This topic on client privacy is one that I feel a lot of photographers struggle with. I’ve seen it come up in forums numerous times, but I wanted to talk about why it’s important to fully respect clients and their wishes for privacy.
So the question is always about how to get clients to allow you to share their photos when they don’t want to. We all know the situation – you take the most incredible images of your life and then the client asks that you not post these because they don’t want others to see. And then you are slightly crushed and bursting from the inside out because of how killer these photos are. Am I right? Trust me, I’ve been there so many times it’s not even funny. So what do I do? Simple. I don’t share them. You see, some photographers enforce in their contracts that they must be able to use any images taken for whatever purpose they want, some refuse to accept clients that won’t allow them to share images, and then some don’t really care either way. I’m the person that doesn’t care either way. To me, a client is placing a ton of trust into their photographer by hiring them in the first place. If they are willing to pay for my work, I’m willing to respect their wishes. By gaining that trust, you are potentially gaining so many more opportunities because that client will now have a positive experience to share with their friends and family about YOU.
The argument about what to do stems from a photographer’s work standpoint. If a photographer has awesome work that can’t be shown, others won’t know the potential of this photographer. By having these images marked as private, a photographer can’t share these on their blog, on their website, or in their printed materials. When you are first starting out, it’s important to advertise your work with everyone to show them your craft, so I totally understand why it’s important to be able to share this. However, a photographer that strives to get clients WILL get other opportunities that can be shared, so not being able to share one session is not going to kill your business.
Personal experience: I had a girl hire me for boudoir images, but asked that I not share these because she did not want her family finding them, nor did she want her employer to see these since she worked with children. When I sent over her images, I got the sweetest note back saying how much she enjoyed the session and that she was going to be sure to tell all her girlfriends about me…. AND guess what? She did. I have booked seven sessions off of her as well as two weddings because of that positive experience. So, from that one session that will never be seen by the public, I was able to share nine others that would then have more leads resulting in more sessions.
In this business, you always want to remain professional, trustworthy, and polite. This is what will give you the reputation needed to grow, and this is what others will associate with your work as well.
Thanks so much for stopping by! xoxo, casey
{ Charlotte Photographer – Casey Hendrickson Photography }