DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Bloom’s invoicing tool for photographers is completely free…sort of

Jun 6, 2022 by Alex Baker 2 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Sometimes the actual running of your photography business can get a bit much. We all want to be taking photographs, and yet find ourselves spending most of our time on the more boring tasks like invoicing clients and actually making sure we get paid. That’s where having a streamlined system in place can save you both a lot of time and a lot of stress.

Customer Relation Management (CRM) tool Bloom has just stepped up to help photographers by offering a completely free to use invoicing tool. It has unlimited use, and you don’t even need an account to use it. Sounds too good to be true? Well, it is, sort of, if you’re not based in the USA.

Bloom has said that they are responding directly to photographers’ and freelancers’ needs by offering a free invoicing app with safer and more up to date payment options than cash or cheque, which are apparently still prevalent methods of payment for many creatives.

“Old school payment methods prolong the payment process and look unprofessional. Creating multiple invoices on Microsoft Excel or Word requires copying and re-typing item details and too many time-consuming, repetitive tasks that many photographers still use today,” Bloom says.

Bloom is integrated with Square, Stripe, CashApp, Venmo, Paypal, and Zelle and is available in over 25 countries and supports over 135 currencies, apparently.

So first, let’s have a look at what Bloom is offering. On the surface, it appears pretty awesome. The interface when you go to the landing page is straightforward and easy to navigate.

There’s an option for uploading your logo and you can also choose a header image. Either upload one of your own, choose a generic one, or go image free. You can then move on to inputting your personal information, from business details, tax number, client details and currency. You can also input the actual work you’re invoicing for plus fees etc and the percentage of tax to be added.

You can choose payment options from Venmo, Paypal, Zelle and CashApp, and once you add your user handle it will automatically generate a link for the client to pay. When all the information is added, simply press “Download PDF” and it will generate your invoice. It admittedly does create a nice looking invoice, albeit with the Bloom logo at the bottom.

But here’s where it gets a little bit too good to be true in my opinion. While some outlets have reported that it’s completely free with all of these different features, it simply isn’t true.

Yes, it is completely free, up to a point. If you’re based in the USA then you’re good to go. I tried it out and it’s impossible to choose any other currency than US dollars, which is pretty useless if you need to invoice in any other currency.

Secondly, you’re limited with payment options. You only get to choose between Paypal, Venmo, CashApp and Zelle. If you want to use a bank transfer or credit card then you need to create a “free account”. Likewise, if you actually want to save your template and re-use it, you have to create an account. And it’s only free for 14 days. Then you must pay a subscription.

While I don’t want to completely knock the free invoice generator, I fail to see how it’s any more useful in its free version than just creating an invoice template in your existing word processing software. I have several templates saved, and it takes very little time to input the client details. Something for which you’d have to do anyway with the free generator. The cynic in me is just telling me that this is simply a lure to get people to subscribe to their services.

Honestly, I don’t know how things are in the USA, but living in Europe, I haven’t even seen a cheque for about 15 years. If you’re USA based, maybe check this out, otherwise, I’d probably skip it.

Editor’s note: Since this article was published Bloom has informed us that they have updated the free invoice generator to include multiple currencies, now accessible from a drop-down menu. Fantastic news and this means that the free invoice generator can be used and enjoyed by photographers outside the USA.

 

 

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

The Intersect tool in Lightroom: the ‘secret’ masking tool you definitely need to start using This new image mapping website could be an invaluable tool for location and landscape photographers What is Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool and why photographers need it Getting Creative With A Master Clamp — Are They The Ultimate Multipurpose Photographers Tool?

Filed Under: news Tagged With: Bloom, business, CRM, invoice

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.net

About Alex Baker

Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

« This slow motion Apollo 11 launch footage shot in 1969 still looks absolutely incredible today
Five reasons to convert your color photos to black & white »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • These are the “cheat codes” to make any video cinematic
  • When Art Meets Flame: A Bold Statement for a Plastic-Free Future
  • How to make a pinhole lens from a coke can
  • Adobe’s Firefly AI model now open to businesses, everyone becomes “a designer”
  • Sigma’s 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art is a big hunk of glass

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy