Which hosting plan for a private photo gallery for clients

The short answer: a private gallery, where each client views and picks their photos, is different from a public portfolio: it has many large images and password access. For a few galleries, a shared plan will do; what usually runs out first is space, not speed.

What weighs, and what does not

Part of the site What to do
Space Each shoot can have hundreds of large photos. See what weighs in Disk Usage and work it out before promising each client an archive period.
Image versions Show reduced versions in the gallery (quick to open) and keep the originals off the site. See Image optimisation.
Private access A password per gallery or per client. For a simple folder, see Password protecting a folder; a gallery plugin or service offers more (picking favourites, downloads).
Clients’ privacy Photos of people (especially children and private events) are personal data. Do not leave private galleries open to Google and delete them when the period ends. See Personal data protection.
Delivering originals High-resolution files are heavy. A file-sharing service is usually better than your plan for this.

How to choose, step by step

1 Start with the entry plan and measure the space after the first galleries.
2 Decide how long you keep each gallery online (one month, three) and tell the client.
3 Set the dimensions of the images you show, before uploading, so the disk is not filled with originals.
4 Test a gallery on a phone and with a client’s link, in a private browser window.
5 Review the plan when space or your clients’ visits grow, or if you start selling prints: Which plan for a shop.
Do not use your public portfolio for the private galleries. What is in the portfolio can be indexed and copied; clients’ galleries must not be. Also keep a copy of the shoots off the site: Your own backup.
For the public portfolio, see Which plan for a portfolio. The private gallery is a complement, not a replacement.

Want to add a private gallery to your photography site? Tell us how many shoots you do a month.

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SEE ALSO

Disk Usage: finding what fills your account

Password protecting a folder with Directory Privacy

Personal data protection: what applies to your website

Which hosting plan for a portfolio or photography site

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