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Peter
Last time, I wrote about what I call "The Frankenstein Workflow": those countless little moments spent jumping between apps, copying information, searching for files, and trying to remember where everything lives. Most photographers and creative professionals will recognise the problem. I certainly did. In fact, it was one of the reasons I eventually created my own custom platform to manage everything in one place.
But I am not going to discuss that topic again. Instead, let's focus on what's coming to shootbee.
When I started building shootbee, I didn't start by asking, "Which features should there be?"
The question starts with: "How does a photography business actually work? How can I structure this in a workflow and let the platform work for me? How can this improve the client relationship and enhance the experience?"
In general, every project follows a journey, more or less.
These aren't separate tasks. They're all part of the same story.
Instead of asking you to piece everything together yourself, shootbee connects the different steps of the journey, from the first enquiry to the final delivery, while automating parts of the process along the way.
When a new enquiry arrives, it becomes the foundation of an entire project when the lead is converted into a client. Client information follows the project wherever it is needed. Project information and tasks are created when they're needed. Files stay connected to the right people.
And, perhaps most importantly, your client becomes part of the journey too, through the private client portal and all its features.
Because a great workflow isn't only about making things easier for you. It's also about creating a better experience for the people you work with.
That's the real idea behind shootbee: not simply giving you another collection of tools, but creating a workflow where everything works together.
If the problem is fragmented workflows, simply putting more features into another platform isn't the answer.
That's why shootbee is being built differently from the beginning. The goal isn't to provide more tools just for the sake of having more tools, but to provide the right tools and, more importantly, make them work together as part of the same workflow.
I've also made a few deliberate—and sometimes radical—decisions about how the platform should work. In this article, I'll take you through a few of them.
I don't believe the first thing you need to see when opening shootbee is a collection of numbers, graphs, or revenue statistics.
You need to know what is happening.
That's why the shootbee dashboard starts with your work—not your statistics. The numbers can be useful, but they aren't the business.
The projects are.
Every assignment starts with a project. A simple wizard guides you through setting up each new project, whether it's a wedding, family session, real estate shoot, commercial assignment, or anything else. Based on the type of project you choose, the platform automatically presents the tools and options you need, giving you the right workspace from the very beginning.
Not sure how to categorize your assignment yet? Simply start with a blank project and customize it as you go.
Everything related to your project is organized in one central place: client information, offers, contracts, files, photos, workflows, and tasks are always within easy reach.
Your project is the heart of your business—and shootbee is built around it.
Contact management should be about the people you work with, not become another way to manage the project.
I don't want the client section to become a collection of duplicate task lists, workflows, and management screens that essentially repeat what already exists in the project management section.
Instead, the client section provides a clear overview of the contact and the projects connected to them. From there, you can get where you need to go without creating another layer of complexity.
Less duplication. Less management. More clarity.
I've also taken a different approach to workflows.
I don't want you to spend time configuring how your business should work before you can actually use shootbee. You shouldn't have to build a workflow, test it, adjust it, and then hope it still makes sense when a real client comes along.
Instead, workflows are built into the experience itself.
At the moments where an action makes sense, shootbee makes the next step available to you. And because every project can be different, the workflow can adapt to the project rather than forcing every client through exactly the same process.
The software should guide your workflow—not make you manage the software.
The workflow doesn't stop with you. Your client is part of the project too.
Sharing files should be simple. Showing albums should be simple. Giving feedback or selecting favourite images should be simple.
That's why the client portal is designed to bring the project together in one place. Contracts, project information, files, albums, feedback, selections—and eventually communication—all belong to the same client experience.
Your client shouldn't have to wonder which platform they need to visit next either.
shootbee launches on 15 October 2026.
Subscribers to shootbee will receive exclusive early access on 14 October 2026 — one day before the public launch.
Early access gives you the best chance to secure one of the first 1,000 Hive Circle spots and lock in your 40% lifetime discount before registration opens to everyone else. So sign up today!
But launch isn't the finish line. It's where the next part of the story begins.
Peter Louies
Founder & Creator, shootbee