Selfie search for event photos: how it works and what happens to your face

Selfie search has changed what people expect after an event. Instead of scrolling through thousands of thumbnails, you take a selfie and get back the photos you're in. It feels a little like magic, and it's reasonable to want to know what's going on behind it. This article explains how selfie search works in plain words, what decides whether it finds you, and what happens to your face data, using Photohawk as the example.

Two jobs, at two different times

Selfie search is really two separate jobs.

When the photos are uploaded, every face in every photo is found, and each face is turned into a face template: a set of numbers describing the face's features. A template isn't a picture, and you can't simply turn it back into one. The templates for a gallery are kept in that gallery's own face-search index.

When you search, your selfie is turned into a template in the same way and compared with the gallery's templates. Faces that are similar enough come back as possible matches. The system doesn't know anyone's name. It only says "this face looks like that face", and you decide which photos are really you.

On Photohawk, the selfie is then discarded. It isn't stored and isn't used to create a face template.

What helps it find you

Face search works on the faces in the photos, so the same search finds some people easily and others not at all. The factors are mostly about how clearly your face was captured.

In the event photos:

• Face size and sharpness. A face that fills a reasonable part of the frame and is in focus matches well. A tiny face in a wide shot, or one smeared by motion, may not be found at all.
• Angle. Faces towards the lens match best. Profiles and heads turned to a friend are harder.
• What covers the face. Sunglasses, caps, helmets, buffs, face paint and other people's heads all remove information.
• Light. Hard shadows across the eyes, backlit finish arches and dim indoor venues make faces harder to read.

In your selfie:

• Face the screen, at arm's length, in even light from the front: a window or open shade.
• Take off sunglasses and hats, even if you wore them on the day.
• Turn off filters and beauty modes. They change exactly the features being compared.
• Make sure only your face is in it, so the search knows who it's looking for.

We don't quote a single accuracy figure, because there isn't an honest one: the same system does very well on a sharp, sunny finish-line gallery and struggles in a dark sports hall full of helmets. Results are presented as possible matches for you to check.

Why bib search still matters

Selfie search and bib search fail in different situations. A runner in sunglasses and a cap has an unreadable face but a perfectly readable number. A runner whose number is under a jacket has a perfectly clear face. That's why galleries on Photohawk offer both, and why it's worth running both. Our article on bib number search explains the other half.

Selfie search also works where there are no numbers at all: fun runs, school sports days, conferences and weddings.

Selfie search works on previews too

Some galleries go live before every original has finished uploading. With previews first, on every plan, faces are found on the light previews, so search works as soon as the gallery is live. If a gallery was only just published, give it a little time and search again later: photos still uploading can't be found yet.

What happens to face data

Face templates are biometric data, which privacy laws treat as some of the most sensitive personal data there is. On Photohawk:

• Your selfie is used for one search only, then discarded.
• Face data for each photo is deleted automatically, at the latest 12 months after that photo was uploaded. The photo itself stays; it can still be found by bib number, by time or by browsing.
• Closed galleries lose their face data sooner. It's deleted 30 days after a gallery is closed or its selfie search is switched off.
• You can ask for your face data to be deleted at any time, in the gallery (selfie search, then Make a request) or by emailing support@photohawk.com. It's deleted within 30 days.

The full rules are in our biometric data retention policy, and what changed on 1 November 2026 explains the 12-month limit. If you organise events and want to know what to tell participants, read GDPR and face recognition at events.

How to search, step by step

1. Open Find your photos and search for your event by name, or pick your country and browse by date.
2. Choose Find me in this gallery on the right gallery.
3. Take or upload a selfie, add your bib number if you had one, and choose Find my photos.
4. Check the matches, then buy or download the ones you want.

If nothing comes back, try a new selfie, then your bib number, then browse the part of the course where you'd have been. Our article on where to find your race photos has more ideas.

For the people running the gallery

If you run galleries on Photohawk, selfie search is on every plan and needs no tagging. You can switch it off for any gallery, for example where children take part, and bib search, browsing and buying keep working. Tell participants before the event that galleries can be searched by face, and link the policy in your results email.