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***A discussion of what to include in your wedding photography contract to ensure your clients have realistic expectations and you are legally covered if anything goes wrong.***
***OVERVIEW***
It goes without saying that you need to have a contract drawn up between yourself and your wedding photography clients.
It’s vital to ensure you are covered legally if things go wrong and can play an important role in establishing realistic expectations about what your couples can expect and what you are going to deliver. But what exactly should be in your wedding photography contract?
In this video, I’ll share with you each of the terms and conditions that are in mine, as well as how I go about creating and sending my contracts.
Rather than printing, scanning and mailing contracts to your clients, these days everything can be done online, including electronic signatures to ensure your clients read everything that’s in the document.
My wedding photography contract might be more comprehensive than some but it’s the result of lessons learned over 10 years in the business and covering myself for some of those “what if” situations.
It includes a detailed outline of what payments are due when (and what happens if payments are late), as well as any additional travel expenses so there are no surprises.
I’ll share with you some of the terms I include so that my clients are aware of my exact role on the day and that I won’t be held accountable if things outside of my control prevent me from being able to capture the quality and quantity of photos they expect.
I also clearly outline when they can expect to receive their online galleries and albums, as well as who has the right to use the digital files and how I will be showcasing the images online.
Your wedding photography contract is a vital document to protect both you and your couples if you have any disagreements, so it’s not something that should be glossed over.
If you’re not sure where to start, you can find wedding photography contract templates with a quick Google search, then always tweak it to suit your business.
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Excellent advice Henry. This was especially helpful to new/newer wedding photographers. The verbal abuse (14:38) from client or guest is a integral to have in the contract. The last wedding I shot had a Bride who despite my best efforts to please her was verbally abusive during the portrait session. The bride screamed at me (in front of the bridal party and other guest) also she yelled at both her mother and her father. The Bride actually called me “A douche”….. in talking about me to her husband(loud enough for everyone present to hear). I was very close to walking off the job. I calmly mentioned to her that I was beginning to lose my patience, due to her conduct. Somehow I ignored her and continued my to work…..well my next few shots were magical. I then calmly walked up to her and showed her the images that I captured…..she looked stunned and all of sudden her entire attitude changed and she was apologetic. She apologized for mistreating me three times that evening after seeing my work. I’m thankful that I remained calm and finished the job. Despite this incident, I captured excellent images for my portfolio.
Thank you, do you ha en example of this contract ? The link teva didnt work.
Henry, that link to your Tave tutorial doesn't work. Do you have an update? Thanks.
Thanks Henry. This was super helpful, and I'm feeling more than confident and ready for my upcoming gig.
Wonderful job on the video, very helpful info and tips- thank you!
Thank you! It was very helpful! Greatly appreciate it!
Great job! Really helpful for beginners like myself!
I want to ask, what happens if someone from the guests for example spills drink on your equipment, breaks your lenses or anything…
Do you include that, is it gonna scare them away? Or you rely on your personal equipment insurance?
Thanks a lot!
Cheers from Greece!
You seem like you have a lot to offer the community but I think most of your videos or live streams are too long. Just saying is see you in he feed
But when I see 1:05:20 I run for my life. 20 minutes bro.
I couldn’t even imagine not having payment by the day of!!! I agree on withdrawing from the contract at least 2 weeks prior (and that’s being more understanding than most vendors). I have a feeling that my contract would be sooooo lengthy. 😂🤷🏼♀️📷
Great video-very informative. I was advised to say “non-refundable retainer” vs “deposit”. Do you agree? In addition, I request my assistant and I are included in their headcount so that we are fed at the same time as the couple. Lastly, sales tax must be collected and should be added in the pricing section.