Okay, let’s chat contracts!!

During every consultation, I take time to chat through my contract and also what other photographers’ contracts should include its important.

The contract you sign serves as a legal document to protect you as the client paying for services and me as the photographer rendering those services and should contain all expectations from retainers to rescheduling fees to feeding your photographer to turnaround time and number of photos provided.

I want to call out a few of the most important things I want every wedding couple to talk to their potential photographers about:

1. Turnaround times – I am a part of a lot of vendor groups, photographer groups, mama groups etc. etc. etc. and the number one horror story I see people bring up time and time again is “When will I get my photos back”? Your contract with your photographer should have a legal deadline for when the photographer is legally obligated to give you your photos. YEP!! You as the client paying for services should have a specific time and date that your photos are required to be in your hands!
2. Rescheduling /Cancelling fees – This is something I have always had in my contracts but never went over with my clients until you now a whole world-wide pandemic. Now I let each of my clients know what rescheduling looks like, how it works and what happens if they need to downsize their ceremony.
3. Number of photos you’ll get back – This one is a little tricky in my mind. I am a firm believer in “under promising and over delivering”. I say this one is a bit tricky because it really depends on the client and the event. Some days you get clients that want more photos and events that have more details than other events and vice versa but on average your photographer should be able to tell you what to expect. I typically provide approximately 50-100 images an hour.
4. Meals / Breaks – This is probably the most missed or overlooked piece in photographers contracts. In fact, I just added it into my contract this fall. But this part of your contracts let’s your clients know whether or not to feed you (any help you bring to the wedding) but also let’s you and your vendors know that you will in fact be fed. This whole year every wedding I shot under my brand, I did not know if I was going to be fed. Now granted, I was never not fed a meal but again this information sets expectations between you and your client.
5. “Acts of God” – What happens in the event your photographer isn’t able to make it? Whether that’s due to death, illness, family emergency, etc. This information should not ever be left to question. I mean this is your wedding day so its good to now all the information up front!

Those are the main points that I personally cover with my clients but obviously there should be more information in the contract like payment schedules, retainers, travel fees, whether or not an engagement session is included and what is included in that engagement session, etc. etc.!