Gallery expiry and the photographer's archive

Three separate things often get mixed up: the gallery link, the photographer's archive and your own copies. They have different owners, different lifespans and different rules. Knowing which is which protects the photographs you care about.

What is gallery access?

Gallery access is a way to view and download your photographs, through a link or a login. It is usually available for a stated period. When the period ends, the link may stop working.

The length of access is not the same for every event. It is stated in your agreement. We do not assume a standard period on this page, because the quotation is where it is written. If the period matters to you, ask for it to be stated clearly.

What is the photographer's archive?

The archive is whatever the provider actually keeps after the job is delivered. That may include delivered files, camera files or neither, and for a stated time or none. The practice differs between providers, and it is a matter of the agreement and of the provider's own systems.

Do not assume that an archive exists, and do not assume it does not. Ask what is kept and for how long. A retained archive is a courtesy of the provider and not a promise of permanent storage unless the agreement says so. Our page on removal, withdrawal and deletion requests explains how to settle what happens to your images in advance.

What are your own copies?

Your copies are the files you download and save yourself. They are the one record fully in your hands. They do not expire with a link, and they do not depend on a provider's systems.

Good copies are originals, saved in at least two places, with clear names. The photo archive planner helps you design this. For a family or an organisation, name one person who is responsible for the master copy.

How do the three compare?

Item	Who controls it	How long it lasts	What to do
Gallery access	The provider	A stated period	Download before it ends
Provider archive	The provider	As agreed, if at all	Ask in writing
Your own copies	You	As long as you keep them	Save two copies

What should you ask before booking?

Four questions cover the essentials. They fit naturally into the discussion of what makes a photography booking confirmed and the written quotation.

1. How long does gallery access last?
2. Can access be extended, and how?
3. What does the provider keep after delivery, and for how long?
4. How would a later request for a photograph be handled?

Ask for the answers in writing. We confirm these points in the quotation for your event.

A worked example

For example, imagine a family receives a gallery for a naming ceremony. The access period is written in the quotation. The mother sets a reminder for two weeks before the end date.

When the reminder comes, she downloads the originals, counts the files and opens a sample. She saves the folder on a laptop and on a second drive, and sends a copy to her sister abroad. She also asks the delivery contact what the provider keeps after the link ends. The answer is recorded in her email. Years later, when the child's school asks for a photograph, she finds it at once in her own folder.

Why not simply rely on a long access period?

A long period is helpful, but it still ends, and accounts can change in the meantime. A calendar reminder and a saved copy cost little and remove the risk entirely.

What if access is about to end?

Act early. Download first, then ask questions. If the download is large or difficult, tell the delivery contact right away. Our pages on downloading and handing over a large gallery and checking download completeness before a gallery expires give practical routines.

If the person who manages the gallery is leaving a job or closing an account, plan the handover now. See moving an event photo archive when changing storage providers. For the wider path from event to archive, return to event photo delivery, editing and preservation. Check each delivery with the photo delivery acceptance checklist.