Photographer Referral Programme: How It Works (2026 Guide)

Micael

TIME&SPACE · Photographer's Edge

How the TIME&SPACE photographer referral programme works: flat 10% commission, monthly payouts, and a way to earn from organisers you already know.

A photographer referral programme is a structured arrangement where a photographer earns a percentage of the revenue every time an event organiser they introduce to a service pays for that service. In TIME&SPACE the rate is flat 10%, the payouts are monthly, and the work to earn it is almost zero once the introduction is made.

Most event photographers already operate at the centre of a small network of organisers, agencies, and venues. They are the trusted creative on every shoot. They hear about events months before the public does. The referral programme exists to convert that trust into income that does not require shooting another event.

This guide explains exactly how the TIME&SPACE photographer referral programme works in 2026: how the commission is calculated, when payouts arrive, what counts as a qualifying referral, and how to share your code without it feeling like a sales pitch.

What the referral programme actually pays

Every photographer who creates a TIME&SPACE account receives a unique referral code. Anyone who signs up using that code and pays for an event becomes a tracked referral. The commission is flat 10% of the event plan price, with no tiers, no caps, and no time limits on the referral relationship.

The current plan prices and corresponding commissions:

• INTIMATE EVENTS plan: €188 per event, photographer earns €18.80
• CONFERENCES plan: €488 per event, photographer earns €48.80
• FESTIVALS plan: €888 per event, photographer earns €88.80

If a referred organiser runs ten events a year on the CONFERENCES plan, the photographer earns €488 in annual passive income from a single introduction. If that organiser scales up to FESTIVALS, the same photographer earns close to €890 a year. The relationship compounds over time because the commission applies to every future event the organiser pays for, not just the first one.

There is no maximum number of referrals. Photographers who consistently introduce TIME&SPACE to their network often see referral income become a meaningful supplement to their per-shoot fees within twelve months.

How a referral is tracked

A referral is logged the moment a new organiser creates an account using your code or referral link. The link format is timeandspace.app/?ref=YOUR_CODE. The code is stored on the new user record permanently, which means it survives password resets, email changes, and account upgrades.

Tracking is server-side and uses the database rather than browser cookies. This matters because most event organisers research a service from a work laptop and then sign up from a phone. A cookie-based system would lose that handoff. The TIME&SPACE referral system attributes the signup correctly even if the click and the payment happen on different devices.

Once an organiser pays for any event, the corresponding ReferralEarning record is created, the 10% commission is calculated against the actual amount paid, and the balance accumulates in the photographer's account.

When payouts happen

Photographers can claim accumulated commission once the balance crosses €50. Payouts run monthly. The flow has three steps:

1. The photographer goes to the referrals dashboard and clicks Request Payout.
2. The first request prompts for billing details, including the photographer's NIF (or equivalent VAT/tax identifier in their country) and an IBAN. This information is requested at payout time only, not at signup, to keep the onboarding friction low.
3. TIME&SPACE processes the bank transfer within five working days of the request. EU payouts are SEPA. Non-EU payouts are handled case by case.

There is no expiration date on accumulated balance. A photographer who has €38 of earnings can wait until a second referral pushes them over €50 and then claim both at once.

What counts as a qualifying referral

A referral is qualifying when an organiser who has never previously had a TIME&SPACE account creates a new account using your code, and subsequently pays for at least one event. The full rule set:

• The referred user must be a new account. Existing organisers cannot be claimed retroactively.
• The referred user must complete a paid event. Free founding-partner placements do not generate commission for the photographer, since no money changes hands.
• A referred user can only be attributed to one photographer. The first code applied wins. There is no split attribution.
• Self-referrals are not eligible. The system blocks attempts to refer your own secondary accounts.

For full programme terms, see TIME&SPACE Terms of Service.

How to share your code without sounding salesy

The most effective photographer referrals are not pitches. They are practical recommendations dropped at the moment an organiser is already complaining about a problem TIME&SPACE solves.

The three highest-converting referral moments observed across the network:

The post-event handoff. Photographers send the finished gallery to the organiser. Most organisers then ask the same follow-up question: how do I get these to the guests? A single sentence in that email suffices. "We can deliver these through TIME&SPACE if you want guests to find themselves automatically. Here's my referral link." The organiser is already in delivery mode. The offer is timely.

The pre-event call. During event planning, organisers raise concerns about photo distribution. Photographers can recommend TIME&SPACE as a separate piece of software the organiser pays for, with the photographer simply uploading to it. This positions the photographer as a knowledgeable creative who has thought about the full event lifecycle, not just the shoot.

The peer recommendation. Photographers talk to other photographers about clients, equipment, and pricing. A short mention that TIME&SPACE pays referral commission to the photographer who introduces the organiser shifts other photographers into doing the same. The programme compounds across the photographer community.

For more on positioning the recommendation, see How photographers earn more with photo delivery and How to build recurring event photography clients.

What the dashboard shows you

The referrals dashboard at timeandspace.app/dashboard/referrals displays four things in real time:

1. Your personal referral code and a one-click copy button for the full referral URL.
2. The list of referred organisers (anonymised for GDPR) with the events they have paid for and the commission earned per event.
3. The current claimable balance and the next eligible payout date.
4. The historical payout log, including amounts and transfer references.

The dashboard is updated within seconds of any referred organiser completing a payment, so a photographer who just introduced a new client can see the first commission appear before they have left the event venue.

Why the rate is 10%, not 5% or 15%

Earlier drafts of the programme considered a tiered system with rates increasing from 10% to 18% based on referral volume. That structure was removed in April 2026 for two reasons. First, tiered commissions punish photographers who refer occasionally but at high value. A photographer who introduces one festival organiser worth €8,800 a year should be paid as well per euro as a photographer who introduces twelve small events. Second, simple programmes are referred more often than complex ones. "We pay you 10% of every event" fits in a sentence.

The 10% rate is benchmarked against general affiliate marketing standards, where 5% to 20% is the typical range for software referrals. Industry research from Impact and reporting from the Stripe affiliate documentation places software referral rates in the 10% to 30% band. TIME&SPACE sits at the lower-but-perpetual end: the commission pays out for every future event, not just the first one.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a referral attribution last? Permanently. Once an organiser signs up with your code, every event they ever pay for generates 10% commission to you.

Can I refer a venue or an agency, not just an organiser? Yes. Any account type that pays for events qualifies. Venues, agencies, and corporate brands all count.

Do I need to be a TIME&SPACE paying photographer to refer? No. Photographers do not pay TIME&SPACE for an account. The platform is free for photographers to use; organisers pay for the event delivery. The referral programme is open to any photographer who creates a free account.

What happens if my referred organiser cancels? Refunds within the standard EU 14-day consumer protection window reverse the commission. Cancellations after delivery do not affect commission already earned.

Is the referral income taxable? Yes. TIME&SPACE pays the gross amount; the photographer is responsible for declaring it as income in their tax jurisdiction. EU photographers should expect to invoice TIME&SPACE for the commission, with VAT applied according to their country's rules.

How to start

Create a TIME&SPACE photographer account at timeandspace.app, find your referral code on the referral programme page, and start using it the next time an organiser asks how to deliver event photos to their guests. The first referral usually arrives within the first two events a photographer shoots after activating their code.

The introductions you are already making are worth paying for. The programme exists so that the next time you recommend TIME&SPACE to an organiser, the recommendation pays you back.

Micael

Founder, TIME&SPACE