Who runs this
OpenDates is a free board for the wedding photo and video trade. You publish the dates you are booked, everything else shows as open, and anyone looking for crew can see who is free.
It was built by people working in this industry, and it is meant to be run by a council of working members — not by whoever built it.
The council
Not formed yet. Until it is, no floor rates are set and no disputes can be settled — which is stated here rather than hidden, because a council that exists only on a page is worse than no council.
The council sets minimum rates, settles disputes about whether a gig happened, and verifies identities. That is all it can do.
What we promise
No member gets better placement
Search results are ordered by one thing: how recently a member updated their dates. Council membership and verification badges are not inputs to that order. Ties are shuffled daily so the same names do not sit at the top.
No fake numbers
Profile views, search appearances and rankings are counts of things that happened. Where there is nothing to show, you will see a zero or a blank — never a placeholder. New members will find these numbers small, because they are small.
We never touch your money
There is no payment processing here and never will be. Bookings record what two people agreed — the rate, the hours, the overtime, when payment is due — and produce a deal memo you both keep. Settlement is between you.
We never ask who your clients are
The board holds your availability, your bookings with other members, and your ratings. It does not hold client names, contacts, or event details, and there is nowhere to enter them.
Nobody can book you below your own rate
The day rate you publish is your minimum. Requests below it cannot be sent. If you want to take cheaper work, you lower your own number — nobody can talk you down through this product.
Notifications
One digest a week, on Friday. Beyond that you will only hear from us when someone requests you for a date. That is the whole list.