Thought we should use this sub-forum to share some of the important items/clauses that are mandatory in any of the wedding assignment, especialy wedding day.
There are photographers who take on a wedding jobs w/o having formal documents like these or feel shy about collecting deposit. The scary part is, most of them don't realised what they're in for if such practices are not in place.
I hope those in the biz would contribute to this thread and photographers who wants to venture into the wedding photography biz are aware of their responsibilities, as well as liabilities.
To get the ball rolling, here are some of the clauses that I feel should be in in the wedding agreement, please feel free to give constructive comments or add on, we are all here to learn.
1. Indemity. What happens when unseen things happen to your camera? CF card stolen; camera refused to fire during the important moment and by the time you flash out your back up cam too late; lab decides to get apprentice who processed your film with wrong chemical; some drunk relatives knocked your camera into swimming pool or worst, wide open sea (happened before). whole list goes on. What's your liability to the client?
2. In event of emergency, can't shoot the wedding, how?? Bad things happen to good people, touch wood, on the way to the brides house, you fractured your arm, you get a call from maid that your kid fell off the . Earthquakes or flood (I'm doing overseas wedding now, these things are often taken for granted here) because the stars of the couple don't match, somehow. When such things happen, liability to the client should be limited to "Y". "Y" can be the full-deposit or payment made, or "Y" = payment made - your expenditure or cost incurred.
3. Copyright/ use of the photos. Often taken for granted. Who owns the copyright and what should the use be limited to? You walk past a florist or cake shop or bridal shop and find that your photo that you shot 2 months ago are used for brochures, flyer, so happened that the shop owner is a good friend/relative of the couple. If they need photos, they should hire you commercially not get you as a wedding photographer to bao ka liao everything.
4. Cancellation. One of the hottest dates in the year, you have 89038290483902424 over couples whom you've turned down because someone has booked your services for that date 2 years ago. Now, one week before the wedding this couple decided not to get married for some reasons and decided to ask for refund. There should be a clause to spell out clearly that how you should entertain cancellation.
Other minor clauses:
5. Exclusive photographer. Your clients shouldn't be hiring another professional photographer(s). It can be a conflict of interests, photographers getting into each other's ways; neither would your client want their wedding to turn into a media event with photographers jostling with each other to get the best angle. There have been incidents of some photographers showing up at some weddings because bride or groom happened to be a big shot's nephew's cousin-in-law's brother. Not only will they get in your way, sometimes they take orders for photos from confused relatives and friends.
6. Additional expenses/cost incurred. Particularly for those of us who orders albums from overseas, we can't predict how prices will flaccuate. One day USD decides to soar or SGD drops; manufactors decides to up their most popular coffeetable albums by 20% in price (20% of some of my albums means a few hundred bucks); fuel prices go up affecting frieght charges, GST suddenly jacked up to 12% (ouch). Your contract should state a certain % (say a cap of 15% of the album cost) and clients agrees to pay for it. Imagine, 10 couples ordering the same book that you have to fork out a hunder bucks, no joke.
There are photographers who take on a wedding jobs w/o having formal documents like these or feel shy about collecting deposit. The scary part is, most of them don't realised what they're in for if such practices are not in place.
I hope those in the biz would contribute to this thread and photographers who wants to venture into the wedding photography biz are aware of their responsibilities, as well as liabilities.
To get the ball rolling, here are some of the clauses that I feel should be in in the wedding agreement, please feel free to give constructive comments or add on, we are all here to learn.
1. Indemity. What happens when unseen things happen to your camera? CF card stolen; camera refused to fire during the important moment and by the time you flash out your back up cam too late; lab decides to get apprentice who processed your film with wrong chemical; some drunk relatives knocked your camera into swimming pool or worst, wide open sea (happened before). whole list goes on. What's your liability to the client?
2. In event of emergency, can't shoot the wedding, how?? Bad things happen to good people, touch wood, on the way to the brides house, you fractured your arm, you get a call from maid that your kid fell off the . Earthquakes or flood (I'm doing overseas wedding now, these things are often taken for granted here) because the stars of the couple don't match, somehow. When such things happen, liability to the client should be limited to "Y". "Y" can be the full-deposit or payment made, or "Y" = payment made - your expenditure or cost incurred.
3. Copyright/ use of the photos. Often taken for granted. Who owns the copyright and what should the use be limited to? You walk past a florist or cake shop or bridal shop and find that your photo that you shot 2 months ago are used for brochures, flyer, so happened that the shop owner is a good friend/relative of the couple. If they need photos, they should hire you commercially not get you as a wedding photographer to bao ka liao everything.
4. Cancellation. One of the hottest dates in the year, you have 89038290483902424 over couples whom you've turned down because someone has booked your services for that date 2 years ago. Now, one week before the wedding this couple decided not to get married for some reasons and decided to ask for refund. There should be a clause to spell out clearly that how you should entertain cancellation.
Other minor clauses:
5. Exclusive photographer. Your clients shouldn't be hiring another professional photographer(s). It can be a conflict of interests, photographers getting into each other's ways; neither would your client want their wedding to turn into a media event with photographers jostling with each other to get the best angle. There have been incidents of some photographers showing up at some weddings because bride or groom happened to be a big shot's nephew's cousin-in-law's brother. Not only will they get in your way, sometimes they take orders for photos from confused relatives and friends.
6. Additional expenses/cost incurred. Particularly for those of us who orders albums from overseas, we can't predict how prices will flaccuate. One day USD decides to soar or SGD drops; manufactors decides to up their most popular coffeetable albums by 20% in price (20% of some of my albums means a few hundred bucks); fuel prices go up affecting frieght charges, GST suddenly jacked up to 12% (ouch). Your contract should state a certain % (say a cap of 15% of the album cost) and clients agrees to pay for it. Imagine, 10 couples ordering the same book that you have to fork out a hunder bucks, no joke.
