10 Best Ways to Share Photography with your Clients

How many times have you experienced quality drops in your photography after sending them to anyone via social media or email? Countless times, right? Maybe, if you are sharing photos with your family and friends, it may not make that much difference to you although quality photos matter even to your kith and kin.

Still, you can compromise on photography quality while dealing with your friends and family members. But if you are a pro photographer, how will you deal with your clients? Can you share shoddy photos to showcase your portfolio with your clients?

Not just to share portfolios, you need to dispatch photos to your clients after shooting photography for them. Hence, you need to know how you can share photography projects with your clients seamlessly, without any degradation of photography quality.

This write-up is geared to introduce you to the 10 best and most effective channels or platforms to share photography with your clients. Before jumping to the best channels, let’s try to understand the factors we need to consider before picking any channel to send photos.

You may also read- Best Photo Management Software. 

Things to consider before Choosing a Channel to Share Pictures

A bunch of ways is there through which you can share images with your clients. But all of them aren’t advisable to adopt due to a number of reasons. Curious to know those reasons? Keep reading…

Price is Key

If a photo-sharing platform serves high quality at high expense, it won’t be affordable for everyone. Especially when there are alternatives, it’s important to understand which platform will be profitable. Hence, you need to consider the cost factor at the very beginning before you choose any file or photo-sharing platform.

At the same time, most photo-sharing services offer a free version with limited features that may not accommodate your needs. In that case, you have to go for paid plans as they will allow you to send many photos or share large files. The majority of the free services have limited storage as well.

Hence, you should hunt for a photo-sharing solution at a reasonable price to fulfill your specific image-sharing requirements.

Delivery Speed Matters

Quick delivery always satisfies clients. The quicker you can share photos with clients, the higher chances they will assign you further work. Mind that your clients will not always have time to check out the digital files you dispatch, given their busy schedules.

Therefore, a photo-sharing solution that allows for instant delivery is always preferable. This lets you not go through multiple steps or wait for a long time before the client receives the images.

File Size and Quantity Carry Weight

If you are dealing with clients, you are likely to send print-ready digital files. In that case, you have to make sure the images are of high resolution. Top-notch images will take up more space naturally. Hence, whichever tool you settle on for photo sharing should be able to handle these large files.

Not just large files, it should also have the capacity to take care of images sent in large quantities. Besides, you should be prepared to share the images in different variations, including different sizes and resolutions for each image.

Mind you that email attachments will not work well for large files and they will deteriorate your image quality unless you decide to share scores of individual files. You wouldn’t like to do so if you want to send considerable image files. In such cases, you are better off using a file-sharing service as it will provide more storage space or create online photo galleries.

Check out Proofing Capabilities

Pro photographers typically have to share photos with their clients for proofing before any other step like publication. It’s always nice and recommended to pick a tool that eases the act of proofing by letting the clients comment directly on the photos you share.

A photo sharing solution with proofing capability irons out the need for double-checking to trace the exact photo with a client’s comments.

Prioritize the Security Measures

Photography contains personal data and info. So, you can’t compromise on the security aspect of sharing your client’s imagery. Rather, you have to take precautions while sharing them to make sure the utmost security.

Hence, go for a tool that provides private password protection which will ensure transferring photos securely without any concern of security breaches.

Take into account other security features like watermarking and disabling the right-click mouse function as these can also help protect your intellectual property by preventing unauthorized use of the images.

Consider Image Format and Resolution

Not just the above ones, but even the image type, format, and resolution are pivotal factors to consider when deciding to leverage any photo-sharing tool.

As a matter of fact, most online image-sharing solutions are designed to accommodate any image format and resolution while some will only support images of specific resolutions.

Hence, prior to picking any tool, make sure that it is able to support the specific image format, resolution, and color you are looking to share.

10 Best Ways to Share Photography with your Clients

As a professional photographer, you can’t afford to displease your clients. You have to try your heart and soul to fulfill the demands of your clients. One of those demands surely is getting high-grade and flawless shots from you.

Now, let’s take a look at the 10 optimal ways you can share your photography masterpieces with clients immaculately-

WeTransfer:

WeTransfer is one of the very common file-sharing systems that are available totally free but it also comes with a paid version. Even though the free version lets you execute unlimited sharing the catch is you can share only 2GB limit for sharing at once.

The paid version allows you to share large files with a quick drag and drop. Unlike the free version, you can transfer up to 20 GB (no zipping required) of photo files with the paid version.

WeTransfer will provide you with a seamless photo transferring experience for large files. You can even set whether transfers can be accessed for the week, for a month, or lifetime.

WeTransfer Star Features:

• Easy and simple Drag and Drop solution for photo file sharing
• Zipping not required(Pro Version)
• Able to track your download
• Option for access control ( Pro Version )
• Email transfers available to up to 3 people (Free Version) & 50 people (Pro Version)

Dropbox:

Dropbox is one of the most frequently used cloud-based file sharing solutions in professional work. It comes with both a free and a business version. It is regarded as the world’s first smart workspace. The free version extends 2GB of storage whereas the business version provides 2TB to 3TB storage space.

Many pro photographers pick Dropbox as an obvious choice for photo sharing. The best thing about Dropbox is its sharing options. It lets you share files via a link, which you can dispatch to an email address. Besides, you can share folders and select if the recipient can edit or view the contents.

The client can leave comments too. You can even regulate whether the client can add the files to their own Dropbox to share them with others. That’s how you can allow collaborative photo file sharing with Dropbox. You can install Dropbox software to your pc and sync the file you would like to share. Once done with that, just share your files with whoever you wish.

Dropbox Star Features:

• 2TB to 3TB storage space in the pro version
• Simple and easy to Use
• Smooth sharing options after installation

Google Drive:

Well, I don’t want to introduce you to Google Drive here as you must already be familiar with this cloud-based file sharing solution. All I can do is put forward Google Drive’s specifications before you. Google drive is safe for both personal and business use as it’s protected by Google itself.

Google Drive extends a bunch of critical security features. These are designed specifically to secure and manage your data. It is deemed the best way to send photos to clients among all the free ones you will find in the market. You will find a variety of options for file sharing in Google drive.

You can share both individual files and entire folders with your clients. The key facet of the solution is when sharing with clients, you can allocate different rights like only viewing the files or editing them. It is not only fitting for photo-sharing options but also for many applications

Google Drive Star Features:

• Available everywhere with an Internet connection
• User-friendly, secure, and reliable
• Provides 15 GB storage in a free version but no storage limit in pro version

Smash:

Smash is another majestic photo-sharing site to share photography with your clients. Its free version doesn’t set any transfer limit size, so you can deliver even your largest files to your clients with one transfer. Smash files have an expiry of 14 days after you send the images.

To leverage Smash, you need to drag and drop your images onto the Smash logo. Once your files are uploaded, you can select the length of availability for your files and whether you want to protect them with a password.

The files are automatically erased after 14 days. However, if you upgrade to a premium account, they’ll be kept for a year. You can deliver your photo files to your client by a shareable link and join an email with other relevant media formats.

Smash Star Features:

• Advantage of sending photo files with no size limit
• Files remain intact up to 14 days
• Password protection & file previews available

Pixieset:

Pixieset is a fine option for any photographer wishing to make a professional presentation of their photo delivery. With Pixieset, you can upload images and create client-specific galleries that look marvelous on both desktop and mobile devices.

With these eye-catching galleries, your clients can create, download, or share images from the gallery. Since everything is in one place, it’s a walk in the park to stay on top of individual projects on Pixieset.

Not only that, it has social sharing built-in with a modern workflow for sharing photos with clients online. Clients can download their photos straight away from a photo gallery. It offers quick and secure photo sharing, full control of sizes, and a good-quality tracking system.

Pixieset Star Features:

• Superfast to set up
• Swift uploading system and download speed available
• Foolproof security options

ShootProof:

ShootProof is another breathtaking photo sharing software available for pro photographers. With this solution, you can create image galleries, share the photos and even sell to customers.  It allows clients to download images and through social media, they can share them for more brand exposure.

On top of that, it lets you upload images either in high or low resolution but within 50 megabytes. Many shutterbugs consider this tool the best image file-sharing option. In addition, it has a photography firm that contains many precious tools as well.

If you’re concerned about clients downloading images without your permission, ShootProof will let you automatically add a watermark over all the gallery photos. This is how you can copyright your photos and also find a great way to share photos with clients in a professional manner.

• Allows only 100 Images per month(Free Version)
• Simple Proofing system
• PIN protection and resizing options available

Hightail:

Hightail is leveraged by photographers as well as photo touch-up companies as it allows you to send large files to your clients. Like most of the file sharing solutions, it offers a free plan that lets you send a certain amount of data (Files up to 100MB).

It gives you a notification instantly when you receive files from clients and lets clients preview the photos by commenting. This is a marvelous feature for collaborating or for getting feedback from clients on changes they might want. Hightail allows you to send your photos with ease by dragging and dropping your images or selecting them from your computer.

On top of that, you will have the liberty to control your content. The pro version will let you share files worth 25GB. There are also “Team” and “Business” options which have greater storage capacity and more features.

Hightail Star Feaures:

• Track and control your files
• Delivers large files
• Visual previews available for clients
• Supports a number of image formats, including MOV, PNG, PPT, and MP3

Terashare:

Terashare is a BitTorrent technology-based photo-sharing solution. It has some differences and is not like other applications presented in this write-up. The file transfer protocol of Terashare can benefit you in a number of ways.

For example, file corruption protection, secure download, automatic resume, and many more. It works fantastically well when you need to share PSD files with different recipients. However, to deploy it for larger folders and files, you must install the application.

• Lets you share larger files
• Offers file corruption protection and automatic resume
• Smooth and secure download

Prodibi:

Prodibi is a Swiss-based app that will allow you to easily share images with clients. This app allows users to dispatch, embed and display top-grade photos. Additionally, its transfer speed is quite mesmerizing. Professional photographers thus fancy using it more than many other photo-sharing applications.

This plug-in can even let the clients give feedback on photography, and it keeps all the feedback records in high resolution. Everything is done in an image gallery that is optimized for both mobile and the web. It supervises all the vital factors, including formatting, color management, pixel density, compression, and responsiveness.

You can also update your website or WordPress site directly at full resolution, with its zoom feature. You can also build a one-page portfolio with Prodibi. Take advantage of this tool to showcase your work in high quality and full zoom, with no delay.

Prodibi Star Features:

• Transfers files at a high speed
• Let the clients post comments and feedback
• You can update WordPress or any other website
• Takes care of all the necessary considerations

Lightroom:

Lightroom is a popular app by Adobe that many of us already have installed on our PC or smartphone. Usually, most people leverage it for editing their photos like a pro, but it’s not the only option available here. Yeah, with Lightroom, you can share pictures with your clients.

Lightroom lets you finish editing the photos and deliver them to your clients for proofing. You will not need to leverage any other tool or even open another tab on your browser for sharing your images, and it’s highly convenient.

The other handy options will assist you to get your work done easier. Showcase a handful of images to your clients by picking them from the grid view. After selecting the files, choose to email photos and dispatch to your clients premium images.

Lightroom Star Features:

• Sends image files quickly and securely
• Extends several editing functions
• Lets you display the clients your works

It’s Your Turn…

We have presented the best ways and platforms to share your photography masterpieces with your clients. If you send your photography portfolio or finished work to your clients in the above-mentioned ways, it will be faster, easier, and more secure as well.

Needless to say, each of the platforms has some added perks over others. It’s up to you to choose the one that suits your needs. You can even choose multiple ones at different times based on the complexity of your photo files.