Photography Contract Wording
Whether you are about to undertake a photography job for a friend or an unknown client, a well-worded contract makes the expectations for yourself and your client clear before any photos are taken. This kind of contract needs to cover the essentials of any business-client relationship (like payment, hours to be worked, amount of work to complete, etc.). Because there are also certain liabilities involved in professional photography, a contract can also cover any possible misfortune that may befall you.
Other People Are Reading
-
Include Basic Information
-
Clarity is essential in a contract and the first thing that needs to be clear in yours is who you and your client are and how your client can contact you and vice versa.
Set Hours
-
If this is an event contract, such as for a wedding, be clear on when you will start working and until what time you will be working. This should also include any provision that you might want to make for breaks.
-
Price and Terms of Payment
-
If you are providing your client with a set package of photos, (and even if you're not), be clear in what you are going to deliver and how much it will cost. You could also include a non-refundable deposit paid out as a guarantee of the date and/or time of your clients' event in this section of your contract.
Deliverable Items
-
A clause about just what will be delivered to your client can be used to outline things, like how many photos your client will get, whether these will be prints or digital or even what resolution the photos will be in.
Image Rights
-
As a professional photographer, your job is to take moments, capture them and then turn them into photos that can be enjoyed forever. However, as a professional photographer, you are also selling these photos, your creations, to your client -- so who owns the rights to these photos is a critical consideration. Include a clause in your contract about keeping the copyright of your photos while also giving your client the right to print personal copies if you believe that is standard for the types of photos you will be shooting. Sometimes, corporate photo shoots require the photographer to release all rights to the images to the client.
Other Photographers
-
With the proliferation of digital SLR cameras at all sorts of events, non-professional photographers are everywhere. To make your job easier, include a clause in your contract about being the sole photographer for your clients' event. Stating that your breaks are an exception to this or limiting other photographers in other ways is also possible, if necessary.
Covering Liability
-
Life is unpredictable and this unpredictability could cause you to miss the event at which you are supposed to be photographing. Include a failure to comply cause that will cover you if you get into a car accident, if there a family emergency keeps you from coming, or if some glitch or malfunction affects your equipment.
Usage Release
-
The photos you take might be perfect for your next advertisement or brochure, so clearly state that some of the photos you take at a client's event could be used for promotional purposes.
-
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
