Sneak Peek Photos | What You Need To Know
Sneak Peek Photos | What You Need To Know
Wedding photography is so much more than showing up on a Saturday, snapping a few photos, and sending them out the next day. Rather, it’s a full-time job that takes years of practice and hours of editing to produce your beautiful gallery. Hundreds of images undergo an intense, elimination process before they even reach the editing phase. So just know that before those images ever grace your eyeballs, a labor of love has occurred. I learned the hard way that overextending myself to keep up with day-of sneak peeks was at the expense of my mental health. Shooting a wedding is exhausting enough without the pressure of delivering same-day photos. Contrary to popular belief, photography is a creative process that requires much more than a click of a button and a pretty preset!
HERE’S A GLANCE AT MY POST-WEDDING WORKFLOW AND WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT!
The 48-Hour Rule For Sneak Peek Photos
Though weekends for photographers may look a little different (i.e. most of our work happens on Friday/Saturday) a day of recovery is crucial! Just like you; we have families, hobbies, and a life outside of work. Finding that balance is key to creating a sustainable business and avoiding burnout (which I, unfortunately, I am all too familiar with.) Instead of working all day Sunday trying to rush sneak peeks, I incorporated the 48-hour rule. Sneak peek photos are delivered on the Monday following a wedding. This policy is communicated on our very first discovery call and each subsequent meeting after that to ensure clear expectations. Through this one simple change, I now have 10x more energy to produce beautiful wedding day teasers, and (shocker) my clients love the photos just as much!
My Post-Wedding Workflow
SUNDAY
– Sleep in and start the morning slowly.
– Back up all of the images while I make coffee.
– Double back up all the images to 2nd external hard drive & Back Blaze.
– Cull around 100-300 images making sure to pull any key family photos. (I use Photo Mechanic to cull images and it is a total game-changer.)
– Upload the images into Lightroom Catalog.
– Enjoy the rest of the day with my husband, friends, and family.
MONDAY
– Edit (roughly) 100 – 200 images & upload them into the client’s online gallery.
– Post to social media accounts while the photos are being uploaded.
– Deliver the sneak peek gallery to the clients’ email!
Why I Deliver So Many Sneak Peek Photos
Sometimes I get asked why I deliver so many sneak peeks. For me, it’s simple:
1. I don’t believe in withholding images from someone who paid for my services.
2. Exposure! The more images I deliver, the more likely the clients are to share and tag me on socials.
3. It holds the clients (and parents) over longer while I finish editing the rest of the gallery. And lessens the likelihood of a “when will our photos be done?” email. Prioritizing family photos is KEY!
4. It makes editing and blogging easier down the road. With hundreds of photos already edited, I have less to do later and plenty in the queue for a new blog post.
To Sum It All Up
Burnout is no joke it’s my goal to do everything in my power to avoid it. I love what I do, and I love making my clients happy but a sense of work-life balance is crucial to achieving this! With the 48-hour rule (sending sneak peeks on the Monday after a wedding) I am able to have a much-needed rest day to recharge and deliver my best work. By setting this expectation from the beginning and delivering more images than the average photographer, my clients are happy to wait an extra day and are more patient to receive their finished gallery.
Rest = More Energy = Better Work = Happier Clients
