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The Business Side of Photography, Handled
Every photographer learns the same math eventually: the shutter clicks are maybe a tenth of the job. The rest is inquiries to answer while you're at a wedding, contracts and retainers to send before dates get double-booked, galleries clients take three weeks to open, balance payments that arrive "right after the holidays," and a camera bag of deductible gear nobody wrote down.
Ava Ledger takes the nine-tenths. She catches inquiries the moment they land and drafts your reply, invoices the retainer, schedules the session, reminds the client before it, chases the balance politely, and books every lens and mile into your taxes. The camera stays your job. The desk becomes hers.
Book the inquiry before it books someone else
Wedding and portrait clients email several photographers at once, and the first thoughtful reply usually wins the call. Ava watches your inbox, scores each inquiry hot, warm, or cold, and drafts a personal response immediately — even while you're two hours into a reception. Follow-ups keep going until there's an answer, so "sorry, we went with someone else because you replied Tuesday" stops happening.
Retainers, balances, and money that arrives on time
Deposit at booking, balance before the session (or on delivery) — Ava structures it, sends card-payable invoices, and tracks who owes what across your whole season. Mini-sessions invoice in one line each. Print and album orders get their own invoices too, and every dollar lands in your bank with the bookkeeping already done.
The gear bag is a tax document
Bodies, glass, strobes, stands, SD cards, editing software subscriptions, gear insurance, your website — photography has real overhead, and it's largely deductible when it's recorded. Ava categorizes each expense as you log it, GPS-tracks your drives to venues and sessions at 72.5 cents per 2026 business mile, and keeps a live profit picture so busy season revenue doesn't hide slow-season math.
Fill the calendar without a marketing department
Fall mini-sessions to past families. A print sale after the holidays. A "dates are filling for next October" note to your wedding list. Ava writes the campaign, sends it to the right client segment, and shows opens and clicks. Second-shooters and full-time freelancers can see the freelancers page for the client-work setup, the independent contractors page for the 1099 tax side — and everything ships in one flat plan.
More shooting. Less spreadsheet.
7 days free. $69/month for your first 3 months, then $99/month — everything included.
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Frequently asked questions
Can I collect a deposit and the balance separately?
Yes. Send a retainer invoice at booking and a balance invoice before (or after) the session — both payable by card, both tracked, with Ava chasing anything overdue.
Is camera gear tax deductible?
Business equipment generally is — bodies, lenses, lighting, memory, software subscriptions, and insurance. Ava categorizes each purchase so your preparer can apply the right treatment at filing time.
Does Ava track my miles to shoots?
Yes. GPS logs drives to sessions, venues, and client meetings automatically and values them at the 2026 IRS rate of 72.5 cents per business mile.
Can Ava answer inquiries when I'm shooting?
Yes. New inquiries get detected and scored the moment they land, and Ava drafts your reply — so the bride emailing five photographers hears from you first, even mid-session.
I second-shoot and get 1099s. Does Ava handle that?
Yes. Second-shooting income, your own client sessions, and every expense flow into one set of books with quarterly estimates and a Schedule C-ready report.