Client Selections and Favorites
Quick Reference
Client selections let your clients mark their favorite photos by clicking a heart icon. This helps you understand which images resonate most and creates a personalized selection list for each client!
How Client Selections Work:
- Client browses gallery
- Clicks heart icon on favorite photos
- Selections are saved automatically
- You can view their selections from the job page
- Use selections for albums, prints, or thank-you cards
What Clients Can Do:
- Favorite unlimited photos (or set a limit)
- View all their selections in one list
- Download just their favorites
- Unfavorite to change their mind
- Share favorites with family for input
How You Use Selections:
- See which photos clients love most
- Build wedding albums with their favorite 50 shots
- Create canvas prints of top selections
- Understand what style resonates for future shoots
- Offer upsells based on their preferences
Setting Up Selection Limits:
- Unlimited (default) - Client can favorite as many as they want
- Custom limit (e.g., "Select your top 50 for the album")
- Minimum requirement ("Must select at least 20")
Next Steps: Learn about gallery settings to control selection limits and download options, or explore sharing galleries to deliver selections to clients.
Detailed Guide
What Are Client Selections?
When clients view their gallery, they can mark photos as favorites by clicking the heart icon. These favorited photos become their "selections" - a personalized list of images they love most.
Why selections matter:
You learn what they love - Which photos make them say "wow"? Selections tell you!
Album creation - "Select your favorite 50 photos for your wedding album" gives you exactly what to include.
Client involvement - Clients feel part of the process and get exactly what they want.
Upsell opportunities - "I see you loved these 10 family portraits - want a canvas gallery wall?"
Style insights - Track which types of photos get selected most. Candids? Posed? Details? This informs your shooting and editing style!
Gift selection - Parents choosing photos for thank-you cards or grandparents picking prints can favorite their choices.
How Selections Work for Clients
From the client's perspective, selections are simple:
Browsing the Gallery
Client opens the gallery link you sent. They see all photos in a beautiful grid layout.
Marking Favorites
When they see a photo they love:
- Hover over the photo (desktop) or tap it (mobile)
- Click/tap the heart icon
- Heart fills in, photo is added to favorites
- Counter updates: "12 favorites"
It's that easy! No complicated process, just one click.
Viewing All Selections
At any time, client can:
- Click "View Favorites" or "My Selections"
- See all their favorited photos in one view
- Download just their favorites
- Unfavorite photos to change their mind
Changing Their Mind
Made a mistake? Favorited too many? Client can:
- Click the heart again to unfavorite
- Selections update immediately
- No limit on changes (unless you set a selection limit)
How Selections Work for You
As the photographer, you have full visibility into client selections:
View Client Selections
From the job page:
- Go to Files & Gallery tab
- Look for "Client Selections" section
- See all photos the client favorited
- View as a grid or list
You see:
- Which photos were selected
- How many total selections
- When selections were made
- Which photos were selected most (if multiple clients/family members)
Download Selected Photos
Need to pull just the client's favorites?
- Go to client selections view
- Click "Download Selections"
- Get a ZIP file of just their favorited photos
Why this is useful:
- Send favorites to print lab for album or canvas
- Share with album designer
- Create a "Favorites" subfolder in your archives
- Easier than manually finding 50 photos out of 400!
Use Selections for Products
Common workflows:
Wedding albums: "Select your favorite 50 photos for your album" → Client favorites 50 → You download selections and design album with those images.
Canvas prints: "Which family portrait do you want on canvas?" → Client favorites 1-2 → You send those to canvas printer.
Thank-you cards: "Pick your favorite photo for thank-you cards" → Client favorites 1 → You order cards with that image.
Parent albums: "Have your parents select their 20 favorites" → Parents browse and favorite → You create parent albums with their choices.
Setting Selection Limits
You can control how many photos clients can select:
Unlimited Selections (Default)
No limit - client can favorite as many photos as they want.
Best for:
- General browsing and sharing
- When you're delivering all digital files anyway
- Clients who just want to mark favorites for personal use
Custom Selection Limit
Set a maximum: "Select up to 50 photos for your album"
How it works:
- Client favorites photos
- Counter shows "12 of 50 selected"
- At 50 selections, they must unfavorite before adding more
Best for:
- Album-focused packages where you need a specific count
- Print packages with limited selections
- Helping clients narrow down choices (decision paralysis prevention!)
Minimum Selection Requirement
Require clients to select a minimum: "Please select at least 20 favorites"
How it works:
- Client must favorite at least 20 photos
- Cannot submit selections until minimum is met
- Counter shows "12 selected (minimum 20 required)"
Best for:
- Album packages where you need enough content
- Print bundles that include X prints
- Ensuring client engagement with the gallery
Range Requirements
Combine minimum and maximum: "Select 40-60 photos for your album"
How it works:
- Client must select at least 40
- Cannot select more than 60
- Counter shows "45 selected (40-60 required)"
Best for:
- Album designs with specific page count requirements
- Packages with defined scope
- Preventing too few or too many selections
Configuring Selection Settings
To set selection limits:
- Open the job
- Go to Files & Gallery tab
- Go to gallery settings
- Find "Client Selections" section
- Choose limit type:
- Unlimited
- Maximum of X photos
- Minimum of X photos
- Between X and Y photos
- Save settings
Limits take effect immediately for client view!
Always tell clients the selection requirement in your instructions: "Browse your gallery and select your favorite 50 photos for the album. Once you've made your selections, let me know and I'll start designing!"
Selection Workflows by Job Type
Different photography genres use selections differently:
Wedding Photography
Album-focused approach:
You deliver: 400 edited photos in the gallery
You ask: "Select your favorite 50-60 photos for your 30-page album"
Client: Favorites 55 photos over 2-3 days
You: Download selections, design album with those images
Why this works: Client gets exactly the album they want with photos that matter most to them!
Print package approach:
You deliver: 400 photos
Package includes: 20 prints of their choice
You ask: "Select 20 favorites for your print collection"
Client: Favorites 20
You: Send those 20 to print lab
Portrait Photography
Simple approach:
You deliver: 30 edited photos
You ask: "Feel free to favorite your top picks! Great for sharing with family."
Client: Favorites 8-10 they love most
You: Note which style/poses they prefer for future sessions
Upsell approach:
You deliver: 30 photos, package includes 10 digital files
You ask: "Select your 10 favorites to download. Additional photos available for $25 each."
Client: Favorites 10 (or more if buying extras)
You: Deliver selected 10, invoice for extras if applicable
Event Photography
Client use approach:
You deliver: 200 event photos
You ask: "Browse and favorite your top shots! Perfect for marketing materials."
Client: Favorites 15-20 they'll use for social media and website
You: Get insights into which shots resonated for future events
Family Photography
Multi-stakeholder approach:
You deliver: 40 family photos
You ask: "Have everyone in the family browse and favorite their picks! I want to see which ones the whole family loves."
Family: Mom favorites 12, Dad favorites 8, grandma favorites 6
You: See which 3-4 photos everyone favorited (those are the winners!)
Notifications for Selections
You can enable notifications when clients make selections:
Email notification when client makes selections: "Sarah Thompson selected 45 photos in her gallery"
Reminder notification if no selections: "Sarah hasn't selected photos for her album yet. Gallery was sent 5 days ago."
Completion notification: "Sarah completed her album selections (50 of 50 photos selected)"
Set up notifications in gallery settings to stay informed!
Viewing Selection Analytics
ShootPath shows you helpful selection data:
Per-photo selection count: See how many times each photo was favorited (useful when multiple family members select).
Selection timeline: See when selections were made over time.
Comparison data: If running similar sessions, compare which types of photos get selected most across clients.
Why this matters: Understanding which photos clients love helps you shoot and edit more of what sells!
Using Selections for Business Growth
Smart photographers use selections strategically:
Upsell Opportunities
"I noticed you favorited 15 family portraits! Have you considered a canvas gallery wall? I can design a beautiful 3-canvas set with your favorites for $600."
Style Insights
Track patterns:
- Clients always favorite candids over posed? Shoot more candids!
- Detail shots rarely selected? Spend less time on them!
- Certain poses consistently favorited? Use those poses more!
Testimonial Requests
"I see you favorited 60 photos - you must love them! Would you mind sharing a quick review of your experience?"
Future Marketing
"Your top 5 favorited photos became your most-liked Instagram posts! Let's prioritize that style in future sessions."
Best Practices for Client Selections
Explain the purpose clearly - Don't just say "favorite photos." Explain WHY: "Select 50 favorites for your album" or "Mark your top picks for prints."
Set realistic limits - Don't ask clients to narrow 400 photos down to 5. That's painful! 40-60 selections for an album is reasonable.
Give them time - Selection takes thought. Allow 5-7 days for clients to browse, show family, and decide.
Follow up - If selections are needed for album production, remind client after a few days: "No rush, but just wanted to check if you've had a chance to select your album favorites!"
Use selections to reduce back-and-forth - Instead of "Which photos do you want?" → "Browse the gallery and favorite your picks, then I'll design the album!"
Don't rely solely on selections - Some clients never select favorites (procrastination, indecision, life gets busy). Have a backup plan: "If I don't hear from you in 2 weeks, I'll design the album with my favorite 50 shots."
Thank them for selections - "Thanks for selecting your album favorites! I'll get started on the design this week."
Show examples - "Here's what your album will look like with your 50 selections" helps clients visualize the outcome.
Common Questions
Can clients change their selections? Yes, anytime! They can favorite and unfavorite photos until you tell them selections are locked.
What if client doesn't make selections? Follow up with gentle reminders. If they don't respond after 2 weeks, you can either: (1) design the album with your favorites, or (2) extend the deadline.
Can multiple people select from the same gallery? Yes! Share the gallery link with family members. You'll see who favorited which photos.
Do selections affect what's in the gallery? No! Selections are just markers. All photos remain in the gallery regardless of selection status.
Can I see selections before client is done? Yes, you can view selections in real-time as client makes them.
What if client selects more than the limit? If you set a maximum of 50, they can't select a 51st photo until they unfavorite one.
Can clients download just their selections? Yes! There's a "Download Selections" button in their gallery view.
Do selections expire? No, but you can lock selections after a deadline: "Please make your selections by March 15th."
Troubleshooting Selection Issues
Client says they can't favorite photos:
- Check that selections are enabled in gallery settings
- Try different browser
- Check if they hit selection limit
Selection count doesn't match:
- Client may have unfavorited some
- Multiple family members may be selecting
- Refresh the page
Client accidentally favorited wrong photos:
- They can unfavorite and reselect
- Or you can clear all selections and have them start over
Gallery has thousands of photos, selections overwhelming:
- Use collections to organize into smaller groups
- "Select 10 from Ceremony, 20 from Portraits, 15 from Reception"
- Makes decision-making easier!
What's Next?
Now that you understand client selections, explore related gallery features:
Gallery Settings - Configure download options, watermarks, and access control
Sharing Galleries - Send gallery links and deliver work to clients
Collections - Organize photos into sneak peeks and highlights
Questions? Look for the help links throughout ShootPath, or reach out to support if you need help!