It would be "nice" if under a separate area (similar to "Featured"), one could have a series of galleries where each gallery could be named to match a series of "sample" images the photographer has made on a specific subject. Perhaps sample shots of weddings, or sample images of previous commercial work, etc etc. That way, potential customers could "look" at prior work, see if they like it, etc. One can set up this type of thing in "Featured", but it tends to fill up the space which some people prefer to place their "most recent" project, etc. Giving it a separate space (perhaps one that the photog could "choose" to enable/display or not)  would be a possible solution. 

It's not really what you are asking for but you can make a collection of sample images and put it in your featured section.  Potential customers don't have to look through all you images and you can offer up your best work.  Sort it so it's the first thing in the featured section.

That is an option, but I what I would REALLY like is to collect 3-5 sample images of each TYPE (ie Nature, Portraiture, Children, Sports, Pets, etc etc), grouped together and separate from the "others". That way, someone who wanted me to shoot "little Jimmy's" championship soccer match would not have to look at 'Fido's" image as well to see the type of work. Needless to say, you quickly end up with 7-9 defined "sets" of sample images, which take up a lot of the "featured" real estate. 

I simply need to "think it out" I think.....

One option building off your suggestion, is if they could change the system so that you could add ENTIRE galleries (as a GALLERY....not individual images) to a collection. Then post the COLLECTION to the Featured area....