Note: Photo tips are answers to questions asked on our Facebook page. If you would like to submit a question, please click here to submit your question. We will then post them on our Facebook page and let our fans respond to the question. We will then transfer the question over to our blog so we can keep them in an organized way for others to see.
Question from Question: “How do you explain to a client that they do not get to see all the pictures taken during a shoot? I only present them with their edited proofs but have had a couple clients that have pushed to see all of them. I haven’t allowed it but was wondering what a tactful response you guys might suggest or you have used? Thinking I might need to put it in writing somehow.”
Aaron: Make sure it’s communicated with the client beforehand….being proactive almost always alleviates any misunderstanding down the road and solidifies expectations on both ends.
Jayme: I do an in person (or via email if they can’t meet) consult, prior to the session. Everything is explained during this, so there is no question later. Just explain that your edited files are what you choose to present because they are the best ones out of the set.
Kelly: I have actually had a couple of people ask me if they could just have all the unedited pictures so they could do them themselves…uh…no.
Tina: following, I would like to see this answer too. I sometimes tried to explain to them that the ones I showed are the ones without flaws (e.g. eyes closed, half closed, etc.) but sometimes they want to see them still, which is a huge waste of time for me and sometimes impossible because I delete those immediately and work with what I can. This doesn’t always satisfy them and it ends up being a source of contention.
Michelle: yup… I’ve had a few ask me the same thing and I don’t get why they want to see them ALL.
Amanda: I always tell my clients once I get home all of the “bad” images – eyes closed, out of focus or un flattering are garbaged *but they really arnt* and that I go through and edit only those final images and that is what they get to choose from.
K. Ellen: A lot of photographers put this in their contract (something like, “You will recieve the best 10 images from the session. Regretably, those images that are not presented in your gallery will be deleted during the editing process and will not be available to see or have.” I think setting the expectation from the outset is a huge help, btu even afterwars, saying, “Unfortunatley I delete any images that are not to be presented in the gallery during the editing process,” is a good way to be firm and let them know that the issue is closed.
Chazzy: Personally i think they should be allowed to have / see all images then if they decide they want to keep them thats up to them i mean they might be bad photos but they do belong to those people from whatever occassion…. Shouldnt you give them that option i certainly would, ill be sure to be asking my photographer for all beforehand !!!
Meghan: One thing I learned is to rename the files when you show them. If you leave it as IMG_4567 and IMG_4572 they will wonder what was wrong with the 4 in between.
Shanyn: Chazzy those images represent the photographer and I don’t know any photographer who wants bad images with their names on them floating around.
Mimi: I’ve had clients ask for all the pictures and ask if unedited is cheaper. I let them know to have access to all unedited photos is $1000. I believe it’s on my contract. After I heard about a wedding photog getting his pants sued off because he gave the couple his memory card right after a wedding and they said because some of the photos were blurry or dark *HELLO TEST SHOTS* he did a crappy job. Normally, they wouldn’t have seen those photos, just the good ones. But because they saw everything, it was proof of poor work and it could hold up in court.
Chazzy: I wouldnt see it as that, i mean every photographer no matter how good he or she is will catch a few bad shots due to movement ect, thats just life, i would still want to see them
Chazzy: I think its wrong of someone to sue someone for poor photos before they have been edited, i would ask to see before and afters that way you really do get to see the difference and the fantastic work they do
Summer: Also Chazzy, the photos do not belong to the client, they are still the property of the photographer until he/she signs over copyright, if they ever do.
Rebecca: Chazzy- as a photographer I don’t like to admit that some of my images may not be the greatest, but I’ll be DARNED if I will let people have ALL of their images (good and bad) to be showing off! I don’t want potential customers seeing the not so great images and saying” Wow that is a crappy shot and they gave it to their customer! I think I’ll keep looking.” Thos photos do NOT belong to the client, I took them, they are MINE. To do as I see fit.
Maria: Chazzy, people are paying photographers to capture them, flatter them, and use their expertise to make beautiful photos. I personally would never want to see the bad photos that are u flattering or unusable. Would you hang a blurry photo on your wall?? Then why would you want to see it? Besides more than 15 images is overwhelming for most and they end up doing not a damn thing with the photos in most cases
Lynley: Chazzy for example if I shoot a wedding I may take 900 shots but the client may get 300. I do a lot of clicking the same pic especially for group shots just in case someone blinked and I missed it etc. I don’t edit 5 of the same shot, I pick out the one that has all the eyes open and the best smiles and delete the other 4 because its the exact same. Or if I’m shooting a baby or small child I might click 3 or 4 times cause they’re fast little boogers and you’re trying to get that perfect smile and you got it on click num 4 but the other 3 are the exact same pose just not good facial expressions so you delete those. No one has time to edit 100 shots when they can edit 30. Like the previous person said your name goes on them and you want them to look the best.
Chazzy: Cant say i agree with any of you personally ill be making sure i draw up a contract to see ALL my unedited photos first, i may only get given a set of x amount but that does not stop me wanting to see MY photos of MY OCCASSION thats all im saying,
Ann: I make it clear, my photos are my work of Art. Its my business lifeline. I want to be remembered for my best work. I dont let them edit and they dont see what is not edited.
Sarah: I’ve never run into this issue. Most of my clients understand that the photos taken belong to me and will be used at my discretion. Maybe I’ve just been lucky so far! I always delete the bad images from my camera before importing so that I don’t get the file name inconsistency problem.
Chazzy: I can see your point of view but dont you think that the client also has the right to see them so that after x amount of pictures have been edited they can see what a fantastic job you have done, im not saying let that client have a copy im simply suggesting they should be allowed to view them
Jenny: Part of your job as the photographer is to do the difficult and daunting work of paring down 100 shots to 10. If you give people 100 photos, they won’t print any of them, because it’s too overwhelming to choose. If you give them 5, they can choose what they like best or go ahead and print them all. It’s also your job to present only the work that you want to represent you. If you show them all the outtakes, you are harming your business. They think they are asking for images they are entitled to, but they are actually asking you to hurt your business and themselves. Be firm and let them know that the images you present are the only images available, and that you can’t afford to make exceptions for the reasons already stated.
Suzan: Why would you want to see dark or blurry shots? Don’t you edit/delete the bad shots from your own memory card? I do with mine before I move them to a folder.
Sarah: I also work at a Sears Portrait Studio and its a corporate policy that customers cannot see unedited photos and we have to delete the extra shots of the same pose. So it’s not just a private photographer thing.
Chazzy: No i import every photo i have ever taken onto my laptop, if i was a professional photographer i would at least give them that option
Sarah: No professional would want unprofessional images seen by clients. It’s that simple.
Mary: If you went into a cake shop to order a cake would you expect the cake artist to present you with all the cakes they ever burnt? Or would you want to see and taste their best??? How is this different?
Lynley: You’re looking at it as a photographer though. Most clients out there don’t know a bit about photoshop or proper exposure etc and think a picture of their kid thrown on a bedsheet and clicked with an on camera flash showing all the wrinkles looks great. They post those horrible underexposed shots etc you have them on Facebook or show their friends with your name who did them and people who do know good quality look at those and think wow that photographer is horrible I’m making a note to def not use then. You look at it knowing about test shots etc clients and their friends may not. When you give them all their shots you can’t guarantee they will only show the best ones. I knew a person once who apparently did get all their wedding images and posted them ALL on FB in an album. To tell you the truth most were crap and I didn’t bother to look at the rest. I’m sure there were great ones in there but I’m not taking the time to sort through the crappy ones to find them. That’s the impression you leave as a photographer when you show them all. Some will think “she’s not very good” and the ones that do look great wont shine they will think “luck shot” or whatever. Clients def aren’t getting all unedited pics from me. I immediately delete any blurry and eyes closed or horrible shots to save time and room on my harddrive anyway.
Katie: I agree that there should be something stating in your contract why they won’t see ALL of the photos but i do feel if you’re photographing with a model, they should at least be given a cd copy of the raw images. Even if you have to take out some of the blurry ones.
I’ve been modeling for a few yrs and i always get a cd copy of the raw images, even when i don’t ask. It’s just polite. But if you’re doing a shoot for a family gathering, wedding, anything like that then you shouldn’t have to nor give them all the photographs, in my opinion.
Kimberly: Not to sound rude, but good luck with getting a photographer to let you see ALL of undited images. I won’t even let my clients see them. If you wanted unedited images you could take them yourself or pay a friend. But, to pay a photographer for their work and then demand things. It’s rude and inconvieniant not only to the photographer, but to other clients waiting on their photos too. I personally just got screwed from a “friend” doing a wedding for them and being hateful for taking a month to edit images and finally I just threw my hands up and gave them the rest of the images because of the hatefulness. Remember, your photog is a person too… they have feelings.
Kelli: Chazzy, I’ve never heard of anyone being able to create their Own contract with a professional photographer. You have to sign off on their contract to use their services. Why would you want to see 1000 images? I would go dizzy looking at that many as a client. That’s what you pay them to do. Give you the best.
Lynley: Chazzy you just said it yourself “if I was a professional photographer…” You’re hearing all the people who ARE professionals tell you why that’s a bad idea snd with this type of attitude you won’t be able to be a professional. No I don’t think the client has a right to see my bad work! Like the other person said you don’t taste a baker’s burnt cakes. You don’t see all the horrible takes from a movie. They don’t need to see your goofups or bad takes simple as that. No it’s not their right. And if you’re ever looking for a true professional to change their contract and give you all their unedited images you’re going to be looking for a while. Either that or you’re going to have to settle for a second rate photographer who doesn’t know what they’re doing to be able to get what you want. And like the other person said you’re not going to be able to draw up your own contract with a professional.
Melanie: This is interesting… I just read Brook’s “How to Price When You’re Starting Out” guide last night… she says she provides a private online gallery of all her (unedited) images so that her clients can choose which they’d like edited. She saves herself a lot of time that way. I do believe you could take out the eyes closed, blurry and terribly exposed shots. Having said that, I have also overwhelmed clients by showing them every shot. It was difficult for her to choose – but she did choose different shots than I would have for different reason.
I have a family photo shoot coming up and I’m going to try it Brook’s way (after taking out the technically poor shots) this time and see what happens. I mean, she knows what she’s talking about, right?
Lynley: Katie I understand that being a bit different for modeling. A lot of times they require unedited images but you’d still take out the test shots and blurry, underexposed, blinking etc. and still just give them the raw files unedited of the best ones.
Alyssa: Chazzy, you don’t know what you’re talking about. No photographer would ever allow a client to see unretouched images. End of story. By law those photos that I took are my property and belong to me. You do what you want with photos you take and then give them all to your clients and let me know how in two years how your business failed miserably.
Lynley: Melanie this is common too, its called a soft edit. You still take out the crappy ones or the ones of the same poses etc and put the rest online so they can pick say 10 out of the 40 for a final edit but even when you do a soft edit people usually do a quick batch edit to correct color etc before putting them in the gallery and you always take out the test shots and bad ones that you don’t want them picking from
Tina: I would never sign a contract like that. You hire a professional for a reason, no amount of money would be worth the aggravation you would cause me and I can’t imagine you would have an easy time finding any reputable photographer just handing you over every single photograph (unedited) just because you feel you should have them.
Suzan: Within the next few months I will be shopping around for a photographer for my wedding. We’ll be paying that person for his/her BEST WORK. I’m not interested in having any blurry, bad, dark shots in my Wedding Album. Besides most people invited to your wedding will gladly share with you any pictures they took. It’s from them that you get your SNAPSHOTS. It’s from the photographer that you get your PHOTOS.
Ani: I explain that just as a reporter or novelist would never allow their notes to be published, neither do I allow my entire shoot to be viewed. When clients hire you, they are paying for your time, your expertise and your vision. The raw material belongs to you, not to them. You have a right to present them only the images that strengthen your reputation and reinforce your expertise as an image maker. You need to state in your contract that they do not own the images you take. Copyright of all those images remain with the photographer and they will have the opportunity to view and purchase prints (or digital negs if you go that route) of YOUR picks of the best images of the shoot. if they sign the contract and request to see all images, you politely refer them back to the contract
Michelle: Good topic… love reading everyone’s comments.
Heather: If you give clients a huge number of shots to choose from they will never be able to pick the ones they want printed, your job as the professional is to choose and edit your best work and then that’s what the clients get to see. No one expects to see unedited work in any other field, whether that is art or not. Writers don’t publish their drafts on a novel just the edited version. The client picked you because they had seen your EDITED work not your RAW work, that’s what you should give them.
Lynley: I don’t do my own baby’s pictures just because she does better photographing with someone who’s not momma. Yes as a mother I do kinda wonder what some of the other shots looked like, did she not include a few that I would think are cute but she didn’t, but in the end I trust my photographer and know she put her best work forward. If you don’t trust your photographer like this you either need to find a new photographer or get real.
Rachel: This is a great topic!
Jennifer: Great question and comments!
Tia: Chazzy–I want to start off by saying I have been in your shoes. Photos are precious–blurry or not. And those are moments captured of you &/or your family. I have been shocked and disappointed that the photographer would not allow me to see more. HOWEVER, now that I am sitting on the other side of the fence, I completely understand it. These people are not trying to be rude–they are simply telling you that it is THEIR ART. An artist would not turn over a set of instructions on how to EXACTLY replicate their art–and then place the artist name on it…would they? That’s all we are asking as photographers. This is our work, our time–time away from our families, studying, trying new things, seeing what works and what doesn’t, time defining our own style. You are paying us for our very best–and that’s exactly what we WANT to give you. Our desire to give you excellent work comes from deep inside us–it is the very core of why we are photographers. While I understand and respect your desire to see all photographs, I would never sign your contract.
Reva: a simple “no”. most clients know the drill that i only show my best work. no, they’re not going to see every single frame
Laura: You can do a proofing session where the client comes back and looks at every unedited image if you want to. But I know that it’s a waste of time. Been there and done that. Your client is trusting YOU as a professional to choose the best images that not only represent YOU but THEM as well. If you are the type to request to see all of the unedited photos then you have control issues and need to let it go. I shoot close to 400 per session. If you want to see all 400 unedited shots then it’s going to cost you more per hour to look through those images. Because that is even more working time for me. Us photographers don’t get paid by the hour. But we do get paid when working. Proofing sessions are working time.
Katie: Lynley, yeah i’ve never been given raw images that were bad. Cause no one wants to see that and be like “my face looks dumb” or a body imperfection they don’t want to see. So i totally understand getting rid of the bad shots and if you have to rename them, then do so. But everyone is different.
Linda: I have just switched to showing th e”soft edit” as mentioned above. I was spending HOURS just trying to choose! And then edit ones that the senior “didnt like her smile”. It as saved me SO much time – I edit 3-4 and then tell them to pic their fav photos and that I will “polish” them up as I did in the first 4. The biggest problem is that most have said “oh there are so many good ones! ” and they take too long to choose! THen I cant get “closure” on my session and may run into too many people chossing at the same time.This is my first year, and Im trying to get a good system.
Linda: (but of course I take out the terrible unusable pone…most people dont realize how many are taken anyway!)
Melanie: Chazzy is thinking like a hobbyist, not a pro. (No offense.) Sometimes a hobbyist sees a snapshot, while a pro sees a product.
I took about 1000 images of a reception. I narrowed those down to about 200 of the best (what *I* thought to be the best) and edited those the way I wanted to, as the hired photographer. A friend of mine who was a guest at the reception took one of the low-res facebook images of herself and applied a god-awful effect with some soft-focus app on her phone and then re-uploaded it to facebook with MY watermark still on it. I had to ask her to remove it from facebook because it wasn’t representative of *my* work as the photographer. It’s not what I want out there. Someone will see that and say, “Eww, Spiffy Pix is a horrible photographer.”
And that’s the reason that you don’t want clients or perspective clients to see less than your best.
Victoria: I would add that anytime you post your edited images on Facebook you should state “Do NOT alter image in ANY way” so that has you covered.
Andrea: If a client wants to see unedited images they can take them themselves. I shoot to produce great work.
I had a job request to give them all the photos unedited and my contract says, all photos are edited and retouched before client reviews or receives the images
Sorry but if someone “worked up a contract” to make sure they would see all the images before hand, I would not sign it or work with them
I’m the business, not them…
Jaye: It’s all in my contract that I go over with my clients. There are never any questions like this for me post session because everything is covered and understood before they even show up.
Liz: I tell my clients that once I put the pictures on my computer, I narrow it down to the best 25 those are the pictures they get. We call it “photographer’s choice” and explain that they will get a variety of shots. Haven’t had a complaint so far
Geneva: If you are truly in this as a professional then you learn to edit and I don’ t mean just Photoshop an such but EDIT in the sense that you toss the bad or less flattering photos. You showcase the best of your work. I tell our clients that we show the best of the best. Which is normally 30-40 photos. If you give them too many to choose from they cannot make decisions and do not order as much.
Carolyn: Agree completely with Geneva above and others about only showing the best of the best and explaining why. Also though, I try to manage these types of expectations from the VERY VERY beginning by making it clear in my initial information how I work and explaining why it’s a good thing. They will still ask you, though, so be prepared to continually answer this question with a concise and professional reason why you work this way.
Feel free to keep responding to this question using our comment section below.