Before any file leaves your organisation, define three things: the approved selection, the tasks each partner may do with it, and the date their access and copies end. Share only what the task needs, through a controlled method, and ask each partner to confirm in writing who else will handle the files and what happens to them at the end.
Event images rarely stay with one team. A communications agency drafts the recap, a designer builds the layout, a printer produces the brochure and a web contractor uploads the pictures. Every extra hand multiplies copies. This guide helps you plan the handover so that each partner receives what they need, knows what they may do, and has a clear end point. For handing files to a single designer, see creating a usable image handover for a designer.
What is the approved selection?
Start by defining exactly which files may leave. List them by file name and keep that list with your records. Our guide on tracking image approvals without losing the original delivery shows how to link selections to approvals.
If a partner asks for "everything", ask what task requires it. Often the answer is a smaller, safer set.
Which tasks is each partner allowed to do?
Write the permitted tasks per partner. The permission should be as specific as the job.
| Partner | Permitted task | Not permitted unless agreed |
|---|---|---|
| Communications agency | Select from the approved set and draft the recap | Passing files to others; use for other clients |
| Designer | Lay out the brochure | Use in the designer's portfolio |
| Printer | Print the agreed run | Keeping files after the job |
| Web contractor | Upload approved images to the site | Use on other sites or in tests |
Our guide on image-handling responsibilities across agencies and partner photographers discusses how responsibility passes between parties. For sharing with sponsors and venues, see sharing event images with sponsors, venues and other suppliers.
How should files be shared?
Choose a method that gives you control. A link with an expiry date and limited access is safer than attachments that cannot be recalled. Avoid open group chats. Our guide on choosing suitable delivery formats and access methods explains the options.
Think also about where the files are stored. If a partner uses cloud tools in another country, ask where the files are kept. Our guide on cloud galleries and cross-border photo-data handling lists questions to ask. Event images show identifiable people, so involve your data protection contact if you are unsure what applies.
How do you control subcontracting?
Ask each partner to say in writing whether they will use anyone else. Allow it only if you are comfortable, and require the names and tasks. Each handler should be bound by the same terms. If a partner will not say who touches the files, treat that as information.
When does access end?
Agree an end date at the start, not at the end. On that date, the partner deletes or returns the files, and confirms in writing. Agree separately whether they may keep a portfolio copy. Many do not need one.
Set a calendar reminder to ask for the confirmation. A promise to delete is only useful if someone follows up. Record the confirmation in your approvals log. If your partners work from an organiser's account, take care that the account does not close before the files are secured; see photo delivery when the organiser's account is about to close.
A hypothetical example
A company hires an agency to produce an annual recap. The agency will use a freelance designer and a local printer. Before sharing, the communications manager sends 30 approved files by an expiring link, with a one-page note: tasks permitted, no further sharing, the designer and printer to be named, and deletion by 30 April with written confirmation.
The agency names its designer and printer. The designer deletes the files and confirms. The printer does the same after the run. The manager notes each confirmation in the log. Nothing in the original gallery was ever sent out.
What do you keep?
Keep the list of what was shared, the written terms, the confirmations and the date they arrived. If a question comes up later, the record answers it. The photo sharing and privacy plan can help you set the structure, and the post-event image use planner can hold the log beside the approvals.
Checklist
- Define the approved selection by file name.
- List each partner, task and the date their access ends.
- Choose a controlled sharing method with expiry and access control.
- State whether subcontracting is allowed and require names.
- Put permitted tasks and restrictions in writing.
- Ask for written confirmation of deletion or return.
- Record what was shared, with whom and when.
If event images will pass to agencies or other suppliers, tell us who they are and what they need, and we will help you write the delivery and sharing arrangements into the brief so the handover is clear from the start.
Plan secure sharing for our imagesCommon questions
Should partners receive the full gallery or only a selection?
Only the selection their task needs. A larger set spreads more images of more people to more hands. If a partner needs choice, share a bigger approved set rather than the whole gallery, and record exactly which files went to whom.
Can a partner pass the files to their own subcontractors?
Only if you allow it. State in writing whether subcontracting is permitted, and require the partner to name anyone else who will handle the files. Each additional handler needs the same limits on use and the same end date.
What should happen to the files when the job ends?
The partner returns or deletes their copies by an agreed date and confirms it in writing. Agree whether they may keep a portfolio copy, which is a separate permission. Keep your own record of the confirmation.
Do we need a written agreement before sharing?
A written agreement or clear written terms is wise. It should cover permitted tasks, confidentiality, subcontracting, security, deletion and who to contact. Ask your legal or data protection contact to review the wording, since this page is a practical guide and not legal advice.
Plan secure sharing for our images
If event images will pass to agencies or other suppliers, tell us who they are and what they need, and we will help you write the delivery and sharing arrangements into the brief so the handover is clear from the start.
What happens next: You send your event details on WhatsApp. Our team reads the brief, asks what is missing, then confirms in writing whether the date, venue and coverage can be booked, with a quotation. Opening WhatsApp does not send anything, and a message is not a booking until both sides confirm.
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