ShootProof
Nov 2007

Here’s How To Get Paid Online for Your Photography

9 min read

Get paid online for prints and products – even photo session fees. ShootProof offers several simple ways to collect funds without ever leaving your sofa! (Photographs by OLI SANSOM)


Show, Share, Sell, & Get Paid Online

ShootProof makes it easy to show, share, and sell your photos online. Our gorgeous client galleries and simple selling tools have been making clients happy for longer than the average lifespan of a well-cared-for fancy rat, and, call us self-centered, but we think there should be a Unicorn Scout badge for that.

Best of all? Your clients complete their transactions from the comfort of their own couches, and you get paid online. No phone calls, no checks to cash, no goats to trade in for groceries.

Get Smart. It’s Your Money, After All!

Do you ever wish for the good ol’ days? You know – when a client handed over a velvet pouch full of coins and your only job was to bite them and confirm their authenticity.

Now it’s all fraud alerts and security breaches and merchant processors and SOMEONE HACKED MY TWITTER!

But your money is your money. So it’s important for you to understand the basics of how this “get paid online” stuff works.

Here's How To Get Paid Online for Your Photography

Learn the Lingo

There are a couple of terms you should know before deciding how you’ll get paid online:

  1. Payment Gateway. This is the portal to Uncle Scrooge’s gold vault. Kidding! The payment gateway is the company that securely processes the payment transaction.
  2. Merchant Account. The merchant account is the company that transfers the money from your customer into your greedy grateful little hands.

In most cases, your payment gateway and merchant account are provided by the same company, but some payments solutions (such as Authorize.net) offer them separately, so it’s important to know that you have both in place.


Here's How To Get Paid Online for Your Photography

Decide How You Want To Get Paid Online

ShootProof integrates with several companies that enable you to accept online payments. You’ll need an account with whichever service you select, and – yes – each of these services comes with its own fees. (Sorry ’bout that! It’s just one of the costs of doing business, so figure that into your pricing.)

We’re here to help you decide which service is best for your business, and also to show you these gorgeous photos Oli Sansom made of photographer Dan O’Day and his wife Andrea. We’re hoping their beauty will distract you from the utter annoyance of the costs of running a business.


Here's How To Get Paid Online for Your Photography

ShootProof Pay

U.S. Only

Our most integrated solution is ShootProof Pay. When funds from an order arrive in your account, any order costs incurred (such as when you’re fulfilling the order through a ShootProof partner lab) will be paid directly from those order funds. No need to pay your lab costs with an outside funding source when your client’s money is right there!

Our favorite ShootProof Pay perk is the reporting. Under the Reports > Orders tab of your ShootProof Studio Panel, you’ll find all the exportable details of your client orders, applicable lab expenses, sales tax, transaction fees, transfers to your bank, and more. Directly from the Commerce > Orders panel, you can issue full or partial refunds to your clients at any time within the 180 days following their order and before the order has been sent to the lab.

Here’s a more in-depth article on refunding!

ShootProof Pay: The Highlights

  • Seamless client checkout within the gallery interface
  • Monthly fee: NONE
  • Yearly fee: NONE
  • Transaction fee: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
  • Seamlessly collect payments on ShootProof Invoices
  • Lab costs paid from funds collected

Get paid online with ShootProof Pay.


Here's How To Get Paid Online for Your Photography

Braintree

Outside the U.S.

Braintree (powered by PayPal) is an external payments solution that integrates seamlessly into your client’s ShootProof experience. Your funds appear in your Braintree account immediately, and Braintree receives your basic order details (marked as “paid”) from ShootProof.

Braintree: The Highlights

  • Seamless client checkout within the gallery interface
  • Monthly fee: NONE
  • Yearly fee: NONE
  • Transaction fee: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
  • Collect payments on ShootProof Invoices
  • Lab costs charged to studio card on file

Get paid online with Braintree.


Here's How To Get Paid Online for Your Photography

PayPal Payments Pro

Available Everywhere

PayPal Payments Pro is an external payments solution that integrates seamlessly into your client’s ShootProof experience. Your funds appear in your PayPal account immediately, and PayPal receives your basic order details (marked as “paid”) from ShootProof.

PayPal Payment Pro: The Highlights

  • Seamless client checkout within the gallery interface
  • Monthly fee: $30 per month in the U.S. Rates may vary elsewhere.
  • Yearly fee: NONE
  • Transaction fee: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
  • Collect payments on ShootProof Invoices
  • Lab costs charged to studio card on file

Get paid online through PayPal Payments Pro.


Here's How To Get Paid Online for Your Photography

PayPal Payments Standard for Business

Outside the U.S.

PayPal Payments Standard for Business is a free, basic PayPal account selected for your business – not a personal account setup. ShootProof redirects your clients to PayPal at the time of checkout, where they complete their transaction outside of the ShootProof gallery experience.

Your funds appear in your PayPal account immediately, and PayPal receives your basic order details (marked as “paid”) from ShootProof.

PayPal Payments Standard for Business: The Highlights

  • Your clients will be redirected to PayPal to pay (via credit card or their own PayPal account) and complete checkout
  • Monthly fee: NONE
  • Yearly fee: NONE
  • Transaction fee: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
  • PayPal Payments Standard cannot be used to collect payments for ShootProof Invoices
  • Lab costs charged to studio card on file

Get paid online through PayPal Payments Standard for Business.


Here's How To Get Paid Online for Your Photography

Authorize.net

Canada

Authorize.net is an external payments solution that integrates seamlessly into your client’s ShootProof experience. Your funds appear in your Authorize.net account immediately, and Authorize.net receives your basic order details (marked as “paid”) from ShootProof.

NOTE: Authorize.net offers All-In-One accounts that include both a payment gateway and a merchant account. Unless you already have a merchant account, say, through your bank, you will need this All-In-One solution.

Authorize.net: The Highlights

  • Seamless client checkout within the gallery interface
  • Monthly fee: Varies
  • Yearly fee: Varies
  • Transaction fee: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
  • Collect payments on ShootProof Invoices
  • Lab costs charged to studio card on file

Get paid online with Authorize.net.


Here's How To Get Paid Online for Your Photography

Make It Rain

Before your let clients loose in their galleries, double-check your details by running a test transaction.

Braintree, PayPal Payments Pro, and Authorize.net all allow you to run test transactions through ShootProof’s Accept Credit Cards > Payment Gateway tab using your own credit card. A $1 authorization (or its currency equivalent) will appear on your card, then drop off within a few days.

You may choose to test your ShootProof Pay or PayPal Standard account by making a small purchase on your own card. This ensures that you’ve correctly entered your own banking details and you’re satisfied with the process.

Here's How To Get Paid Online for Your Photography

Have Your Cake & Eat It, Too!

If you want to accept online payments and traditional payment types like good ol’ cash or check, enable ShootProof’s Pay Later option. When your clients select Pay Later at checkout, you’re opting to accept their payment offline: in-person, by mail, or over the phone.

Sorry to mislead you. There’s actually no cake involved.


Happy Moneymaking!

However you get paid, be smart, keep it easy for your wonderful clients, and #FocusOnWhatMattersMost!

ShootProof Online Galleries. Client Contracts. Easy Invoices.

Take Charge & Grow Your Dream Business…

Contributor

  • The ShootProof Team

    Team ShootProof is a dedicated group of photographers and creatives who are passionate about empowering studios to win in their business. With a deep understanding of the industry, we’re committed to providing the tools, support, and inspiration photographers need to grow their businesses.