How long do photographers keep photos? Why your delivery link shouldn't be the answer

A client books you for a family shoot, and four years later she emails. Her laptop died, the photos went with it, and she wants to know if you still have them.

Maybe you do. Maybe they're on a drive in a drawer. Either way, the answer shouldn't depend on whether a delivery link from 2022 still works.

How long do photographers keep photos?

There's no single answer. Some photographers keep finished galleries for a year, some for five, some indefinitely, and some delete raw files once the edit is delivered. It depends on the photographer, their storage and what their contract says.

If you're a client, the only reliable answer is the one in your contract, or the one you get by asking.

If you're the client, download your photos the week they arrive

Whatever your photographer's policy, the safest copy of your photos is the one you keep. When the delivery link arrives, download everything that week, and keep two copies in different places, such as a laptop and a cloud backup.

Don't treat the delivery link as storage. It may expire, the photographer may change platforms, and a link you bookmarked is not a backup.

If you're the photographer: separate delivery from archive

Most confusion comes from using one thing for two jobs. The delivery link is how the client gets the files. The archive is how you keep them. They need different rules.

A delivery link should expire on a date you choose. Your archive shouldn't live on the delivery link at all.

Put the expiry in writing

If your contract gives a delivery window, set the link to match.

How TinyX handles the delivery side

On every TinyX plan, including Free, a link can expire on a date, after a number of downloads, or both. Galleries and folder links take a password, an expiry and a cap on how many times the page is opened.

When a link expires, the files are deleted and the link shows a dead page with no redirect. That's deliberate. It's why TinyX is a delivery tool and not your archive, so keep your masters somewhere else.

If you want to know whether a client has opened their gallery before it expires, the link's analytics show it, with country and device.

A webhook on the link can also alert you when the page is opened, and every plan includes at least one.

There's more on choosing a delivery method in the best way to send photos to clients, and on the risk of links that never die in share links that never expire.

TinyX isn't an archive.

Frequently asked questions

How long do wedding photographers keep photos?

It varies by photographer. Check your contract or ask, and download your gallery as soon as you receive it.

Do photographers have to keep my photos?

That depends on your contract. We can't tell you what applies to you, so ask your photographer.

What happens when a TinyX delivery link expires?

The files are deleted and the link shows a dead page. The photographer's own archive is separate.

Can I get my photos again after the link expires?

Only if your photographer kept a copy and agrees to send it again.

If you deliver galleries, try setting your next delivery link to the date in your contract, on the free plan.