Sneak peek
A sneak peek is a small set of photos shared with a client soon after — or during — a shoot, before the full edited gallery is delivered.
Clients want to see their photos quickly, and a full edit takes days or weeks. A sneak peek bridges the gap: a handful of strong frames, lightly edited or straight from the camera, shared the same day or the next. For weddings it's often a few shots posted while the couple is still celebrating; for corporate work, a set the PR team can use straight away.
Done well, it reassures the client and gets your work shared while interest is highest.
How it works
The photographer picks a few frames, applies a quick look or uses the camera's JPEG, and shares them by gallery link, message or social post. The traditional version happens after the shoot: import, cull, edit, export. Faster versions happen during the shoot, by getting picks off the camera as they're taken. Many photographers set expectations in their contract: how many images, how soon, and that they're previews.
An example: before the first dance
A wedding photographer stars a dozen frames from the ceremony on the back of the camera during drinks. By the time the speeches start, those twelve are in the couple's gallery, and their families are sharing them from their phones.
Sneak peeks with CloudTether
On Canon and Nikon, send only rated shots makes the camera's star button the sneak-peek button: only starred frames leave the camera, within seconds. Send them as 2,048 px JPEGs (resized delivery) to a SmugMug or ShootProof gallery, or a shared folder. On any camera, every shot can go to a gallery live. Full workflow: same-day wedding sneak peeks.
Good practice
Choose variety over volume, avoid frames that need heavy retouching, and make sure the client knows the full gallery will look more polished.
Tips and common mistakes
- Get white balance right in camera if JPEGs will be shared unedited.
- Agree with the client where sneak peeks will be posted.
- Use smaller files for speed; deliver full resolution in the final gallery.
See also
Put it into practice
CloudTether tethers your camera to your phone and delivers every shot to the cloud, live as you shoot — no laptop.