Launch photographs requested before the public announcement

It is common for a launch team to ask for a few photographs before the public announcement. A press note needs a hero image, a social post is scheduled, or a senior executive wants to see the first results. The request is reasonable, but it carries more risk than a normal gallery, because the images are not yet public.

This page sets out what to decide before any early selection leaves the photographer. It builds on our guide to launch events involving unreleased products.

What does "before the announcement" actually mean?

It means the images exist while the information in them is still confidential. A photograph of a product on stage reveals the product. A photograph of a signing reveals the partnership. If the release time has not arrived, the image is as sensitive as the news.

So the first question is not how fast the images can be sent. It is who should hold them, and under which conditions.

Four things to write down

Item	What to settle
Images	Which moments or which specific images are wanted early
Recipients	Who receives them, by name, and who may pass them on
Conditions	The release time, permitted uses and any limits on sharing
Approval	Who approves the early release and how they confirm

A short note covering these four points is enough. Our image-use and approval register gives a layout for recording them.

Choosing the early set

Not every launch image needs to leave the event early. A small set usually covers the announcement: the main reveal, the spokesperson, and perhaps a product detail. Decide which moments those are in advance, so the photographer knows what to look for.

The remainder follows the normal delivery plan. Our guide to routine selections and agreed revisions explains how a normal delivery is handled, and our rolling photo production planner helps if images must be sent during the event.

Embargoes and release terms

An embargo says that material may not be published before a stated time. If you plan to send early images to media, the embargo time should be written on the message and in the file details your team controls. Our guide to embargoes and photographs restricted from publication explains the idea.

Release terms are agreed between you and the other party, such as a partner or a media outlet. We do not decide them for you. We record what you tell us and follow it.

A hypothetical example

Imagine a company that announces a partnership at 11am, and its communications lead needs one signing photograph by 10.45am for the press note, held until 11am. The team agrees that the photographer will send three signing images to the communications lead only. The lead picks one, labels it with the 11am release time, and sends it to media with an embargo.

The remainder of the gallery is delivered later under the normal plan. Nobody outside the team sees any image before 11am.

Early images and the full record

An early selection is a convenience, not the full coverage. The photographer may choose from a small number of frames while the event is still running, and the later edit is more careful. Tell your team this, so the early image is not mistaken for the final selection.

If press will use the early image, check the guide on what separates press and social needs, since the two often need different images.

Questions to settle before the day

• If the release time moves, who tells the photographer and the recipients?
• Is the early set chosen by your team, or by the photographer from a shortlist?
• Do any images need names or product details checked before they leave the event?
• Who confirms that an early image has been received and not forwarded further?

Writing the answers down takes a few minutes. It also makes the later gallery review easier, because everyone can see what was released and when.

What to send us

Send the release time, the requested images or moments, the names of recipients and the person who approves. We read the brief, ask what is missing and confirm the arrangement in writing before the date.