A wedding photography contract is a great tool for setting proper expectations between you and your clients. By including a variety of information, both parties will be protected from any misunderstandings down the road.
Some typical photography contracts include information like biographical and wedding-day details, the selected package, payment methods, cancellation policy, copyright, and more.
Scope of Work
For any professional photographer, a wedding photography contract is a must-have document. It covers all the possible scenarios and ensures that you’re compensated fairly for your services. A well-drafted contract can also protect you from last minute cancellations or events that are beyond your control.
When drafting your contract, be sure to clearly list the services you’ll provide. This can include the number of images, editing options and more. If you’re shooting a destination wedding, this might also include travel-related costs like airfare and hotels.
You can also spell out how much extra time you’ll charge if the wedding day goes over schedule. This is important because standard wedding day shenanigans can run from behind-the-scenes preparation to dancing at the reception several hours later! It’s also a good idea to limit how much editing your clients can do to their photos. This helps preserve your creative vision.
Payment
A clear payment schedule and terms is essential to any contract. Whether you charge a non-refundable deposit or the entire balance on the day of, you should make it very clear in your contract how much everything costs and when payments are due – ideally with a little bit of wiggle room for unexpected expenses.
It’s also worth mentioning your cancellation policy in this section as well. This is especially important for wedding photographers, as inclement weather can ruin your equipment and compromise your coverage of their day.
A couple should also be clear about how many files they are getting with their package, how they will receive them and if any of the images are RAW or unedited (most are edited in some way for weddings). It’s also worth including a copyright clause in your contract to avoid any miscommunication. (This is often merged with the “Model Release” and “Use Rights” sections.) It’s not only an ethical consideration, but it could also save you from a nightmarish situation like a family member doing atrocious Photoshop work on one of your images!
Cancellation Policy
A wedding photographer spends a lot of time and money on equipment, not to mention the time they invest in getting to know a couple and creating something that truly represents them. That's why a cancellation policy in a contract is important to protect the photographers' rights.
A clause should explain that if the client cancels close to the wedding, they forfeit all fees. Photographers can also stipulate how many days in advance they must be notified of a cancellation to avoid forfeiting the full fee.
It's also helpful to include a force majeure clause, which would describe situations beyond the control of both parties that would allow for a cancellation or rescheduling of the agreement without incurring additional cost or penalties. This is a good way to cover things like bad weather or pandemics, but could also be used for situations such as the photographer's sudden illness. A quick email confirmation stating the date and new terms should be sent to both parties in this scenario.
Copyright
Copyright protections are a crucial part of any contract for photographers. This section stipulates that the photographer retains full copyrights to all photographs they produce for clients. The clients may make copies for their own personal use, but the photographer reserves the right to control any commercial usage of the photographs.
Most wedding photography pros will also grant their clients "rights to reproduce" the photos, which means that they can print and share them with friends and family. However, they may have stipulations on whether or not the images can be used for commercial purposes like being published in a magazine.
Finally, many photographers will include a clause that states that they will not be held liable for any incidents that are out of their control, such as if a key guest or vendor fails to show up on the day or if the weather interferes with photo opportunities. This is a standard protection for them against claims of negligence or breach of contract.