What to do when a client asks to see all photos

taken during their session

It is common for clients to not understand your business process or why you do what you do.

The fact that they heard your shutter click hundreds of times but only have 50 or so photos in their gallery can be quite
confusing (of course more for wedding photographers).

Pleasing your customer is very important but showing less than quality images per their request is just down right
disastrous. Your client galleries should show nothing but stellar examples of who you are as a photographer and as a
company.

But how do you handle the request? Simple, education and strong conviction is a must.

Educating the your clients on your standards & process

Develop a Photo Session Care Card or What To Expect document which you can send to your clients prior to their
session. This document should include common FAQ's and also a summary of what they will see when its time to view
their photos.

Answering questions before they arise can save you a ton of time going over something later that your client feels they
were "cheated out of" such as seeing EVERY image taken from their session or not receiving the RAW copies, which
many customers now ask for.

When should you send this type of document to your

clients?
Educating a client prior to their session is essential to ensure they are not disappointed later. If a client understands your
process and why you have it in place they are less likely to feel cheated out of something they did not receive. In our
What To Expect document we explain why we take more photos than a customer sees and what they should expect in
their client gallery on the day of viewing.

Even at the beginning of a session its great to go over some things they can expect to happen. This is a perfect time to
let your client know that they will hear your shutter click more times than you will have photos of. Describe that this
happens because you are checking your lightening, taking multiple photos in case of blinking and also to see if a pose
plays out on camera the way you see it in life.

All things aside, not every photo will make the cut. Over explaining this is always helpful in business because your client
will feel you are doing it for their good and because you care about quality.
How to handle a customer that makes a request to see all
pictures taken even though you have stated your process
Sending formal written responses to these types of requests is very important for documentation purposes. Be clear on
your process, remind them to review the What To Expect document and ensure you are straight forward without being
rude or insensitive. Here is an example of a professional response to a common request from clients to see all images
taken from their session.

I am so happy to have photographed your beautiful _______ session and know you must be over the moon to see
anything that came out of my camera that day. However beautiful they are, there are always those shots that are
less than perfect due to blinking, off colors or other situations out of our control. It is our process to only show what
is of highest quality and we take more photos to ensure that we can provide you with a large amount of these. It is
not our process to show any images other than those that were chosen as finest quality. This is our strict process.
Trust me when I tell you that those chosen were done with care and consideration. Doing business with high
standards is our mission. I am sure you can appreciate the great care taken to showcase your special day in this
manner.

Why you would NOT show all images from a session

Client galleries are a display of your talent and professional level. What you show your clients will leave a lasting
impression. Giving them anything less than your best will make them feel you are all over the board. Now of course
many of the outtakes we have from a session are out of our control such as blinking or unexpected photo bombs but still
a client sees this as our work.

A gallery review is much like a job interview. You are showing your client what you have as far as talent and quality. If
you go into a job interview and tell them all the times you made a mistake won't that stand out in their mind later when
they are deciding if you are right for the job? Display yourself and your work with pride and care. In conclusion, having
a business process is pertinent and standing firm on it is without question imperative. You can not run a business being
too soft and giving in on things that have valuable reason behind them such as standards and quality, which is the case
here.