Make a deal?

When talking about wedding photography, we always forget to talk about the arrangements between the wedding couple and the wedding photographer.

It seems that it is a normal thing and it is not worth giving weight, but all professional photographers are concerned about compiling and signing a contract that defines all the agreements between the parties.

I find it hard to speak the legal jargon so I’ll try to explain the reasons why it is useful to compile a contract with my words.

First of all, a contract is an agreement. So it is good that both, the wedding photographer and the couple are well protected. The photographer who is certain that the work he do is then retired and paid as agreed, the spouses instead have to be sure that the day of the wedding will be the photographer they chose. This is not an aspect to underestimate. In the case of serious health reasons it is natural that the photographer should be replaced but this is a limit case, there must be no reason for convenience in this substitution.

For spouses then it is important that they pay what they have agreed to. That the images are delivered in high resolution and if there are any prints and albums that are there.

But there are also many other facets of the contract that are not thought to be the first: the rights to use the images. There is a copyright law which provides that the images are always intended. That is, the photographer realizes images of which he / she remains the owner and this property is not transferable, even in the face of payments. What is sellable is the right to use. So on the contract are all the uses that the customer can make with the images.

There is the backup clause, the wedding photographer will specify how long he is responsible for saving the images. There are chord selection chords for the album, who does it and what it is.

Finally there are the agreements on any cancellations, on both sides, and practical things like lunch, service duration, and delivery times.

In short, the purpose is to make you feel comfortable that all I promise you then keep it. This is also at the base of the National Association of Wedding Photographers (Italy) of which I am a founding member and a member of the Board.