The first time I saw it, I was buying stationary from a small shop in Downtown LA. The cashier swiped my credit card from a device connected to an iPad and-boom-just like that I felt like I was on a scene from Back to the Future. I fully expected to see a hoverboard float on by.

Shortly thereafter, I saw the Square card reader appear at local coffee shops, boutiques, and farmers' markets. I even read online forums how portrait and family photographers were using Square to process payments at a shoot.

I wanted an easy and effective way to process payments, but I didn't really see myself whipping out a Square reader at a wedding (I require the final payment weeks before the wedding, so this wasn't even a possibility).

A couple months ago, a client from Europe commissioned me to shoot her wedding in Laguna Beach and when I requested the retainer to be sent by check, I was informed this was impossible because European banks no longer issued checks. So thus began my hunt for an alternative form of payment.

I wanted to stay away from setting up a merchant account (I became overwhelmed trying to understand it all) or using PayPal because of the 3% transaction fees associated with payments received. That's when I found Square Cash Pro.

Cash Pro lets you accept payments at only 1.5% per transaction, which makes it affordable for photographers processing large payments and easy for my clients. It's the best of both worlds, and I even snagged a personalized cashtag, so my clients can easily find me…and be freed to enjoy their wedding day.

If you're looking for ways to process payments that doesn't munch too much of your payment, definitely check out Square Cash Pro…it makes things effortless for my clients and keeps me just as happy.

**EDITED TO ADD**
Square Cash Pro is a sister company to Square…there is a difference in rates due to the type of processing (credit card vs. debit card).
The 1.5% is traditionally absorbed by the business owner, but some photographers require clients to pay it. It's your preference.