The best way to collect photos from guests
Updated by Scan & Snap
For most events, the easiest way to collect photos from guests is a QR code that opens a shared album, because guests don't need an app or account. If all your guests already use Google, a Google Photos shared album is a good free option with no 7-day limit. Hashtags and group chats are the weakest choices if you want every photo at good quality.
The options compared
| Method | Guests need | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| QR code album | A phone camera and browser | Mixed groups, printed table cards, one private album | Free plans have limits. Ours is 50 photos for 7 days. |
| Google Photos shared album | A Google account to add photos | Groups who already use Google | Guests without an account may skip it, and photos count against the storage of whoever uploads them. |
| WhatsApp group | WhatsApp, and to be in the group | Small groups who are already chatting | Photos can be compressed, get buried in messages, and are slow to save one at a time. |
| Dropbox file request | A browser, with no Dropbox account | Collecting original files privately | The files use your own Dropbox storage, and guests can't browse what others added. |
| Hashtag | A social account, and a public post | Public events that want social reach | Only catches what people choose to post publicly, and it's hard to download. |
When a QR code album is the right choice
A QR code works best when your guests are a mix of ages and phones, and you can't count on them all having the same app. They don't have to join anything, which matters when you're asking a favour of 100 people during a party. It also suits printed materials like wedding table cards, where you can't include a link people can tap.
When something else is better
If your event is small and everyone's already in one group chat, that chat may be all you need. If you're a Google household collecting family photos with no deadline, a Google Photos shared album costs nothing and has no 7-day limit, so it may suit you better than our free plan. If you're running a public campaign and want posts to be seen, use a hashtag, perhaps alongside a private album.
How to get more guests to share
Whichever you choose, the method matters less than how visible it is. Put the code or link where people wait: tables, the bar and the entrance. Ask once out loud, and send a reminder the next day, when guests are finally looking back through their photos. Our step-by-step guide covers setting up and testing a code.