How to Share Photos with Clients: The Ultimate Guide

October 14, 2019

min read

f you’re a photographer in today’s world, chances are you are looking for a way to deliver photos to your clients. Gone are the days of sharing USBs with clients in custom engraved boxes! You want something that ticks all the boxes - easy downloads, an online store, email templates, and maybe some proofing tools.

For photographers, sharing photos means a job is complete. You can’t shoot a wedding and then come home and say, “onto the next one!” before you get your work into the hands of those clients and maybe even their families. What you’re looking for is an online Client Gallery.

What is an Online Client Gallery, and Why Does it Matter?

Maybe you’ve been used to doing In-Person Sales or even delivering your images via the mail with a custom USB. An online Client Gallery is a private place for your clients to view, download, share, and purchase their images. It’s the easiest (and prettiest) way to share your images with clients online!

Step #1 - Get Ready to Upload

You’re fresh out of the editing cave, primed and ready to share your photos with clients. But, are they ready to be shared? I go through a mental checklist before I upload anything for clients to see.

Are they exported in the right size?

Have I double-checked that my images were exported correctly?

Do I have any embarrassing filenames?

If you’re an event photographer, you might also want to separate your images into different folders before uploading as well. That way, when your client enters their photo gallery online, they’ll be able to see their images in the exact order that you’re wanting them to.

Step #2 - Login to Your Client Gallery

My gallery of choice? CloudSpot of course! CloudSpot is a photo gallery for sharing with clients and has some amazing features (GIFs anyone!?). Once I’m logged into CloudSpot, I’ll create a brand new gallery to share with all of my clients. ‍

Want your own CloudSpot experience? Sign up for 10GB of photo storage free today to test it out.

‍

Step #3 - Upload Your Photos

As a photographer, uploading photos to your client’s gallery can be one of the most tedious activities around. But, the end result is totally worth it. Using CloudSpot’s multiple folder uploading feature, I can queue up multiple folders at once and get those images to my client that much quicker.

‍

Uploading your photos might take a while depending on your internet connection, so sit back and get some of your other work done while these files process. Or, if you have more than one shoot to upload, you can queue up as many uploads as you'd like on your CloudSpot dashboard and come back later. No need to upload one folder or one shoot at a time!

Step #4 - Create Your Gallery

Now, here’s where we’re going to have to make a few decisions! Are we wanting our clients to be able to download their images or is this gallery just for proofing? Are we creating a Store for our clients to purchase prints and products from? Do we want our clients to share these photos with their parents!?

Your gallery settings will help you shape your client’s experience. By not allowing downloads in your gallery, you’ll probably be directing your clients to your Online Print Store (luckily, CloudSpot has print labs built-in for customers to buy directly from). By not sharing with mom and dad, you may be missing out on sales! Learn print sales tips from some of our top CloudSpot sellers instead.

‍

Step #5 - Email Your Gallery

That’s right, it’s time for the moment that you (well, your clients too!) have been waiting for. Sending out your gallery to clients via email is one of the most exciting things ever! Being on the receiving end is like Christmas morning. As photographers, we get to create this experience for our clients every time we deliver photos.

How cool is that?

Make sure that you have your client’s email address correctly and then start typing away. Keep in mind that when you reach this step, it’s really important to write a note to your clients that will make them feel good. If you have any notes about the private photo gallery that they’re receiving, now’s the time to speak up! Make sure that you thank them for choosing you and supporting your small business, and maybe even pop in a link so that they can send you a review.

‍

Following Up

It’s important, once you’ve delivered your images, that you follow up with your clients! Check-in with them and make sure they love their photos as much as you do. One key thing that many photographers forget is that clients actually want to hear from you! They hired you for a reason after all! Your brand and philosophy should shine through every interaction that you have with clients - including sharing photos with them!