Scheduling Settings

Scheduling settings control how the ordering experience works: whether clients can pick a photographer, whether same-day booking is allowed, and how sun-dependent services (twilight, golden hour) get scheduled.

Go to Settings in the sidebar and click the Scheduling tab.

Photographer Selection

Single toggle: Allow Photographer Selection.

• On - clients can browse available photographers and pick one during ordering. Good when photographers have different styles or specialties.
• Off - the system auto-assigns a photographer based on availability and service area. Clients don't see a photographer picker.

How to change

1. Click the toggle on the Photographer Selection card.
2. Click Save Changes.

Same-Day Scheduling

Single toggle: Allow Same-Day Booking.

• On - clients can book appointments for today if slots are still open.
• Off - bookings start from tomorrow. Today is never offered.

Most teams leave this off to guarantee prep time. Turn it on only if your photographers can genuinely show up same-day.

Appointment Buffer

Single field: Buffer minutes.

This is extra padding added around every appointment when the system works out who's available. It's applied on top of the travel time Photeria already calculates between back-to-back stops, so photographers aren't booked wall-to-wall with no breathing room.

• Set it to 0 for no extra padding.
• A small buffer (10-15 minutes) gives time to pack up, grab coffee, or absorb minor delays.

How to change

1. Enter a number of minutes in the Buffer minutes field.
2. Click Save Changes.

This affects the time slots offered when a new appointment is scheduled, not appointments that are already booked.

Sunset Appointment Mode

Controls how services tagged as sun-dependent (twilight, golden hour, etc.) get scheduled.

Two options:

Separate appointments (default)

Regular services are scheduled during the day, and sun-dependent services get their own separate appointment at sunset.

Best when photographers do most of the shoot during normal hours and come back for the sunset shots.

Single appointment

All services, regular and sun-dependent, are combined into one appointment around sunset.

Best when photographers prefer to do the entire shoot around sunset.

How to change

1. On the Sunset Appointment Mode card, pick from the Appointment Mode dropdown.
2. Click Save Changes.

Existing appointments aren't affected; this only applies to new orders.

Timezone

Not on this tab, but related. Timezone is set under Settings → Company → Regional Settings. All appointment times, availability windows, and calendar displays use that timezone.

Tips

• Keep Photographer Selection off for small teams, simpler to run.
• Keep Same-Day off unless you can actually shoot same-day. It's easy to over-promise.
• Pick Sunset mode based on how you shoot, not what clients expect. Return visits feel more generous; single appointments are faster to deliver.
• Set timezone correctly before you start booking. Changing it later shifts existing appointment displays.

Related

These settings shape the time slots offered while scheduling an appointment; they don't change how appointments are displayed. To view your booked appointments on a visual schedule, see The Appointments Calendar.