diff --git a/osxphotos/_version.py b/osxphotos/_version.py
index 51f85b43..7c59e29b 100644
--- a/osxphotos/_version.py
+++ b/osxphotos/_version.py
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 """ version info """
 
-__version__ = "0.42.50"
+__version__ = "0.42.51"
diff --git a/osxphotos/cli.py b/osxphotos/cli.py
index fea94eed..76db124d 100644
--- a/osxphotos/cli.py
+++ b/osxphotos/cli.py
@@ -1647,6 +1647,9 @@ def export(
         previous_uuids = {uuid: 1 for uuid in export_db.get_previous_uuids()}
         photos = [p for p in photos if p.uuid not in previous_uuids]
 
+    # store results of export
+    results = ExportResults()
+
     if photos:
         num_photos = len(photos)
         # TODO: photos or photo appears several times, pull into a separate function
@@ -1658,8 +1661,6 @@ def export(
         # because the original code used --original-name as an option
         original_name = not current_name
 
-        results = ExportResults()
-
         # set up for --add-export-to-album if needed
         album_export = (
             PhotosAlbum(add_exported_to_album, verbose=verbose_)
@@ -1834,41 +1835,6 @@ def export(
         if fp is not None:
             fp.close()
 
-        if cleanup:
-            all_files = (
-                results.exported
-                + results.skipped
-                + results.exif_updated
-                + results.touched
-                + results.converted_to_jpeg
-                + results.sidecar_json_written
-                + results.sidecar_json_skipped
-                + results.sidecar_exiftool_written
-                + results.sidecar_exiftool_skipped
-                + results.sidecar_xmp_written
-                + results.sidecar_xmp_skipped
-                # include missing so a file that was already in export directory
-                # but was missing on --update doesn't get deleted
-                # (better to have old version than none)
-                + results.missing
-                # include files that have error in case they exist from previous export
-                + [r[0] for r in results.error]
-                + [str(pathlib.Path(export_db_path).resolve())]
-            )
-            click.echo(f"Cleaning up {dest}")
-            cleaned_files, cleaned_dirs = cleanup_files(dest, all_files, fileutil)
-            file_str = "files" if len(cleaned_files) != 1 else "file"
-            dir_str = "directories" if len(cleaned_dirs) != 1 else "directory"
-            click.echo(
-                f"Deleted: {len(cleaned_files)} {file_str}, {len(cleaned_dirs)} {dir_str}"
-            )
-            results.deleted_files = cleaned_files
-            results.deleted_directories = cleaned_dirs
-
-        if report:
-            verbose_(f"Writing export report to {report}")
-            write_export_report(report, results)
-
         photo_str_total = "photos" if len(photos) != 1 else "photo"
         if update:
             summary = (
@@ -1893,6 +1859,42 @@ def export(
     else:
         click.echo("Did not find any photos to export")
 
+    # cleanup files and do report if needed
+    if cleanup:
+        all_files = (
+            results.exported
+            + results.skipped
+            + results.exif_updated
+            + results.touched
+            + results.converted_to_jpeg
+            + results.sidecar_json_written
+            + results.sidecar_json_skipped
+            + results.sidecar_exiftool_written
+            + results.sidecar_exiftool_skipped
+            + results.sidecar_xmp_written
+            + results.sidecar_xmp_skipped
+            # include missing so a file that was already in export directory
+            # but was missing on --update doesn't get deleted
+            # (better to have old version than none)
+            + results.missing
+            # include files that have error in case they exist from previous export
+            + [r[0] for r in results.error]
+            + [str(pathlib.Path(export_db_path).resolve())]
+        )
+        click.echo(f"Cleaning up {dest}")
+        cleaned_files, cleaned_dirs = cleanup_files(dest, all_files, fileutil)
+        file_str = "files" if len(cleaned_files) != 1 else "file"
+        dir_str = "directories" if len(cleaned_dirs) != 1 else "directory"
+        click.echo(
+            f"Deleted: {len(cleaned_files)} {file_str}, {len(cleaned_dirs)} {dir_str}"
+        )
+        results.deleted_files = cleaned_files
+        results.deleted_directories = cleaned_dirs
+
+    if report:
+        verbose_(f"Writing export report to {report}")
+        write_export_report(report, results)
+
     export_db.close()
 
 
diff --git a/tests/test_cli.py b/tests/test_cli.py
index 0698d6d8..3b125a04 100644
--- a/tests/test_cli.py
+++ b/tests/test_cli.py
@@ -5324,6 +5324,50 @@ def test_export_cleanup():
         assert not pathlib.Path("./foo/delete_me_too.txt").is_file()
 
 
+def test_export_cleanup_empty_album():
+    """test export with --cleanup flag with an empty album (#481)"""
+    import pathlib
+    import tempfile
+
+    from osxphotos.cli import export
+
+    runner = CliRunner()
+    cwd = os.getcwd()
+    # pylint: disable=not-context-manager
+    with runner.isolated_filesystem():
+        result = runner.invoke(export, [os.path.join(cwd, CLI_PHOTOS_DB), ".", "-V"])
+        assert result.exit_code == 0
+
+        # run cleanup with dry-run
+        with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as tempdir:
+            result = runner.invoke(
+                export,
+                [
+                    os.path.join(cwd, CLI_PHOTOS_DB),
+                    tempdir,
+                    "-V",
+                    "--uuid",
+                    UUID_LOCATION,
+                ],
+            )
+
+            # run cleanup with an empty folder
+            result = runner.invoke(
+                export,
+                [
+                    os.path.join(cwd, CLI_PHOTOS_DB),
+                    tempdir,
+                    "-V",
+                    "--update",
+                    "--cleanup",
+                    "--album",
+                    "EmptyAlbum",
+                ],
+            )
+            assert "Did not find any photos to export" in result.output
+            assert "Deleted: 1 file" in result.output
+
+
 def test_save_load_config():
     """test --save-config, --load-config"""
     import glob