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User Preferences

Quick Reference​

User preferences let you customize how ShootPath looks and behaves for your account. These are personal settings that don't affect other team members or how clients see your business.

Key Preference Areas:

  • Notifications - Control how and when you're alerted about events
  • Timezone & Formatting - Set your location and date/time display
  • Display Preferences - Customize the interface appearance
  • Privacy Settings - Control data visibility and tracking
  • Language - Choose your preferred language (if available)
  • Accessibility - Enable features for easier use

Access User Preferences: Settings → User Preferences

Quick Tips:

  • Set your timezone correctly to avoid scheduling confusion
  • Choose notification preferences to stay informed without being overwhelmed
  • Customize your dashboard to show what matters most to you

Detailed Guide​

User preferences make ShootPath work the way you work. These settings are personal to your account and don't affect your team members or clients. Let's walk through each setting and how to configure it.

Accessing User Preferences​

  1. Click your profile photo or initials (top-right corner)
  2. Select Settings
  3. In the left sidebar, click User Preferences

You'll see all your personal configuration options.

Notification Preferences​

Notifications keep you informed about what's happening in your business - new leads, quote acceptances, payments received, and more. Configure them to stay in the loop without getting overwhelmed.

Notification Channels​

ShootPath can notify you through multiple channels:

Email Notifications:

  • Sent to your login email address
  • Include details about the event
  • Contain links to relevant pages in ShootPath
  • Can be immediate, daily digest, or weekly summary

Browser Push Notifications:

  • Pop-up alerts in your browser (desktop only)
  • Appear even when ShootPath isn't open
  • Quick glance at what happened
  • Requires permission from your browser

Mobile App Notifications (iOS/Android):

  • Push notifications on your phone or tablet
  • Lock screen alerts
  • Badge counts on the app icon
  • Sound and vibration (based on device settings)

How to enable channels:

  1. Go to User Preferences > Notifications
  2. Toggle on your preferred channels
  3. Click Save Changes
Recommended Setup

Enable all three channels. This ensures you never miss important events, no matter where you are or what device you're using.

Email Notification Settings​

Delivery frequency:

  • Immediate - Get an email as soon as something happens (can be a lot if you're busy!)
  • Daily digest - One email per day summarizing all activity (sent at 8am your local time)
  • Weekly summary - One email per week with a roundup of key events (sent Monday morning)

How to configure:

  1. Go to User Preferences > Notifications > Email
  2. Select frequency: Immediate, Daily, or Weekly
  3. Choose which events trigger emails (see Event Types below)
  4. Click Save Changes

When to use each:

Immediate: Best for photographers who want to respond quickly to leads and client actions

  • New lead arrives → reply within an hour
  • Client accepts quote → celebrate and follow up
  • Payment received → send thank-you message

Daily digest: Best for busy photographers who check email once or twice a day

  • Get a morning summary of yesterday's activity
  • Plan your follow-ups for the day
  • Reduces email clutter

Weekly summary: Best for part-time photographers or those with low volume

  • See the week's activity in one email
  • Good for tracking trends over time
  • Minimal email disruption

Browser Push Settings​

Enabling browser push:

  1. Go to User Preferences > Notifications > Browser
  2. Toggle Enable Browser Notifications
  3. Your browser will prompt "Allow shootpath.com to send notifications?"
  4. Click Allow

Notification appearance: Browser notifications show:

  • Event title ("New lead: Sarah Thompson")
  • Brief description
  • Click to open ShootPath directly to that lead/job/invoice

Disabling: Toggle off in ShootPath, or block in your browser settings (Chrome: Settings > Privacy > Site Settings > Notifications).

Browser Support

Push notifications require a modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari 16+, Edge). Older browsers or privacy-focused browsers (Brave with shields up) may not support push.

Mobile App Notifications​

Enabling mobile push:

  1. Download the ShootPath iOS or Android app
  2. Log in with your account
  3. When prompted, allow notifications
  4. Configure event preferences in User Preferences > Notifications > Mobile

Mobile-specific settings:

  • Sound: Play a sound when notifications arrive
  • Badge count: Show unread notification count on app icon
  • Lock screen: Display notifications on lock screen
  • Critical alerts (iOS): Override Do Not Disturb for urgent events (payments, contract signings)

Disabling: Toggle off in ShootPath, or disable in your phone's settings (iOS: Settings > Notifications > ShootPath).

Event Types​

Choose which business events trigger notifications:

Leads:

  • ✉️ New lead created (someone filled out your contact form)
  • 📩 Lead replied to your email
  • ⏰ Lead requires follow-up (no activity for X days)

Quotes:

  • 📄 Quote sent to client
  • ✅ Quote accepted by client
  • ❌ Quote declined by client
  • ⏳ Quote expiring soon (3 days before expiration)

Contracts:

  • 📝 Contract sent to client
  • ✅ Contract signed by client
  • ⏰ Contract pending (sent but not signed after X days)

Invoices & Payments:

  • 💰 Payment received
  • 💳 Payment failed (declined card, etc.)
  • 📅 Invoice due soon (3 days before due date)
  • ⚠️ Invoice overdue

Jobs:

  • 📸 Job status changed (e.g., moved to "In Production")
  • 📅 Session date approaching (1 week before shoot)
  • ✅ Job completed
  • 🎯 Workflow task assigned to you
  • ⏰ Workflow task overdue

Galleries:

  • 📷 Gallery uploaded and ready to share
  • 👀 Client viewed gallery
  • ⬇️ Client downloaded photos
  • 🛒 Client made a print purchase

Team (if you're Owner/Admin):

  • 👥 New team member added
  • 🚪 Team member removed
  • 🔄 Team member role changed
  • ⚠️ Team member login from new device

How to configure:

  1. Go to User Preferences > Notifications
  2. Expand the section for each category (Leads, Quotes, etc.)
  3. Toggle individual events on or off
  4. Click Save Changes
Start Selective, Expand Later

When first setting up, enable only critical notifications (payments, contract signings, new leads). Add more as you understand your workflow.

Notification Quiet Hours​

Prevent notifications during specific hours (e.g., overnight or during shoots).

How to set:

  1. Go to User Preferences > Notifications > Quiet Hours
  2. Enable Quiet Hours
  3. Set start time (e.g., 10:00 PM)
  4. Set end time (e.g., 8:00 AM)
  5. Select days (weekdays, weekends, or specific days)
  6. Click Save Changes

What happens:

  • No browser or mobile push during quiet hours
  • Emails are batched and sent after quiet hours end
  • You can still see notifications in ShootPath if you log in

Example setups:

Night owl photographer:

  • Quiet hours: 2:00 AM - 10:00 AM
  • Days: All days

Wedding photographer (busy weekends):

  • Quiet hours: 6:00 AM - 11:00 PM
  • Days: Saturday, Sunday

Work-life balance:

  • Quiet hours: 6:00 PM - 9:00 AM
  • Days: All days

Timezone and Date/Time Formatting​

Incorrect timezone settings cause massive confusion with session dates, deadlines, and calendar events. Set it correctly right away!

Timezone​

What it is: Your local timezone determines how dates and times display throughout ShootPath.

Where timezone matters:

  • Session dates on jobs
  • Quote expiration dates
  • Invoice due dates
  • Calendar events
  • Workflow task deadlines
  • Email timestamps

How to set:

  1. Go to User Preferences > Regional
  2. Find Timezone
  3. Select your timezone from the dropdown (e.g., "America/New_York", "Europe/London", "Asia/Tokyo")
  4. Click Save Changes

Examples:

  • America/New_York (Eastern Time - New York, Boston, Atlanta)
  • America/Chicago (Central Time - Chicago, Dallas, Mexico City)
  • America/Denver (Mountain Time - Denver, Phoenix)
  • America/Los_Angeles (Pacific Time - LA, Seattle, San Francisco)
  • Europe/London (UK - London, Edinburgh)
  • Europe/Paris (Central European - Paris, Berlin, Rome)
  • Australia/Sydney (Australian Eastern - Sydney, Melbourne)
Daylight Saving Time

ShootPath timezones automatically handle daylight saving changes. When clocks "spring forward" or "fall back," your times adjust automatically. Don't manually change your timezone!

Date Format​

Choose how dates display in ShootPath.

Options:

  • MM/DD/YYYY - Month first (US standard): 12/25/2024
  • DD/MM/YYYY - Day first (International standard): 25/12/2024
  • YYYY-MM-DD - ISO format (tech-friendly): 2024-12-25

Where it appears:

  • Dashboard metrics
  • Job session dates
  • Quote/invoice due dates
  • Reports and exports

How to set:

  1. Go to User Preferences > Regional
  2. Find Date Format
  3. Select your preferred format
  4. Click Save Changes
Match Your Region

Use the format common in your country to avoid confusion:

  • US/Canada: MM/DD/YYYY
  • Most of the world: DD/MM/YYYY
  • International collaboration: YYYY-MM-DD

Time Format​

Choose 12-hour or 24-hour time.

Options:

  • 12-hour: 2:30 PM (with AM/PM)
  • 24-hour: 14:30 (military time)

Where it appears:

  • Session start times
  • Workflow task deadlines
  • Email timestamps
  • Calendar events

How to set:

  1. Go to User Preferences > Regional
  2. Find Time Format
  3. Select 12-hour or 24-hour
  4. Click Save Changes

First Day of Week​

Choose whether your calendar weeks start on Sunday or Monday.

Options:

  • Sunday (US standard)
  • Monday (International standard)

Where it matters:

  • Calendar view
  • Weekly reports
  • Session scheduling

Display Preferences​

Customize how ShootPath looks and feels.

Theme​

Light Mode:

  • White background, dark text
  • Better for bright environments
  • Easier to read during daytime

Dark Mode:

  • Dark background, light text
  • Easier on eyes in low light
  • Popular for late-night editing sessions

Auto (System):

  • Follows your device's theme setting
  • Changes automatically based on time of day (if your OS supports it)

How to set:

  1. Go to User Preferences > Display
  2. Select Light, Dark, or Auto
  3. Change takes effect immediately (no save needed)
Try Dark Mode for Evening Work

Many photographers prefer dark mode when editing photos late at night or in dark environments. It reduces eye strain!

Dashboard Layout​

Customize what you see on your dashboard.

Metric cards:

  • Toggle individual metrics on/off (New Leads, Revenue, etc.)
  • Rearrange order (drag to reorder)
  • Show/hide specific sections (Activity Feed, Calendar Widget)

How to customize:

  1. Go to Dashboard
  2. Click Customize Dashboard (top-right)
  3. Drag metric cards to reorder
  4. Toggle sections on/off
  5. Click Save Layout

Examples:

Revenue-focused: Show: Revenue, Invoices Due, Payments, In Production Hide: New Leads, Active Leads

Lead-focused: Show: New Leads, Active Leads, Conversion Rate, Follow-ups Needed Hide: In Production, Revenue

Auto-collapse: Sidebar automatically collapses to icons-only when screen width is narrow. Hover to expand.

Always expanded: Sidebar stays open at full width (shows labels and icons).

Always collapsed: Sidebar stays collapsed to icons-only (hover to see labels).

How to set:

  1. Go to User Preferences > Display
  2. Find Sidebar Behavior
  3. Select your preference
  4. Click Save Changes

Density​

Control how compact or spacious the interface feels.

Options:

  • Comfortable (default) - More padding, easier to click
  • Compact - Tighter spacing, more content on screen
  • Spacious - Extra padding, best for touchscreens

How to set:

  1. Go to User Preferences > Display
  2. Find Density
  3. Select your preference
  4. Click Save Changes
Mobile vs. Desktop

Use Comfortable or Spacious on tablets/phones (easier to tap). Use Compact on desktop if you want to see more data at once.

Privacy Settings​

Control what data ShootPath tracks and shares.

Analytics Tracking​

What we track (with consent):

  • Pages you visit in ShootPath
  • Features you use
  • Time spent on tasks
  • Errors or crashes

What we DON'T track:

  • Your clients' names, emails, or personal info
  • Contents of emails or contracts
  • Financial amounts
  • Gallery photos

Why we track: To improve ShootPath by understanding which features are used most, where users get stuck, and what causes errors.

How to opt out:

  1. Go to User Preferences > Privacy
  2. Toggle Analytics Tracking off
  3. Click Save Changes

Effect of opting out: ShootPath still works perfectly. We just won't collect usage data from your account.

Email Read Tracking​

When you send emails to clients through ShootPath, we can track if/when they opened the email.

Enable tracking:

  • See "Email opened" status on sent emails
  • Know if a client read your quote or follow-up message
  • Useful for timing follow-ups

Disable tracking:

  • No tracking pixels in emails
  • More privacy-respecting
  • Some clients prefer this

How to set:

  1. Go to User Preferences > Privacy
  2. Toggle Email Read Tracking
  3. Click Save Changes
Pros and Cons of Email Tracking

Pros: Know when clients read your quote (so you can follow up strategically) Cons: Some clients find tracking creepy. Consider your brand values.

Client Portal Analytics​

Track how clients use their portal (gallery views, downloads, time on page).

Enable:

  • See which photos clients view most
  • Track when they visit their gallery
  • Understand client engagement

Disable:

  • No analytics on client activity
  • More privacy-focused

How to set:

  1. Go to User Preferences > Privacy
  2. Toggle Client Portal Analytics
  3. Click Save Changes

Session and Security​

Control how long you stay logged in and how ShootPath handles security.

Session Timeout​

Automatically log out after a period of inactivity (no mouse/keyboard activity).

Options:

  • 15 minutes (high security - for shared computers)
  • 1 hour (moderate - for photographers who multitask)
  • 4 hours (relaxed - default)
  • Never (stay logged in indefinitely)

How to set:

  1. Go to User Preferences > Security
  2. Find Session Timeout
  3. Select duration
  4. Click Save Changes

When to use short timeouts:

  • You work on public/shared computers
  • Multiple people use the same computer
  • High-security requirements

When to use long timeouts:

  • You're the only user on your computer
  • You frequently switch between ShootPath and other apps (Lightroom, email)
Shared Computers

If you ever log into ShootPath on a public or shared computer, set a short timeout (15 minutes) and manually log out when done!

Remember Me​

Stay logged in even after closing your browser.

Enabled:

  • Remain logged in for up to 30 days
  • Don't need to enter password every time
  • Convenient for personal devices

Disabled:

  • Must log in every time you close the browser
  • More secure for shared devices

How to set: Checkbox on the login page: "Remember me for 30 days"

Language and Localization​

Choose your preferred language for ShootPath's interface.

Available languages:

  • English (US)
  • English (UK)
  • Spanish (Español)
  • French (Français)
  • German (Deutsch)
  • Portuguese (Português)
  • More languages coming soon

How to change language:

  1. Go to User Preferences > Language
  2. Select your language from the dropdown
  3. Click Save Changes
  4. ShootPath reloads in your chosen language

What gets translated:

  • Interface labels and buttons
  • System-generated messages
  • Help text and tooltips

What doesn't get translated:

  • Content you create (email templates, contract text)
  • Client names and notes
  • Your business profile information
Client-Facing Language

Language preference affects what YOU see, not what clients see. Client portal language is based on the client's browser settings.

Accessibility Features​

ShootPath includes features to make the platform easier to use for photographers with disabilities or specific needs.

Screen Reader Support​

ShootPath is compatible with screen readers (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver).

Enhancements:

  • Proper ARIA labels on all interactive elements
  • Logical heading structure
  • Keyboard navigation support
  • Alt text on images

How to enable optimizations:

  1. Go to User Preferences > Accessibility
  2. Toggle Screen Reader Mode
  3. Click Save Changes

What changes:

  • Extra navigation landmarks
  • More verbose labels
  • Skip links for sections
  • Reduced animations

Keyboard Navigation​

Navigate ShootPath entirely with your keyboard (no mouse needed).

Key shortcuts:

  • Tab / Shift+Tab - Move between fields and buttons
  • Enter - Click buttons, open links
  • Esc - Close modals, cancel actions
  • Ctrl+K (or Cmd+K on Mac) - Open quick search
  • Ctrl+/ - Show all keyboard shortcuts

How to enable visual focus indicators:

  1. Go to User Preferences > Accessibility
  2. Toggle High Contrast Focus
  3. Click Save Changes

Focus outlines become more visible (helpful for keyboard-only navigation).

Reduced Motion​

Disable animations and transitions (helpful for motion sensitivity or slower devices).

How to enable:

  1. Go to User Preferences > Accessibility
  2. Toggle Reduce Motion
  3. Click Save Changes

What changes:

  • Page transitions become instant (no slide/fade)
  • Notifications pop in without animation
  • Loading spinners are simplified
  • Auto-scrolling is disabled

Font Size​

Increase text size for better readability.

Options:

  • Default (16px base font)
  • Medium (18px base font)
  • Large (20px base font)

How to set:

  1. Go to User Preferences > Accessibility
  2. Find Font Size
  3. Select size
  4. Click Save Changes

Pro tip: You can also use browser zoom (Ctrl/Cmd + + or -) to scale the entire interface.

User Preferences for Team Members​

If you have a team, each team member has their own user preferences.

Personal settings (each user configures individually):

  • Notification preferences
  • Timezone and date format
  • Display theme (light/dark)
  • Language
  • Accessibility features

Business-wide settings (Owner/Admin configures, affects everyone):

  • Business profile (name, logo, contact info)
  • Email templates
  • Workflows
  • Packages and pricing

Example:

  • You (Owner) are in New York (Eastern Time), prefer dark mode, want immediate email notifications
  • Your associate photographer is in Los Angeles (Pacific Time), prefers light mode, wants daily digest emails
  • Each of you configures your own preferences, but both see the same business name, logo, and clients

Resetting Preferences to Defaults​

Made changes and want to start over?

How to reset:

  1. Go to User Preferences
  2. Scroll to the bottom
  3. Click Reset to Defaults
  4. Confirm

What gets reset:

  • Notification settings → defaults (most events enabled, immediate email)
  • Display → light mode, comfortable density
  • Date/time format → based on your browser's locale
  • Timezone → based on your browser's detected timezone

What doesn't reset:

  • Your business profile
  • Security settings (2FA stays enabled)
  • Team member access

Common User Preference Questions​

Q: Why aren't I receiving notifications? Check:

  1. Notifications enabled in User Preferences > Notifications
  2. Specific event types toggled on
  3. Email not in spam folder
  4. Browser/mobile permissions granted

Q: My session times are wrong Likely cause: Incorrect timezone. Go to User Preferences > Regional and select the correct timezone.

Q: Can I have different notification settings for email vs. mobile? Yes! Each channel has independent settings. You can receive immediate mobile push but daily email digest.

Q: Do my preferences affect other team members? No. User preferences are personal. Your teammate can use dark mode while you use light mode.

Q: What happens if I change my timezone while I have scheduled jobs? Existing job session times remain in their original timezone (as entered). Only how YOU see times changes. The actual session time doesn't move.

Q: Can I disable all notifications? Yes, but we don't recommend it! You'll miss critical events like payments received or contracts signed. At minimum, keep payment notifications enabled.

What's Next?​

Now that your preferences are configured, explore other account settings:

Business Profile - Set up your business name, logo, and contact info

Security Settings - Enable 2FA and secure your account

Account Setup Overview - Return to the account setup checklist

Or start using ShootPath:

Creating a Lead - Add your first client inquiry

Understanding Jobs - Manage photography projects

Questions? Look for the help links throughout ShootPath, or reach out to support if you need assistance!