per hour, or hidden | Yes | Yes, per slot |
| Take payment or a deposit | No | Yes | Yes |
| Contract signed while booking | No | Yes | Yes |
| Questionnaire while booking | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Add-ons | No | Yes | Yes |
| Uses your weekly availability | No | Yes, or its own schedule | No, it has its own dates |
| Several people per time | No | No | Yes, up to 50 per slot |
| Automatic Google Meet or Zoom links | No | Yes | No |
| Where it lands | Inquiries | Calendar and All bookings | Calendar and All bookings |
The mode is fixed once you create a service. If you change your mind, create a new service with the right mode, unpublish the old one, then publish the new one. On Free, which allows 1 published service, you have to unpublish the old one first.
When to use inquiry
Choose Inquiry when you can't quote without talking first: weddings, elopements, brand shoots, events, anything with travel or custom coverage.
Your client fills in a short form and you get it in Inquiries. Nothing goes in your calendar and nothing is charged. You reply, agree the details, then send a proposal or create the booking yourself. See Setting up an inquiry service.
The trade-off is speed. An inquiry needs you to reply, and the gap between inquiring and hearing back is where clients drift to someone else. A warm auto-reply that says when you'll be in touch helps a lot.
When to use direct booking
Choose Direct booking for anything predictable: family portraits, headshots, newborn sessions, consultations and calls.
Your client sees only the times you're actually free, picks one, signs your contract, pays your deposit and it's booked. You can be asleep when it happens. See Setting up direct booking.
There's no approval step. If you need the final say on who books you, use inquiry instead.
When to use mini sessions
Choose Mini sessions when you're running a set day split into short slots: Christmas minis, spring blooms, back-to-school headshots, a pop-up at a venue.
You add the dates, set the slot length and price, and clients claim a slot. Full slots disappear on their own, and once every slot is gone the service shows Sold out. See Running mini sessions.
Mixing modes
Most photographers run more than one. A wedding photographer might list:
- Wedding photography as an inquiry, with the price set to "Starting at"
- Engagement session as a direct booking with a 50% deposit
- Autumn minis as a mini session, paid in full
All of them sit on the same booking page. Once you have four or more published services across more than one mode, clients get filter chips at the top to narrow the list.
What about a contact form?
A contact form is a general "get in touch" form you can put anywhere. An inquiry service is tied to one service on your booking page. If you're unsure which you need, read Contact form or inquiry service?
Frequently asked questions
Can I change a service from inquiry to direct booking later?
No. A CoreHue service's mode is set when you create it. Create a new direct booking service, unpublish or archive the inquiry one, then publish the new one. Unpublishing first matters on Free, where only 1 service can be published at a time.
Is instant booking a good idea for weddings?
Usually not. Weddings tend to need a conversation about coverage, travel and the day itself, so most photographers take them as inquiries and send a proposal. Direct booking suits sessions with a fixed price and length.
Do inquiries count toward my published service limit?
Yes. Every published service counts the same, whatever its mode. Drafts, unpublished and archived services don't count.
Can an inquiry service collect a deposit?
Not at the inquiry stage, because nothing is booked yet. Take the deposit later through a proposal or a booking you create from the inquiry.