Gen Xers and Millennials were the first generations to use social media.

When we shared photos of our breakfast, we weren’t thinking to the future: a day when we were parents, and our children having opinions about photos/videos of them online.

We should have realized that our kids would want to be in charge of their online presence.

When we share images of our kids, we take that decision away from them. They’re inheriting an online presence that was decided for them, long ago, by us.

Parents are increasingly recognizing this. They’re more careful about allowing their child’s likeness on the internet.

Your instinct when a client says “don’t share my photos” is probably frustration. You’re proud of your work. You should be!

But respecting our clients’ privacy doesn’t mean you cannot share your work.

The delicate balance of privacy vs. marketing for family photographers

So how do family photographers go about marketing their business—much of which is done online—while simultaneously respecting the privacy of their clients and their children?

Give your clients choices for privacy.

Your clients don’t want to sabotage your business (they hired you because they like you, after all).

Giving clients a choice lets them support you without sacrificing what’s important to them.

I offer three privacy choices for my family photography clients:

• Full: Sharing allowed, no restrictions.
• Partial: Sharing only with no recognizable faces.
• None: No sharing online in any manner without express permission.

Option 1 is open season for sharing. This grants me permission to share images through my social media and online portfolio.

Option 2 is the middle ground: I’m allowed to share photos but only if no faces are recognizable.

What does partial sharing look like? Here are some examples:

You do need to be creative about how you’re taking photographs if you know that you won’t be sharing images later.

(That’s why you ask your clients’ preference when they book, not after the session. More on that below.)

Option 3 is the most private. If my client chooses this option, I will not share their images in any manner online.

RESOURCE: My Favorite Tech Tools for Photographers

See MY LIST OF FAVES

I include the “express permission” part so that if I take the best photo of my LIFE at their session, I’ve set the expectation that I might ask for permission to share it. They can say no, but it never hurts to ask.

Ask your clients for their preferences.

This means that you should ask every client during booking about their privacy/sharing preference, and require them to respond.

It is not enough to include a model release clause that’s buried in your contract, because they’ll never see it.

It is not okay to opt them in to sharing by default and make them ask to be opted out.

Nobody reads contracts. They just don’t.

A model release clause that requires them to email you to opt out of sharing is only there to make you feel better, but be real here: you’re not really asking if you bury it in the contract and make them jump through hoops to opt out.

Lay out the options and ask them which they prefer when they’re booking their session. Nobody is going to get mad. In fact, they’re more likely to feel all warm and fuzzy toward you for taking the time to actually ask them what they want, and considering their feelings.

Delighting your clients = big win.

(Psst… Don’t reinvent the wheel! Swipe the exact words I use in my proposal’s privacy section.)

Should I charge my clients for keeping their photos private?

Absolutely not.

Privacy is a basic human right. And human rights don’t come with a price tag. Do not do this.

Should I offer my clients something in return for letting me share their images?

In my opinion, yes.

When your clients provide something of value (permission to share their images online), it only makes sense to provide them something of value in return.

Some options to consider:

• A free photo print (8×10 or 5×7, for example)
• A small (perhaps 5%) discount on their session fee
• Extra digital images or extended session time
• A percentage off of their print order

My preferred bonus in exchange for sharing: A photo print

It costs me a few bucks, but the cost doesn’t bother me. I’m getting something of value from them: the ability to use their images to market my business.

My clients deserve something of value in return for this value.

How to start offering your family photography clients privacy options

Start today, with every session you book from this day forward. Pop into your proposal template for families and add a section, either to your contract or in a separate section for policies.

Describe the options for privacy and add a required question for your client to answer.

SAVE and boom, mic drop, you’re done!

Want to swipe the exact text I use in my proposals about privacy preferences? Snag it here.

Are you making your proposals from scratch every time, customizing everything?

Then we need to talk!

I can help get you started with some amazing time-saving templates.

Schedule a free intro call with me and we’ll talk about what’s creating headaches for you and how I can help.