Like most wedding photographers, I put wedding galleries on my website.

Not just a handful of carefully chosen hero shots, but full galleries. Every image the couple received. I do this because if you’re choosing a wedding photographer, you should be able to see what a full wedding day actually looks like, not just the highlights taken in perfect conditions.

Full galleries show consistency. They show how a wedding photographer handles different rooms, changing weather, difficult light, tight timelines, and people who aren’t used to being photographed. They include the quieter moments as well as the chaotic ones, the awkward family group shots, the low-light dancing, and everything in between. For me, they’re the most honest way for couples to judge whether my work feels right for them.

That said, there’s a clear line, and it’s an important one.

If a couple asks me not to share their photos, I don’t. There’s no public gallery, no blog post, no Instagram content, and no attempt to sneak a single image out later. Their gallery stays password protected and private, exactly as it should be.

I don’t see wedding photographs as marketing assets first. They aren’t content created for exposure or promotion. They’re personal records of a day that belongs to the people in the pictures, not to me and not to the internet.

Some moments are emotional, some are private, and some are simply not meant to be shared publicly. Couples don’t owe anyone visibility into that, and they don’t need to justify their decision either.

When couples do choose to let me share their photos, I’m genuinely grateful. It helps future couples understand my work properly. But it’s always a choice, never an expectation.

Your wedding photos should be governed by your comfort level, your boundaries, and your preferences. That principle matters more to me than any extra blog post ever could.