I got some news in my inbox this week that I was so excited about, I decided to do a whole impromptu podcast episode about it! In this week’s episode of Keeping It Candid – Wedding Photography Unfiltered, I talk all about my hesitations working with all-in-one platforms, what HoneyBook and Pic-Time’s announcement was, and why it’s going to be such a game-changer for next year. So, grab a glass of your favourite beverage, get cozy, and check out this week’s episode!
Sandra Henderson (00:00.034)
So I actually had an entirely different podcast episode ready to drop today, but then yesterday morning, HoneyBook and Pic-Time decided to show up in my inbox with a huge announcement. So I pushed that other episode onto the back burner for right now, because I wanna dive into what exactly this announcement was, why I’m so excited about it, and why this is gonna be such a game changer for wedding photography businesses in 2024. Welcome to Keeping It Candid.
I’m your host, Sandra Henderson, an international wedding and family photographer and business coach. I help wedding photographers use systems to build out the backend of their businesses to gain control and continue to thrive no matter what life throws their way. And on a more personal note, I’m a strong Enneagram three-wing too who’s obsessed with tacos. And my love for traveling combined with navigating chronic illness life are just two of the many things that drive my passion for all things, systems, workflows, and beating burnout as a business owner.
Join me every week for a candid behind the scenes look at what it’s really like working as a wedding photographer, where I’ll give you actionable steps to take your business to the next level. Absolutely no fluff here friends, so go grab your favourite notebook and pen and let’s dive into this week’s episode.
Sandra Henderson (01:13.77)
Alright, if you’ve been listening to the podcast for any amount of time, or if you follow me over on Instagram, then you likely already know what HoneyBook and Pic-Time are all about. But for anyone who’s listening that has never heard of these platforms before, I want to quickly talk a little bit about what each of them are so that everything that they announced is going to make a lot more sense when we get to that part.
So first, HoneyBook is a CRM system, and CRM stands for Client Relationship Management. This is a platform that lets you handle everything client facing all in one spot. And believe me when I tell you, it is literally like the right hand in my business. My left hand in real life is, it’s there. It works sometimes to do simple tasks. But when I try to do anything with my left hand, it is just infinitely more difficult. And that is how I feel when I try to do anything without HoneyBook. It takes a lot longer. It’s so much more difficult. And
Over the last, I think, five, six years that I’ve been a HoneyBook user, I have truly never been happier with how simple everything client facing is when it comes to admin work, like sending invoices, contracts, questionnaires, keeping everything on brand, automating. I could go on forever. I am a huge HoneyBook stan. I don’t even know if stan is something that we even say anymore in 2023, but I’m going to go with it. I am a huge HoneyBook stan and I truly don’t know what I would do in my business without it.
Pic-Time on the other hand is a gallery delivery service and I switched to using them from another platform in October of 2022 and it has been another game changer in my business. The user interface for clients is so much more simple than the other platforms that I’ve used. I have not had anyone run into any complications with trying to get their photos which has been really nice
Sandra Henderson (03:07.702)
You know how much I love automations, to get your sales increased for things like prints and other products with a gorgeous storefront that is really easy for your clients to just pop in and order the products directly to their home. So how are these two platforms working together? Well, friend, I am so glad that you asked.
So like I said, yesterday morning, I got an email in my inbox with this huge announcement from HoneyBook and Pic-Time and that announcement is that they are officially integrated, which is huge. There are a ton of CRM platforms out there that offer everything all in one in terms of gallery delivery service, sending invoices and contracts and all that admin work that I love in HoneyBook, having a website through it, being able to blog through it, all these things all in one.
And I definitely see the appeal of having a system like that. It’s nice to not have to bounce around a 10 different websites. You can upload your photos all into one place and transfer them to your website and things like that. But here’s the reason why I am so hesitant to get on board with anything that is all in one in that big of a capacity is that if you have your website, your contracts and your invoices and your gallery service all on one platform, what happens if that platform has an issue with their server?
We know in the tech industry, issues with servers happen all the time. It is common and it’s not anything that’s happening at the fault of the company. It’s just something that happens sometimes. And so when you have everything, all of your admin, all of your galleries, even your website, all on that same server, if that server goes down, then you lose access to everything and so do your clients.
But when you have separate platforms, it really keeps everything in its own hub. So if, for example, HoneyBook servers go down, then my gallery service and my website still keep running because my gallery is through Pic-Time and my website is through ShowIt. Now, where this big announcement about their integration comes in is that it’s letting HoneyBook and Pic-Time work together without having everything all on one platform. So you’re still keeping that security of having
Sandra Henderson (05:20.31)
your admin on HoneyBook, your gallery’s on Pic-Time, and if one happens to one, nothing happens to the other. But they’re still able to work together. So let’s talk a little bit about what that’s gonna look like. So at the time of recording this, you are now able to automate the creation of a Pic-Time gallery once the first payment is received inside HoneyBook.
So once you receive your initial payment, whether that be a retainer or if you require clients to pay in full, you can set it up so that Pic-Time will automatically create a gallery for those clients. Then from there, you can also manually connect any galleries with existing HoneyBook projects. And you can view connected gallery details like their status if they’re online or offline, how many images you have uploaded into that gallery, all within the client’s HoneyBook file.
And then lastly, you can open and edit connected galleries from inside HoneyBook. Like how amazing is that? That is gonna save so much time. Now some features that are coming soon, which I am even more excited about, you are soon gonna be able to share a link to a pick time gallery from directly within HoneyBook.
My process right now is that I do like to send that link myself through a HoneyBook email template. You can send an email directly through Pic-Time and they have lots of templates to help you with that. But for my process, I just like to copy that link over in HoneyBook. And so it is an extra step for me to go into Pic-Time settings, put in my client’s information, copy the link and then paste it over in HoneyBook and send the email that way. So soon I will be able to just directly send that link from Pic-Time.
right through HoneyBook without all of those extra steps in between. You’re also soon going to be able to sync your photo sales from Pic-Time into any corresponding HoneyBook project. So again, having to if I make any print sales through Pic-Time, I take that information and then I pop that over into HoneyBook. I create an invoice, record the payment and then everything is categorized that way.
Sandra Henderson (07:25.122)
So soon all of that information is going to sync over and it will automatically be implemented into each client’s folder as needed. And then lastly, you are soon going to be able to manually create new pick time galleries from Inside HoneyBook, bypassing that pick time platform altogether. The ideas that I have swirling in my head friends, I can’t even tell you, like this is going to be huge for next year.
Right now in the industry, we are seeing so many new services coming forward that are saving us endless amounts of time. And I can’t wait to see what kind of impact that’s going to have on all of your businesses in 2024. I am all about working smarter and not harder and finding ways to implement boundaries and make sure that you are putting yourself first and not giving every bit of yourself to your business so that you have nothing left.
It is a direct road to burnout. And if I have one mission from this podcast, it’s to make sure that one less photographer every year ends up burnt out by the end of the season. If you wanna get started with either HoneyBook or Pic-Time, make sure you head over to the show notes because I have affiliate links for both platforms waiting there for you. The HoneyBook link will give you 50% off your first year and the Pic-Time code will give you one free month.
Pic-Time also already offers one free month, and so when you use this code, it will give you two free months. They are combinable. Is combinable even a word? I don’t know, I’m gonna roll with it. But definitely make sure you hop over into the show notes to get those because who doesn’t love saving a little bit of money and getting some free things? If you have any questions along the way about getting things set up and streamlined, I do offer one-to-one coaching, where I would be happy to go for everything with you.
and even screen share from my end so you can see how I have everything set up. And then I also offer VIP days where I just take over and I build everything out for you so that you don’t have to worry about it. And when I hand things back over to you, it is all just ready and working and waiting for you. If any of that interests you, there are a few different ways that you can get ahold of me. You can head over to my website, simply sandraevon.ca.
Sandra Henderson (09:33.642)
You can send me an email at hello at simply sandraevon.ca and you can of course send me a DM over at simply sandraevon on Instagram. Now I am recording this episode on Halloween. It is gonna be dropping on November 1st. So I’m just gonna say a bladed happy Halloween to everybody listening because this is my absolute favorite time of year. I cannot wait for all the fun to begin, all the trick or treaters to come by.
I am repurposing a costume for the first time ever, and I am going to be dressing up as an inflatable Stitch again tonight, because when I wore this costume last year, I got so many hugs. It was like living my Disney cast member best life. So I’m gonna be doing that again and enjoying every single second of it, even though it’s gonna be cold as hell here. So I hope everyone listening had an amazing Halloween, and I will be back with a new episode next Wednesday.
Thank you so much for listening. You can find full show notes from today’s episode at simplysandryevan.ca forward slash keeping it candid. In the meantime, let’s connect. You can find me on Instagram and TikTok, just search Simply Sandra Yvonne. And if you’re loving this podcast, I’d be so honored if you’d go ahead and hit that subscribe button and leave a review. Until next time.
Must-Have Links From This Episode:
Save 50% On Your 1st Year Of HoneyBook
Get An Additional Free Month Of Pic-Time
Check out more of our favourite podcast episodes:
Work/Life Balance And Working Abroad with Nova Markina Photography
Whether you’ve been a loyal HoneyBook customer for a little while now or are considering signing up for the first time, there are so many features waiting for you inside, it’s hard to wrap your head around it all! So today on the blog I’m sharing three must-know HoneyBook features that are about to become your new best friends. Grab your favourite cup of coffee, settle in, and let’s dive in!
Picture this: a virtual oasis where everything your clients need lives harmoniously in one spot – the HoneyBook Client Portal. Contracts, invoices, questionnaires – you name it, it’s all there. No more frantic email searches or digging through endless folders. Your clients get access to their personal haven of wedding essentials. This not only streamlines your communication but also adds a touch of professionalism to your services. And the best part? A happy, stress-free client is more likely to sing your praises to all their engaged friends!
As wedding photographers, we’re always on the move, chasing those picture-perfect moments. So why should your business tools tie you down to a desk? Enter the HoneyBook Mobile App – your backstage pass to your business, right in your pocket. Whether you’re meeting clients, scouting venues, or just soaking in inspiration from a café, you’ve got your entire wedding photography world in the palm of your hand. Stay organized, stay in touch, and stay in control, no matter where life takes you.
Your journey as a wedding photographer is more than just photos; it’s about building a thriving business. HoneyBook knows this, which is why it goes beyond just managing tasks. Inside your HoneyBook account, you’ll find a ton of data and insights. From year-to-date sales to booking trends, you’re equipped with the information you need to make the right decisions that will propel your business forward.
I’ll admit, picking just three features to rave about from HoneyBook’s toolkit wasn’t easy. There’s a whole menu of tools designed to make your life as a wedding photographer smoother, more efficient, and more enjoyable. And guess what? You don’t have to take my word for it alone!
If you’re feeling that spark of curiosity, if the thought of a more organized, streamlined, and data-empowered wedding photography business gets your creative gears turning, then it’s time to take action. Sign up for Honeybook today and save 50% off your first year’s subscription!
Are you ready to embark on this organizational odyssey? Let’s embrace a future where we focus on what truly matters – capturing unforgettable wedding moments – while HoneyBook takes care of the rest. Your journey to an elevated wedding photography business starts now! 🚀📸
Check out some other faves on the blog:
Unscripted vs Honeybook: Which Is The Better Option For Wedding Photographers?
How Honeybook Helps Wedding Photographers Keep Clients Happy
When you’re deep in the weeds of running a photography business, the last thing you need is to be juggling a dozen tools that almost do what you need them to do.
And if you’re anything like most wedding photographers I work with, two tools tend to come up in the same breath: Unscripted and HoneyBook.
Both are big names in the industry. Both claim to make your life easier. But they serve very different purposes—and choosing the right one can actually transform how you work behind the scenes.
Not sure whether to use Unscripted or HoneyBook in your photography business? Let’s break it down—without the techy jargon or the fluff.
Unscripted is a mobile app packed with pose prompts, shot lists, client questionnaires, and tools to help you shoot more confidently—especially if you’re someone who needs a little inspiration mid-session.
It also includes:
It’s affordable, accessible, and built for photographers—especially lifestyle, portrait, and family photographers who want to manage everything from their phone.
HoneyBook is a client flow management system—a full-blown backend platform designed to handle everything from inquiry to invoice.
I’m talking things like:
Think of HoneyBook like your photography business’s second brain. One that helps you work like a pro even on your worst flare day or during the thick of busy season.
🙋♀️ Already using HoneyBook but your backend’s a mess? Grab my Fix Your Foundations: Summer Edition free challenge or check out my HoneyBook smart file templates built specifically for wedding photographers.
Let’s get one thing straight: this isn’t an either/or situation. You can absolutely use both.
But if you’re trying to simplify, here’s how to think about it:
One supports your sessions. The other supports your systems.
If you’re running a high-volume business, navigating burnout or chronic illness, or just trying to scale without cloning yourself, HoneyBook is going to give you way more control over your capacity.
If you’re just starting out or mostly shoot families and need quick prompts and lightweight admin tools, Unscripted might be enough—for now.
But if you’re building a sustainable photography business with regular clients, email inquiries, contracts, invoices, workflows, and timelines, HoneyBook is the platform that will grow with you.
It’s what I used to run my wedding photography business for almost a decade. And now it’s what I help other photographers streamline, clean up, and automate—so they can stop duct-taping things together and actually trust their systems to hold.
🔥 Want to make your HoneyBook setup work harder for you?
Check out my Done-For-You Workflow Setup or snag my plug-and-play inquiry bundle if you want to upgrade your client experience without starting from scratch.
Here’s a quick cheat sheet:
Feature | Unscripted | HoneyBook |
---|---|---|
Posing Prompts | ✅ | ❌ |
Mobile-first App | ✅ | ✅ (but better on desktop) |
Contracts & Invoicing | ✅ | ✅ (with automations) |
Questionnaires | ✅ | ✅ (with smart file logic) |
Email Templates | ✅ | ✅ (with automation) |
Workflow Management | ❌ | ✅✅✅ |
Automation | ❌ | ✅✅✅ |
CRM Features | Basic | Advanced |
Scalability | Low | High |
Unscripted is great for on-the-go inspiration. But HoneyBook is what you need when you’re ready to work smarter—not harder.
💡 Already on HoneyBook and ready to level up?
My HoneyBook Housekeeping service is the perfect refresh for when you know your systems need love—but you’re not ready to start from scratch.
I’m not here to tell you what to do—but I am here to make your life easier.
If Unscripted gives you peace of mind on shoot days? Amazing.
If HoneyBook helps you run your business without the chaos? Even better.
And if you want help setting it all up so it actually works the way your brain and body need it to? That’s literally what I do.
👉 Explore my shop for templates, workflows, and questionnaires
👉 Book your Done-For-You Setup to get your systems handled
👉 Join the Fix Your Foundations challenge if you’re not ready to commit but know your backend needs some love
Can I use both Unscripted and HoneyBook together?
Yes! Many photographers use Unscripted for posing and HoneyBook for business. They serve different purposes and don’t overlap much.
Is HoneyBook worth the investment?
If you’re sending contracts, invoices, emails, and questionnaires manually—or managing everything through your inbox—HoneyBook will save you hours every week. Plus, it helps create a consistent experience that clients actually notice.
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase—at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I’ve actually used, loved, and would tell my best friend to try.
✨ Thinking about giving HoneyBook a shot?
You can get 30% off your first year when you sign up using my link. It’s a great way to save some cash and start building a system that actually supports your energy—not drains it.
Wedding Photography Leads – Are You Following Up?
How HoneyBook Helps Wedding Photographers Keep Clients Happy
Steal My Wedding Photography Workflow
Do you remember that episode of Friends, The One With The Secret Closet?!
Chandler discovered a locked closet and Monica didn’t want to tell him what was inside. Eventually, he takes the door off the hinges, and that’s when he discovers it. Super-organized Monica has an absolute mess hiding behind that door.
Don’t let your Honeybook account be your secret closet, friend!
From your clients’ perspective, things appear professional, organized, and on-brand. The backend of your Honeybook should be the same!
Sure, you have a rough idea of where to find your files and templates. After having to search for them so many times, how could you not? But honestly, why are you taking 10 seconds to do something that could be done in 3?!
Here are a few things you can do to get things cleaned up:
Keep your templates all grouped together in a way that’s easy to find. I like to name my templates using this breakdown: Session Type – File Number – Title
So, for example “Wedding – 01 – Inquiry Auto-Responder” and “Wedding – 05 – Wedding Day Questionnaire”
This way everything gets listed in order inside my Honeybook template library. It’s easy to find because I know exactly where to scroll when I need something!
Keeping your pipeline organized is the best way to know where your clients are in their journey. One of my favourite Honeybook features is that you can customize the pipeline! I’ve added extra steps for things like editing, album design, and sending reviews.
If you’ve ever felt like there’s a gap in your pipeline, use the customization feature to fix the problem!
Lastly, clear out your archives. After a while, it just doesn’t make sense to keep logs of clients you haven’t worked with in 10 years. And it definitely doesn’t make sense to keep every single lead that didn’t book with you. Go into your archives, use the sort filters, and delete only the projects that are no longer relevant to your business.
It’s a lot of tedious work but you won’t regret it once it’s done!
If you’re feeling like this is the absolute last thing you want to or have time to do right now, here’s a little something to help…
Honeybook Housekeeping is a brand new service I’m offering. It’s for wedding photographers who want their Honeybook account sparkling clean! Just without spending hours on the tedious work it takes to make it happen.
It’s perfect for busy wedding photographers with a mess of templates and projects they’ve been digging through every time they need something!
… For only $97!
Here’s the truth:
The time you’re wasting trying to find your files and templates inside Honeybook adds up. Even if it is just a few seconds here and there it still adds up! And using a CRM system shouldn’t make things take longer.
Time is money.
Time away from your camera = money out of your pocket.
Are you ready for that “just climbed into bed with freshly washed sheets” feeling, Honeybook-style?!
Let me help you get organized so you can get back behind your camera. Stop rage-scrolling while you try to remember what you named that email template your client is waiting for!
Not using Honeybook just yet? Click here to save 35% off your first year!
Looking for more help with your Honeybook account? Here are some of my faves on the blog!
Creating An Irresistible First Impression When Replying To A New Wedding Photography Inquiry
Getting ghosted by new wedding photography inquiries has got to be one of the most frustrating and disheartening parts of being a wedding photographer.
The inquiry comes in, and you get so excited when you see you’re available for their wedding date. You reach out to them to start walking them through your system for inquiries…
And then – they’re gone. They stop responding.
Enter the feelings of frustration, confusion, and defeat, amiright friend?!
I don’t know that it’s possible to stop getting ghosted completely… We can’t control how others behave, and some people just don’t like to reply. But, there are a few things you can do to stop it from happening so often:
The biggest reason why potential clients ghost is because of delayed responses. Make sure to respond to inquiries as quickly as possible (while still maintaining your boundaries!) and provide detailed information about your services, availability, and pricing.
Do you charge sales tax, travel fees, or anything else in addition to the cost of the package? Make sure you are upfront about that information! Never assume anyone “should know” anything.
Reviews from past clients are such a powerful tool for building credibility and trust with potential clients. I know you’re already sharing positive feedback from your couples on your website. And maybe even on your social media channels… But here’s a little homework for you today:
Make sure you’re including some in your pricing guide, too!
This can help clear up any concerns or doubts a couple may have about hiring you – another reason why they ghost.
If you haven’t heard back from a potential client after sending your initial information, don’t be afraid to follow up. And follow up more than once!
Check-in and see if they have any questions or concerns.
Sometimes we think we’re being intentionally ghosted when in reality, the person we were interacting with simply just forgot to reply. Following up in the right way shows that you are invested in working with them. It shows that they’re more than a faceless number to you!
That being said, make sure to respect their boundaries and avoid being pushy or overly aggressive in your follow-ups. Instead, show up in a way that lets them know you’re here to help make their decision-making process easier!
Like I said earlier, I don’t know that it’s possible to stop ghosting from happening completely. There are all sorts of reasons why it happens, and we can’t control anyone’s actions beyond our own. But I hope these tips help you start delivering such an incredible experience to your potential clients right from the very beginning, that ghosting starts happening less and less.
Looking for more photography business tips? Here are some of my faves on the blog!
Breaking Into A New Market with John Mansfield
Why Showit Is The BEST Website Platform For Wedding Photographers
How Honeybook Helps Wedding Photographers Keep Clients Happy
The biggest mistake a wedding photographer can make? Not utilizing systems in every aspect of their business. More specifically, the system I want to talk about is a wedding photography workflow.
If I’m being totally honest, I’ve made that mistake so. many. times. I for a good system, but I still get invested in things without laying the groundwork first… And it always catches up with me.
Back in the early years of my business, the stress, the missed deadlines, the 16+ hour workdays, the burnout… I could have avoided it all had I taken the time to make sure the backend of my business was running efficiently!
If this sounds at all familiar to you, too, I’m here to give you a little encouragement:
You deserve the freedom that goes along with confidently stepping into the CEO role of your business. The freedom to do all the things you love guilt-free. The freedom of knowing everything is running as it should be to help your business continue to thrive!
To help get you started in time for this year’s wedding season, I wanted to share a little something with you…
This PDF includes my exact 16-step wedding photography workflow. From the time I send a proposal to a new client, right through until after I’ve delivered their photos and asked for reviews.
All YOU need to do is head to your favourite CRM system (mine is Honeybook!) and add each step into a new workflow. You’ll even find notes on each step with the timeframe I recommend using as you’re setting your triggers in between each! Add in your own email templates, and within a couple of hours you’ll have your very own wedding workflow.
Check out some more educational resources –
When Should I Reply To A New Wedding Photography Inquiry?
Let’s face it, keeping our clients happy takes a lot of work. That’s just one of many reasons why I love Honeybook so much. It’s a game-changer when it comes to streamlining our workflow and keeping my clients happy every step of the way during our time together.
So… what’s so great about Honeybook? Well, for starters, it takes care of a lot of the boring back-end stuff that we hate doing. You know – things like manually creating contracts, invoices, and questionnaires, because Honeybook can do all that for you! Plus, it can send them out automatically, so you don’t have to worry about forgetting anything.
Another awesome thing about Honeybook is that it allows you to collaborate with your clients on the platform itself. You can share files and images, communicate back and forth, and keep everyone up-to-date on the progress of their project. It’s like having a virtual office where everything is organized in one place!
And let’s not forget about customer support! Honeybook’s team is always ready to help you with any issues or concerns you might have. They have live chat and email support, as well as an extensive knowledge base and video tutorials. You’ll never be left in the dark!
Honeybook is an awesome tool that can help us wedding photographers keep our clients happy. By automating repetitive tasks, providing collaboration features, and offering amazing customer support, Honeybook makes it easy to focus on what we do best – capturing beautiful memories on our clients’ special day!
Ready for more?! Here are some of my favourite blog posts:
3 Mistakes To Avoid When Investing In Education & Coaching
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