Using completed-work photos in a portfolio: agree what can be shared

Before showing customer work in a portfolio, agree which photos and platforms are allowed, protect private details, respect withdrawal requests and label examples honestly.

Good work is not permission to publish photographs

A craftsperson may want to show a finished chair, a bouquet, a decorated room or stages of a repair to prospective customers. But accepting the completed job and giving permission to publish its images are separate decisions. A photograph can expose a person's face, home address, documents, family belongings, somebody else's design or a private interior. Before taking photographs for marketing or a portfolio, tell the customer why they are needed and where you propose to use them. If the customer declines publication, their service and the quality of their order should not be affected. Do not assume that payment for a project makes every resulting photograph available for unrestricted reuse.

Offer close-ups that reveal less private information

A clear close-up of the finished object may be sufficient without showing people, house numbers, conversations, bank details or distinctive personal possessions. Check mirrors and windows for reflections, labels on packaging, framed photographs on walls and bystanders who appear in the background. An apparently ordinary object may incorporate artwork, lettering or a design belonging to someone else. Discuss the particular photographs you intend to publish instead of asking for blanket permission to use everything saved on your phone. It can also help to keep raw images with private context apart from a selected public portfolio, with access limited to people who really need it.

Describe the scope of permission in plain language

Use a message or document to identify the approved pictures, where they may appear, what descriptions may accompany them and whether edits are permitted. Ask separately before including a customer's name, the location of the job or a testimonial. Never write your own sales caption as though the customer said it. Approval for a personal portfolio does not automatically mean you may pass an image to another organisation or use it in paid advertisements. Rights in photographs, underlying creative works and images of identifiable people can differ by jurisdiction. When in doubt, check applicable rules and obtain professional advice rather than inventing a universal legal permission.

Make it possible to request removal or corrections

Provide a straightforward way for the customer to ask for a photograph to be removed or for an inaccurate caption to be corrected. Do not promise the impossible: removing your own upload cannot erase copies already saved, forwarded or published by others. You can, however, control your own pages, stop further uses and explain honestly which requested changes are still being processed. Keep a private record of which picture was approved and when the decision changed; do not turn that record into a publicly searchable customer profile. If permission is disputed, hold publication until everyone concerned has agreed on what is acceptable.

Make a useful portfolio without invented reviews

Prospective customers benefit from seeing the original task, materials, constraints, main steps and final result. You may describe the type of work without identifying the client, provided the account remains accurate. Label a training piece, a prototype or a demonstration as such instead of pretending it was a paid commission. Do not invent ratings, testimonials, partner names or demand statistics. If the real project's photographs cannot be shared, create your own sample and explain that it is a demonstration. Images of completed paid work, practice pieces and customer endorsements are different kinds of evidence and should not be combined into one fictional success story.

Present your work carefully on Match2Go

Match2Go is a geosocial service for direct communication between people. A customer and a provider can discuss a local job or agree on a remote format where appropriate. Describe your skills, materials and working conditions without revealing previous customers' personal information. Before sending photographs even in a private conversation, check that you have the right to share them. The service does not guarantee orders, and it does not turn third-party comments into verified testimonials. Match2Go grows through personal recommendations rather than paid advertising: people can share useful contacts and opportunities with friends and colleagues. The provider remains responsible for truthful claims and the use of shared material.

Prepared with AI assistance; independent human editorial review has not been confirmed.