How much storage do your professional photo galleries need?

The storage your galleries need depends on three numbers: photographs delivered, average file size and how long they remain online. Then add videos and permanent galleries. This calculation is more reliable than the number of galleries advertised in a plan.

📷 Start with the files you actually deliver

A portrait session and a wedding reportage do not occupy the same space. Measure a few representative folders after export, using the settings you normally choose for clients.

Divide the folder size by the number of photographs. This gives you an average size per image. Measuring delivered JPEGs is more useful than measuring the RAW files kept for your work.

If you upload several versions of a file, include them in the estimate. Storage for your production archive remains a separate requirement.

The formula for estimating gallery volume

Annual volume = number of assignments × photographs delivered per assignment × average photo size.

Calculate each type of work separately, then add the results. These examples use decimal units: 1 GB = 1,000 MB. The figures below are calculation assumptions, not delivery recommendations.

• Portraits: 40 sessions × 80 photos × 4 MB = 12.8 GB.
• Weddings: 15 reportages × 600 photos × 6 MB = 54 GB.
• Annual total: 66.8 GB of photos.

Your actual volume may be very different. A studio delivering ten final images per session has different needs from an event photographer delivering several hundred files.

The access period changes the result

The volume added each year is not the total kept online. Using the previous example with stable activity, two complete years represent 133.6 GB of photos.

Add older galleries that remain accessible and those used to showcase your work. A permanent portfolio also occupies space, even when it does not represent a new commission.

Set an availability period consistent with your service. Communicate it clearly at delivery. A shortage of space should not force you to remove images that their recipients still expect to access.

On Pelli, you can organize your selection and delivery galleries with folders, favorites and download settings. You can also set an expiration to match the access period communicated to your clients.

Count videos separately

A film’s size depends on its duration and export settings. Measure the files intended for delivery. Arbitrarily translating a video into a number of photographs would produce an unreliable estimate.

Ten films of 2 GB add 20 GB to your requirement. This is an arithmetic example, not a typical wedding film size.

On Pelli, you can present photos and videos in your galleries. Count video files separately in your forecast to keep a clear view of the space devoted to the images and films from your assignments.

✅ Choose headroom that reflects your next season

Are you planning more weddings, a video service or longer gallery access? Add those plans to your calculation. Headroom should reflect your future activity, rather than an arbitrary percentage.

Suppose you add five weddings comparable to those in the example. That means another 18 GB of photographs. You can now compare plans using a concrete assumption.

Once you have estimated your volume, connect that capacity with your studio’s needs. On Pelli, you can present your services on your website, manage quotes and invoices and deliver images through your galleries. You prepare your next season around both the files to retain and the services to provide.