What Is IPS Photography? A Plain-English Guide for Portrait Photographers

If you've been in a photography Facebook group for more than a week, you've seen someone ask about "IPS". It sounds like jargon, but the idea is simple, and it's one of the biggest levers a portrait photographer has over their average order.

What does IPS stand for?

IPS stands for in-person sales. It is a sales session, usually held a week or two after the shoot, where you sit down with the client and show them their images yourself, rather than emailing a gallery link and waiting to see what they buy.

The point of the session is to sell wall art, albums and other physical products, not just digital files. You guide the decision instead of leaving the client alone with a grid of thumbnails and a price list.

What actually happens in an IPS session

The details vary from studio to studio, but most sessions follow the same shape:

1. The reveal. You show the images as a slideshow, often with music and no prices on screen. The client sees their family or their newborn presented properly for the first time.
2. Choosing favourites. You narrow the gallery down to the images they love, usually by sorting them into yes, maybe and no.
3. Designing the wall art. You show those images as framed prints, canvases or a multi-piece collection, ideally on a photo of the client's own wall so they can judge the size.
4. The order. You agree on a collection, take the order and, ideally, take payment before they leave.

We've written the first half of this in detail in the reveal session, including the order to do things in and what to say.

How is that different from sending an online gallery?

An online gallery is passive. The client opens a link on their own, scrolls, and decides alone, often at the end of a long day. Without help, many of them buy a few digital files and stop there.

An IPS session adds three things a gallery doesn't:

• Guidance. You can answer questions, suggest a size and respond to hesitation in the moment.
• Context. The client sees a finished piece on a wall, not just a photo.
• Momentum. The decision happens while the emotion is fresh, instead of days later.

Neither approach is better for everyone, and many photographers use both. We compare them properly in in-person sales vs online galleries.

Who IPS suits

IPS tends to work well if you:

• shoot families, newborns, maternity, seniors or other work people hang at home
• are comfortable talking through options with a client
• have room in your calendar for an extra appointment per shoot

It is a harder fit if your work is high-volume and quick-turnaround, such as mini sessions, where an extra appointment per client isn't realistic. In that case a gallery with a strong wall preview built in can do most of the same job.

Do you need a studio?

No. A sales room is nice to have, but sessions run perfectly well at the client's home, in a quiet cafe or over a video call. If you want to go that route, read how to run a portrait sales session over a video call and how to run IPS without a studio.

What you need to get started

• A screen the client can see. A laptop is enough. Many photographers add a second screen or a TV.
• Photos of the client's walls. Ask for one straight-on photo of each wall they're considering before the session. This is the single thing that moves an order from one small print to a collection.
• A price list built around collections. Decide your packages before the session so you're not inventing prices live.
• IPS software. This is what presents the images, shows the wall art and records the order. The options are covered in our guide to IPS software, including desktop tools like ProSelect and browser-based tools like Portrait Reveal.

Common mistakes

• Showing too many images. Keep the slideshow short so the client doesn't tire before you reach the part that matters.
• Leading with price. Let them see the piece before they see the number.
• Offering digitals as the easy default. If "just the digital files" is the first option on the page, it's the one they'll choose.
• Having no follow-up. Some clients need to talk it over with a partner. A way to send them home with a link keeps the sale open.

Where to go next

If you're ready to pick a tool, start with the IPS software guide. If you already use ProSelect and wonder whether a browser-based alternative would suit you, see Portrait Reveal vs ProSelect.

Portrait Reveal works in the room and as a private link the client opens at home, so the same gallery covers both. US$14.99/month, 14 days free, no credit card.