We live in a digital age, and for the most part, everything is online. Wedding photos are no exception, and a lot of photographers deliver online galleries to their clients.
The big question for a lot of couples is:
What do you do once you receive your wedding photos?
So many couples get their galleries, and slap their images all over social media in an excited frenzy so their friends and family can see and enjoy them. Buttt…. then what?
These are some things you’ll want to do as soon as you get your gallery – for your own piece of mind.
Download the images. And then back them up.
It’s not uncommon to get your gallery, download a few of your faves, post them online, and then – do nothing for an entire year. One of the best things you can do instead is:
- download the entire gallery of full resolution images,
- copy that download from your computer onto an external hard drive as well,
- and then copy that same folder again to a cloud storage system like google drive or google photos.
Seem excessive? Trust me, it’s not. Your photographer should keep a backup of the raw files and your gallery can usually be online and available for a full year. BUT having the images in multiple places of your own will give you SO much peace of mind, and also save you from wasting time searching for your gallery link 10 months after your wedding when you’re looking for that one photo.
Order prints and albums.
Now that you’ve backed up your images?
PRINT YOUR SHIZ. It’s that old adage, don’t do tomorrow what you can do today.
Most photographers who use online gallery hosting platforms have an online store built right in, so you can easily shop and create your own album. I use a gallery called Pic-Time, and it’s incredibly easy to use.
If your photographer doesn’t have an online shop, you can always tell them you’d like a custom order. Get your order in as fast as possible, because if you don’t do it as soon as you get your gallery, it likely won’t happen for a year or two. It’s way easier to communicate with your photographer soon after the wedding when everything is fresh in their mind.
You can get your order placed in a matter of minutes (maybe an hour if you’re putting together an album), and then all you have to do is wait for it to arrive on your doorstep. Plus, the sooner you print, the sooner you’ll be able to actually see and enjoy your photos on the daily. 😉
If you want to order on your own, one of my fave companies is Artifact Uprising. The quality is amazing and their products are environmentally friendly.
Share your wedding photos with family and friends.
If you had a wedding with a lot of guests, or – on the flip side – you had an elopement with very few or NO guests, it’s great to be able to share moments from your day with everyone.
If your photographer uses an online gallery system, you can usually share the gallery directly on social, or you can use a unique url to send directly to people. As an added bonus, if there’s an online shop option in your gallery, when you share with family, they can shop for their own prints.
Why does it matter if your family can shop for their own wedding photos from your gallery?
Because instead of your mom bugging you to order 10 copies of the large family portrait that she favourited, she can – wait for it – ORDER IT HERSELF! (legen – DARY!! no?! just me??? cool cool cool….)
If you aren’t able to share the gallery directly, you can share your cloud folder (remember, cause you’ve already backed up your photos 3 times!).
I hope this helps to clear up any confusion about best practices once you receive your gallery! If ever you’re unsure, contact your photographer. Still looking for a photographer for your wedding or elopement?
If you love nachos, adventure, and fun times, then contact me and let’s start planning!
The amazing elopement vendors:
Hair + Makeup: Jacquie K.
Dress: Reclamation Design from Revive Yo Soul
Florals: Blossom Bar
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