Answers to common questions

How does the free trial work?

Every tool is yours for 14 days. We ask for a card when you start and charge it for the plan you picked when the trial ends. Cancel before then and you pay nothing.

Is it for videographers too?

Yes. Films sit beside photos in the same gallery, stream smoothly on phones in up to 4K, and can go on your website.

Do my clients need an account?

For galleries, yes: they sign in to a free Photo Haven account with the email you shared the gallery with. Contracts, invoices and booking pages open from a private link, and show up in the account too.

Can my team use it?

Yes. Invite second shooters, editors or a studio manager from Settings. Starter includes one seat, Studio two and Studio Pro four, and you can add more seats on any plan.

How much does it cost?

Plans start at $16 a month, billed yearly. Every tool is on every plan; bigger plans add storage, film minutes, team seats and extras. See pricing.

Are card fees included?

Yes, every price already includes card processing. Sales tax is added at checkout where it applies.

Do you take a cut of what my clients pay me?

No. Your clients pay you through your own Stripe account, or by e-Transfer, and we take 0% commission.

Can I change plans?

Yes, any time, from Plan & billing in your studio. Moving up is charged straight away for the rest of the month or year; moving down credits the difference to your next bills.

What if I need more room?

Add storage without changing plan. Starter adds 250 GB at a time; Studio and Studio Pro add 1 TB for $21 a month. You can also move past galleries to your vault, or let clients keep them.

How do I change my card or get receipts?

Open Plan & billing in your studio and choose Card, receipts and cancelling. Stripe's secure page lets you update your card, download receipts and change your billing address.

How do I cancel?

In your studio, open Plan & billing and choose Card, receipts and cancelling. Your plan carries on to the end of the month or year you've paid for, and you won't be charged again.

What happens when my plan ends?

Your studio is paused. You can still sign in, but your galleries, website and booking pages go offline to visitors and no new files can be added. Invoices and contracts you've sent stay open so clients can still pay you.

Can I come back?

Yes. Choose a plan any time and everything comes back exactly as it was.

How long do you keep my files after I cancel?

We keep a paused studio's files for 90 days. After that they may be deleted; we'll email you first. Download anything you want to keep before then.

What if a payment fails?

Stripe emails you and tries again over the next few days, and your studio keeps working meanwhile. Update your card from Plan & billing. If every retry fails, the studio is paused until you pay.

What's the difference between active storage and the vault?

Active storage is for galleries clients are using now, with full-size downloads. The vault is cheaper room for past galleries: they stay online for viewing and downloads are web size until you move one back. Move a gallery from its Storage tab.

What does it mean for a client to keep their gallery?

When your hosting period ends, offer the gallery to your client from its Storage tab. If they keep it, they pay a small monthly or yearly fee directly to Photo Haven, the gallery stays online for them, and it stops using your storage.

Do you compress my photos?

No. Your original files are stored as you upload them. Clients see fast web-sized previews, and full-size downloads give them the original when you allow it.

Can clients download their photos?

You decide, per gallery: single photos, the whole gallery as a zip, full size or web size. Your client never pays for downloads.

Can the people a gallery is shared with buy photos?

Yes. Guests (people you or your client shared the gallery with) see a watermark and can buy downloads of the photos they pick from Photo Haven, from $0.10 a photo plus the card fee. Photo Haven handles the payment and keeps it, so there's nothing for you to set up, and they get only the photos they paid for, at the size your download settings allow. You license Photo Haven to sell them that way (see the Terms). Turn a gallery's downloads off and guests can't buy any.

Can I bring my galleries from Pixieset?

Yes. Photo Haven brings over your galleries, sets, photos and videos, and with our Chrome extension it copies your full-size originals too. Nothing changes on your Pixieset account.

What about other platforms?

Download your galleries as folders or zip files and drop them into Import. Photo Haven turns each folder into a gallery.

Does it include a website?

Yes. Build your website from ten templates, with your galleries, booking pages and an enquiry form built in.

Can I use my own domain?

Yes, on Studio and Studio Pro. Add your domain under Website, then Domain, add one record at your domain provider, and your site shows at www.yourstudio.com without the Photo Haven badge. On Starter, your site lives at your Photo Haven address.

Can people find me through Photo Haven?

Studio Pro studios can list themselves in our photographer directory, which links to their website and booking page.

Who owns my photos?

You do. We store and show them only to run Photo Haven for you. We never sell them, use them in our marketing or use them to train AI.

Are my galleries private?

Yes. A gallery opens only for your client and the people you or they share it with, after they sign in with that email address. Files are kept in private storage and shared through links that expire.

Where can I read the details?

In our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Photo Haven is built so you can set up, move your galleries and manage your plan yourself. If you're stuck, write to support@photo-haven.com and we'll help by email.