A brand photographer spending hours every week on client follow-up emails discovered one feature that eliminated them entirely.
Priya M. shoots brand photography for small businesses — founders, product brands, restaurants, coaches. She books 40–50 shoots per year, handles her own editing, and runs the business entirely solo. She's based in London and has been freelancing for five years.
At 40+ clients a year, Priya's inbox was a battlefield. Every week she'd receive some version of the same emails:
"Hey Priya, can you resend the gallery link?" "Hi! Where can I find the contract we signed?" "Just checking — when will the edited photos be ready?" "Can you send me the invoice again? My accountant needs it."
"I'd spend every Monday morning just answering emails that I'd already answered," she says. "It wasn't hard work. It was just exhausting, pointless repetition."
She had no central place where clients could find their own files, invoices, and project status. Everything lived in her email, which meant every client had to ask every time.
Priya discovered Builtomate's client portal while looking for a way to share galleries without using Dropbox links that expired. The portal gave each client their own private URL where they could access everything related to their project — files, invoices, project timeline, and a messaging thread.
Priya's workflow now has a clear structure. When a new client is booked, she creates their project in Builtomate and shares their portal link as part of the booking confirmation. The portal link never changes — it's their permanent hub for the entire engagement.
After a shoot, she uploads the edited gallery directly to the client's portal. The invoice is also there. The signed contract is there. The project notes (shot list, deliverable dates) are there.
"Clients know exactly where everything is from day one. I tell them: if you ever need anything, it's in your portal. They don't email me — they just look."
She also uses the portal's messaging feature for any back-and-forth about revisions, keeping everything out of her personal email inbox.
Priya tracked her inbox for a month before and after switching. Before: an average of 22 client-follow-up emails per week. After: fewer than 3.
"I got my Monday mornings back," she says. "I use that time to edit now instead of writing the same email for the 400th time."
A secondary benefit she didn't expect: clients perceive her as more professional. "Multiple clients have mentioned how organized everything is. It's set a higher standard for the experience I provide."
Tom W.
Marketing Consultant
Lena S.
Freelance Illustrator
Sarah K.
UX Designer