The delivery is the last thing your client experiences, and it’s usually the moment they decide whether to tell their friends about you. You can nail the shoot and still make the handoff feel like an afterthought. Here’s how to make it feel as good as the photos.
Your options for delivering photos
Most photographers start with whatever they already have, like a Dropbox or Google Drive link. That’s fine for your first few clients. Here’s how the common options compare once you’re doing this regularly.
| Option | Good | Not so good |
|---|---|---|
| Dropbox or Google Drive | Free or cheap, and you already have it. | Looks like a file folder, not your brand. Clients have to download everything just to look. |
| WeTransfer | Fast for big files. | Free links expire after a few days, and the client gets a ZIP with no way to browse first. |
| USB drive or prints | A nice physical touch, especially for weddings. | Easy to lose, and there’s nothing to share with family. |
| Online client gallery | Branded, easy to browse on a phone, favorites, and downloads one at a time or all at once. | Costs a monthly subscription. |
Once you’re charging real money, an online gallery is the standard. It’s what clients expect from a professional, and it’s the easiest way for them to share your work, which is free marketing for you.
What files to deliver
- Full-resolution JPEGs for printing. Export in sRGB so colors look right on phones and at most print labs.
- Web-size copies (around 2048 pixels on the long edge) if your clients post a lot. Some galleries handle this for you.
- Not RAW files, unless that’s the deal. Most photographers don’t hand over RAWs, because the edit is part of your work. Put it in your contract so nobody’s surprised.
- Clean file names, like northwind-headshots-014.jpg instead of IMG_4432.jpg. It’s a small thing that reads as professional.
How fast to deliver
Whatever you promise, say it up front and beat it if you can. Headshots and product work usually turn around in days to a week. Weddings often take six to ten weeks. A sneak peek of three to five favorites within a day or two buys you a lot of patience and gets the client excited to share.
How long to keep the gallery up
Pick a number and write it in your contract, like 90 days or a year. Tell clients to download and back up their photos, and send a reminder before the gallery comes down. It protects you when someone asks for their photos three years later, and it keeps your storage from filling up forever.
Get paid before the final download
This is the one new photographers learn the hard way. If the full-resolution files go out before the final invoice is paid, you’re now chasing money for something they already have. Take a deposit when they book, and release the final files when the balance is paid. Proofing galleries with watermarks let them see and choose everything in the meantime.
Make the delivery feel like an event
Pick a strong cover photo, write a short welcome message, and send the gallery with a personal note instead of a bare link. It costs you two minutes and it’s the part clients remember.
A simple delivery checklist
- Final invoice paid, or delivery set to release when it is
- Full-res JPEGs exported in sRGB, with clean file names
- Cover photo and welcome message set
- Downloads turned on, including Download all
- Expiry date set and mentioned in your note
- A personal delivery email, not just a link
- A follow-up in a week asking how they’re using the photos (and for a review)
How I do it in Edit
I built Edit because I was doing all of this by hand. Now the gallery, the invoice, and the final files sit on the same project. Delivery can wait until the invoice is paid, clients get a Download all ZIP, and Edit warns them before their files expire. Deliveries nobody has opened in 180 days get a warning before they’re cleaned up, unless I mark them Keep forever.