Four ways to deliver event photos to guests compared: what each is good at, where it falls short, which events suit which method, and how to trial a system on a small event first.
Published 5 min read
·2 min read
A checklist for the event photography and photo delivery system: folders, the photo team, QR code signs, and delivering photos after the event.
·2 min read
How to use a QR code gallery for event photos: create the event, place the QR code on site, and let guests browse and save photos on their phones.
·2 min read
What to look for in a photo delivery system for event photographers: file storage, guest access, finding photos, watermarks and privacy.
After an event, the questions photographers hear most are "when do we get the photos?" and "where are mine?". The delivery method you pick decides how often you hear them.
This article compares four common ways to deliver event photos, which events each one suits, and how to trial a system before using it on an important job. For a detailed list of criteria, read Choosing a photo delivery system as a photographer.
These three answers rule out most options. Sending a few dozen photos to one client and delivering to three thousand runners need different methods.
Most photographers start here, because the files are already in Drive.
Good at
Falls short
Suits delivering files to one client. Not for delivering to every guest.
Convenient where almost every guest already uses LINE.
Good at
Falls short
Suits small events where guests know each other and photos number in the hundreds at most.
Guests scan a QR code on a sign or table and open the event gallery in their browser.
Good at
Falls short
Suits events with dozens to hundreds of guests: weddings, company parties, birthdays. See Share event photos with one QR code.
Builds on method 3. Guests scan their face and see only the photos they appear in.
Good at
Falls short
Suits races, sports, graduations, large company events and weddings with more than two hundred guests. Read How Face Search works at events.
GN Collage is a method 3 and 4 gallery that reads photos straight from the photographer's Google Drive folder.
Fits
Does not fit
Do not try a new system for the first time on a client's wedding or a race with thousands of runners. Trial it on a small or mock event.
A trial tells you more about whether a system fits your work than any feature list.
There is no single best. It depends on guest and photo counts. Small events can use a Drive link or LINE. Events with hundreds of guests should use a QR code gallery, and events with thousands of photos should add Face Search.
No. A QR code gallery opens in the phone's browser with no app or account.
That depends on the provider, so always ask. In GN Collage, the scans and face data guests use to search are not kept after the search.
Photos appear in the gallery once they reach the Drive folder. With a weak signal, bring a mobile hotspot as backup, or send highlights during the event and add the rest afterwards.
GN Collage starts free with no credit card. See Pricing for package details.
