Sports Photographer Makes Scheduling Easy with SignUpGenius

The Challenge

Picture day for a youth sports league means dozens of coaches, hundreds of kids, and one very tight window to get it right.

For Kevin Cook, owner of Legends Event Photo in Clinton, Tennessee, the old process created problems before the first shutter click. Leagues would hand over a game schedule, Cook's team would build a picture day timeline around it, and then the chaos would start. Coaches complained about their assigned times. Others simply didn't show up. By the time the crew arrived on site, the day was already behind.

Cook also had no way to accept sign ups or collect deposits in advance. Everything had to happen in person, which meant longer lines, less revenue, and no reliable headcount going in.

The Solution

Cook started using SignUpGenius to let coaches and families self-schedule their photo appointments. Instead of assigning times and waiting for pushback, he creates a sign up, shares the link with league coordinators, and lets participants choose what works for them.

The shift was immediate.

"In the past, we would typically have to wait until we got on site at an event before we could begin accepting sign ups for some of our photo services," Cook says. "Now, I create the SignUpGenius link and distribute it in a multitude of ways and by the time we arrive on site, I already have a list of customers ready to go."

Automatic reminders took the follow-up off Cook's plate entirely. Participants who signed up received reminders without any manual outreach from his team, which helped reduce no-shows and kept everyone informed about picture day details.

Cook also began using SignUpGenius Payments to collect advance deposits directly through the sign up. Customers could secure their spot and pay in one step, giving Cook both confirmed bookings and a clear record of who had paid before the event even started.

The Results

Legends Event Photo serves youth sports leagues across Tennessee, north Alabama, and parts of Kentucky. Since adopting SignUpGenius, Cook has seen stronger participation, more predictable on-site revenue, and a scheduling process that runs itself.

"With the freedom to select their own photo time, we are seeing better participation rates and they are generally more informed about picture day details since they selected the time themselves," Cook says.

The feedback from coaches and parents has been consistent.

"We've heard nothing but positives from our customers about SignUpGenius' easy calendar view and sign up features," Cook says. "It allows us to be organized and efficient when scheduling our customers. It also gives us the opportunity to include our customers in the scheduling process, leading to much better participation."

For a business built around showing up prepared, having a confirmed list of participants waiting at arrival is not a small thing. It is the whole game.