When a launch involves unreleased products, agree an authorised-subjects list before the event. It names what may be photographed, from which distance, and which details stay out of frame. The crew then works to that list, the delivery is held for review and nothing circulates until your product team clears it.
Few launches are fully public in advance. Names, features and shapes are often kept private until the moment of the reveal, and an early picture can undo months of planning. That risk sits partly with the photographer, who sees everything.
This guide is part of our overview of launch and press-event photography. For previews with a trade audience, see trade-only previews before a public launch.
Where leaks come from
Leaks rarely come from the main stage. They come from small things in the frame: a prototype on a side table, a model name on a crate, a slide waiting on a laptop or a colour option under a cloth.
A photograph that is carefully framed can still hold a detail in the background. The solution is not nervous shooting. It is a clear list of what is cleared and what is not.
Build an authorised-subjects list
An authorised-subjects list has three columns.
| Category | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Cleared | May be photographed at any distance | The product at the reveal moment |
| Restricted | May be photographed only from a stated distance or angle | The device screen |
| Not cleared | Must not appear in any frame | Prototype variants, packaging, documents |
Your product team fills it in. We do not decide what is secret. We follow the list and ask when something is unclear.
Share only what is necessary
You do not need to explain why something is confidential. You only need to say where it is and what it looks like. Our guide to sharing confidential event briefs before a photography booking explains how to handle sensitive material before you book.
If you prefer, share the list on the day with a short briefing. We keep the list private within the crew and do not forward it.
Rehearsals and set-up
Rehearsals and set-up are the most exposed periods. Unreleased items are being moved, tested and sometimes unwrapped. Decide whether the photographer attends these and what may be photographed.
Our guide to allowing setup and lighting checks before booked moments explains why a short window helps. If the crew is not invited, we can still work from arrival on the day.
Controlling screens and background
A screen showing future dates or specifications is a common risk. So is a stage backdrop with a model name. Ask your production team to confirm what appears on screens during the programme.
Our guide to photography around projected slides and confidential screens lists practical measures. Where a screen cannot be avoided, we frame so it is not readable, or we mark the image for review.
Holding delivery for review
For an unreleased product, the safest route is to deliver to one named person first. That person checks each image against the list, then releases a selection.
Decide how quickly review must happen. Our photography brief handover tracker helps record who holds which files. We do not circulate images beyond the approver without instruction.
Images you do not use
Rejected images may still show confidential content. Agree what happens to them. Our guide to keeping records of agreed image-use restrictions explains how to note the arrangement.
Your quotation should state the retention approach we can follow. If your policy requires a specific process, tell us before booking so we can confirm what is possible.
A hypothetical example
Imagine a company unveiling a new household appliance. The reveal model is cleared, but a second colour option and the packaging are not. The product team marks both as not cleared, and the stage manager covers the colour option until the final slide.
We would photograph the reveal and the demonstration, avoid the covered item and send all images to the product lead before anything else is shared. This illustrates how a list protects the launch.
What we confirm
We confirm date, venue, crew, deliverables and quotation in writing, along with the authorised-subjects list we have been given and the review route. If a venue induction or badge is required, tell us early so we can attend.
Checklist
- List products, versions and details cleared for photography.
- List what must not appear: prototypes, labels, screens, documents.
- Decide whether rehearsals may be photographed.
- Name the person who clears images for release.
- Agree how rejected images are handled.
- Share any access, badge or induction rules.
Send us the products on show, the details that are not yet public and who clears images for release, and we will propose a careful approach and confirm it in writing.
Plan photography for our confidential launchCommon questions
How do we tell you what is confidential without sharing too much?
Share only what the photographer needs to avoid it: which object, screen or area. You do not need to explain why. Our guide to sharing confidential briefs covers how to do it, and we can discuss handling before you send anything.
Can the product be photographed during rehearsal?
Only if your team agrees. Rehearsals often show unreleased items in an unfinished state. Decide whether the crew photographs the rehearsal, and what happens to those files afterwards.
What happens to images we reject?
Agree this in the quotation. Options include deletion on a stated schedule or secure retention until a date. Tell us what your policy requires, and we confirm what we can do.
Can guests photograph the product with their phones?
That is for the organiser to decide and communicate. Our crew does not police guests. If a rule exists, such as no phones near the reveal, tell us so that we work consistently with it.
Plan photography for our confidential launch
Send us the products on show, the details that are not yet public and who clears images for release, and we will propose a careful approach and confirm it in writing.
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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