Sneak peeks are admittedly a part of a lot of photographers’ workflow. When I get a new client, they often ask when and if I’ll be giving them, too – and I get it! After all the work spent preparing for your Austin family session, you are so excited to see the end result. The anticipation of waiting weeks is tough, so you’re hoping to see just a little bit of the shoot. While I absolutely understand the excitement, I do not partake in sneak peeks. Why, you ask? Here are a few reasons why I don’t give sneak peeks as part of my photography workflow.
Reason #1: Sneak Peeks Inhibit My Workflow
I have a pretty solid system when it comes to delivering a session. I import the session, cull it (which means that I select the best images to edit), edit the session, and then deliver. Did you know that just culling a session can take me an hour or more? That’s because I’m going through the many pictures that I took and not only assessing them for imperfections such as closed eyes, but also for the very best images of each set. I don’t like to give repetitive photos, which means you can expect a really well rounded gallery of unique moments. I also do head swaps and put images together, which is part of the reason why I plan my editing so intricately. What does this mean for sneak peeks? Because culling takes me awhile and I do edit so intricately, they inhibit my workflow because they are forcing me to jump around from one session to the next. I like to edit a session all in one day, if I can, and going through and giving sneak peeks and then editing those sneak peeks for each family would mean a choppier workflow and longer turnaround times. Therefore, it just doesn’t work for me.
Reason #2: We Like Different Images
Admittedly, I’m a bit of a perfectionist. I also recognize that what I am drawn to as the photographer isn’t what you might be drawn to as the client. I am in love with emotion, movement, and dynamic light, whereas you are scrutinizing the very minute details like honing in on specific appearances and smiles of your people. Therefore, it’s tricky for me when selecting sneak peek images to share because I’m truly not sure what you’ll like best. If I share five photos, what happens if out of the 50 that I give you, those five are not your favorites? Or you get really hung up on your hair, or a small detail that doesn’t make you feel your best? You might end up feeling down about your sneak peeks when I’m actually going to be delivering a really well rounded gallery that you’ll love. Just as with point #1, it goes back to the time it takes me to edit and how I’m not really able to do that with sneak peeks to the level of editing that I give.
Reason #3: I Don’t Want the Pressure
I am a business owner and I take my business very seriously, but I’m also a mom of three. My oldest is off to college soon and my middle has special needs. One of the reasons I love my job is because it works for our family and for my crazy life, and sneak peeks take away the freedom of that. With the pressure to deliver them in such a quick turnaround time, it would honestly cause me a lot of unnecessary headache and stress to add more to my to-do list. Not to mention, it would make it so that I’d have to get your images to you in a slower timeframe – nobody wants that!
Are There Exceptions?
Yes. I give sneak peeks for wedding clients only. With such a monumental life event and a larger turnaround time, I get those done within 48 hours. Since I only take on a handful of intimate weddings per year, this is manageable for me.
What do you think, clients? Are sneak peeks important to you?
