Answer: no, keep a separate 3-2-1 archive
Gallery delivery vs backup: why delivery is never an archive
A shoots.page gallery gets your finished set to the client, but no client gallery is a backup: you can revoke, expire or delete it at any time, and it holds only what you chose to share. Keep your own archive under the 3-2-1 rule, three copies on two kinds of media with one offsite, and deliver from that.
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Delivery vs backup at a glance
| Delivery gallery | Backup | |
|---|---|---|
| Job | Gets finished photos to your client | Protects your files against loss |
| Serves | Your client | You and your business |
| Lifetime | Until you revoke, expire or delete it | As long as you keep the copies |
| Holds | The finished set you chose to share | Your RAW files, edits and exports |
| Standard | One link the client opens without an account | 3-2-1: three copies, two kinds of media, one offsite |
What delivery is for
A delivery gallery solves one problem: getting finished images to your client. When you send photos to clients through shoots.page, you publish a set so they can view and download their images on their own devices.
Galleries are built to be flexible rather than permanent. You can set gallery expiry dates, protect sets with passwords, choose which downloads to allow, or revoke access entirely, and you can delete a gallery whenever you choose. Those same controls are what make a gallery the wrong place for your only copy.
What backup is for
Backup protects you against hardware failure, theft and accidental deletion. The standard rule of thumb is 3-2-1, as the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) puts it: keep three copies of any important file, one primary and two backups, on two different media types, and store one copy offsite. By that measure, a memory card, a single external drive and a delivery gallery each count as one copy in one place, not a backup.
A real archive protects your master files. When a drive fails or files go missing, it restores the work without depending on client-facing links.
How the two fit together
Delivery and backup work well when their roles stay separate. Import your shoot, copy the files into your 3-2-1 archive, and only then export a set to deliver. shoots.page is free up to 2 GB, with 100 GB on Pro for USD 9 a month or USD 90 a year before applicable tax, or EUR 8 or EUR 80 in Europe with VAT included (see pricing). That is room for your active client sets, while your archive keeps everything else.
Common questions
Is a shoots.page gallery a backup?
No. shoots.page is a delivery service, not an archive. The owner can expire, revoke or delete a gallery at any time, and it holds only the set you chose to share, so keep your master files in your own 3-2-1 backup.
Can I leave a gallery online forever?
Expiry dates are optional; without one, a gallery stays up until you revoke or delete it. It is still a delivery tool, so keep your own offline and cloud backups however long a gallery stays live.
What happens to the photos when a gallery expires?
The link stops working, but the photos stay in your account, so you can extend or clear the date to reopen it. Revoking the link keeps them too. Only deleting the gallery removes the photos for good.
What is a simple 3-2-1 setup?
Your primary working drive, a second copy on a local external drive, and a third copy offsite, such as a drive in another building or a cloud backup service.
Protect your archive, then deliver the work
Once your master files are safely backed up, publishing a gallery and sharing finished photos takes minutes from the homepage.