Most photography testimonials say the same thing: "So amazing to work with, the photos are beautiful, highly recommend!" It is genuine and it persuades nobody, because every photographer's website has ten of them.
A testimonial that books clients names a worry and says how it went away. You get those by asking within a week of delivery, asking three specific questions instead of "any feedback?", editing for length with the client's permission, and putting the best one next to your prices rather than on a page nobody opens. Below are the questions, a request email, example testimonials before and after editing, and the rules that keep all of it honest.
When should you ask for a testimonial?
Within a week of gallery delivery, ideally two or three days after. The client has opened the gallery, shown it to someone, and is still feeling it. Ask on delivery day itself and the reply is "OMG we love them", which is lovely and useless. Ask a month later and you get nothing.
The exception is weddings. Couples are exhausted after the wedding and buried in admin, so ask about two weeks after delivery, and ask again once, gently, if there is no reply. It is the same window that works for asking about referrals, so many photographers fold both into one message.
Which questions get a specific testimonial?
"Would you mind writing a review?" produces adjectives. Questions produce stories. These three cover what a future client needs to hear:
- What were you worried about before the shoot?
- What happened on the day that you did not expect?
- What did you do with the photos once you had them?
The first question is the important one. Your next client has the same worry ("we are awkward in front of a camera", "my toddler will not sit still", "I hate how I look in photos"), and seeing it named and resolved does more than any number of "highly recommends".
A request email you can copy
Keep it short and make it easy to say yes to.
Subject: A quick favour?
Hi Priya,
I hope you are enjoying the gallery. I would love a few lines about the shoot that I can share with future clients. If it helps, these are the questions people find easiest:
- What were you worried about before the shoot?
- What happened on the day that you did not expect?
- What did you do with the photos afterwards?
Two or three sentences is plenty. I will only use your first name, and I will send you the final version before it goes on my website.
Thank you, Mattia
The promise in the last paragraph matters. It tells a hesitant client they stay in control, and it gives you permission to edit. For the rest of your client emails, the templates for the seven emails photographers send most follow the same pattern.
What do good photography testimonials look like?
These are illustrative examples written for this post, not quotes from real clients. They show what the questions produce and how much editing is fair.
Family session, before editing:
"Honestly I was dreading it because our son Leo is 3 and will not sit still for anything, last time we tried a studio it was a disaster and we left in tears. Sam just let him run around the park and somehow got shots of all of us together. We ordered a big print for the living room and my mum cried when she saw it. Thank you so much for everything!!"
After editing, with permission:
"I was dreading it. Our three year old will not sit still, and our last studio session ended in tears. Sam let him run around the park and still got photos of all of us together. The big print is in our living room now." Hannah, family session
Wedding, after editing:
"We are not comfortable in front of a camera and told Sam so on the first call. The couple portraits took twenty minutes, felt like a walk, and are the photos everyone asks about." Tom and Ellie, wedding
Notice what the edit keeps: the worry, the specific turn, the outcome. What goes is repetition, punctuation and the "thank you" at the end. What never changes is the meaning. If the client said "pretty good", you do not get to make it "the best photographer we have ever worked with".
Where should testimonials go on your website?
Next to the decision, not on a separate page. A testimonials page is read mostly by people who are already convinced.
- Beside your prices. This is where people hesitate, so a quote about value ("worth every penny of the album") earns its place here. See how to lay out a price list.
- Near the booking or contact button. One short quote about how easy you were to work with, right where someone decides whether to enquire.
- On your about page. A line from a client confirms what you say about yourself, which is the point of an about page that books clients.
Match the quote to the page. A wedding couple reading your wedding packages wants a wedding testimonial, not a newborn one.
Do you need permission, and should you use full names?
Yes, ask before you publish anything, even a glowing email someone sent unprompted. Send the edited version back and wait for a yes. Keep that reply, because it is your record that they approved the wording.
First names are the safe default: real enough to be believable, private enough that clients agree. Add a session type ("Hannah, family session") so the reader knows the quote is relevant. Use a full name or a photo of the client only when they offer it, and never a photo from a session with children without asking about that separately.
Are Google reviews better than quotes on your site?
They do different jobs, so you want both. Google reviews help you show up in local search and are trusted because you cannot edit them. On-site quotes are the ones you can place next to your prices and trim to two lines.
Ask for the Google review first, in the same email, with a direct link. Then ask if you may use their words on your website too. One piece of writing, two uses. Never offer a discount or a print in exchange for a review: Google's policy forbids incentivised reviews, and asking only your happiest clients while steering unhappy ones elsewhere breaks its rules as well.
How do you keep testimonials honest?
Never write one yourself, never use a quote from someone who was not a client, and never paste in a review from another photographer's site "as an example".
In the US, the FTC's rule on consumer reviews and testimonials (16 CFR Part 465), in force since October 2024, bans fake reviews and testimonials, including ones written by AI or by someone who never used the service, and bans offering anything in return for a review that expresses a particular sentiment. Each violation can carry a civil penalty of over $50,000. In the UK, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act has banned fake reviews and hidden incentivised reviews since 6 April 2025, and the Competition and Markets Authority can fine up to 10% of global turnover. Showing a curated set of quotes is fine. Presenting them as "all our reviews" or quoting a star average you made up is not.
If you are new and have no clients yet, leave the section out rather than fill it. Two real quotes from friends you photographed for free, labelled honestly, beat ten invented ones.
Your next step is small: pick the last three clients you delivered to, send them the email above this week, and put the best answer beside your prices. If your site is built in Xposure, paid plans include a testimonials section you can drop onto your pricing or contact page, with a name and session type under each quote.
