Wedding Photography Service Guidelines & Policy

 Introduction to Service Guidelines

I've published the below service guidelines and policy in order to make them transparent to new and existing clients in the hope that this will relieve the anxiety I know some couples feel when dealing with the unknown. It's intended to let people know what they can expect from me and an attempt to reduce the number of queries I receive by giving you the information you are looking for in a self service fashion.

The Booking Process

The booking process is relatively simple. Please email me to let me know you wish to book and I will send you a contract to sign and return with the £150 booking fee. This is part of the overall package price.

Once received I will sign, scan and return a scanned copy via email, along with written confirmation of your booking. Your wedding photography is not booked until I have received your booking fee and contract and have confirmed the booking.

Please note this may take a couple of weeks to process. Contracts are processed in the order they are received.

What happens next?

A few weeks before your wedding I will contact you again and ask you to complete my Shootlist document. This is a word document which contains sections to prompt to provide all the information I need to shoot your wedding. Please pay particular attention to dates, timings and addresses as providing I'm in the correct place at the correct time, most other things can be changed on the fly!

There is no need to meet again before the wedding, however should you wish to this is usually possible with enough notice. Please note even if you do wish to meet I will still ask you to complete the shootlist document and it is that information I will work from, rather than from the details of the conversation we may have. Please note as I see many couples it would be very easy for me to mix up a conversation with a couple, by providing me with your own written instructions, that risk is eliminated.

By far the most common thing everybody wants to know is 'how long will it take?' I understand that everybody wants everything as quickly as possible, however what clients often fail to understand is that the quicker something is done, the less time and attention is spent on it, obvious when it's put like that!

The below guidelines on how long things take try to balance the needs of clients of getting their images back in a reasonable time while allowing me adequate time to do the job properly. Please note if you want me to rush your wedding I will try to, however you must understand that does mean your wedding photographs will be rushed!

I understand that we now live in a mass produced world where everything seems to be instantly available and delivered within 24 hours. For many of you this will be first time you are purchasing a totally bespoke, handmade to order piece of art and as such I've written the below expected timescales to give you some indication of what is reasonable to expect.

First in, First Out

Please note I operate a 'first in, first out' policy. What this means is that I perform work tasks in the order in which they arrive with the exception of Initial previews which I will always attempt to return as promptly as possible and late paying and unpaid clients whose orders will have less priority.

Initial previews are given priority because:

1. Couples may be apprehensive about their wedding photographs until they have seen that their previews are fine. It is also possible to plan and manage the post processing of a wedding because the wedding date is known in advance.

2. I can't plan album design and related tasks in advance because I don't know when clients will order. Often clients delay ordering until the months leading up to Christmas and this can create a bottleneck. In some years 65% of all clients in a given year, plus several from earlier years have ordered in the month leading up to the Christmas deadline! It is unfair on my other clients if failure to order in a timely fashion impedes upon them receiving their previews.

Late paying clients orders will not be processed until payment has been received. This includes both initial previews and albums.

With this in mind, the following lead-times can be taken as indicative only.

Initial Previews

Usually up to 4 weeks off peak times, up to 6 weeks during peak times. My target is to return within 2-3 weeks.

Peak times vary every year, however are most likely between August and December.

CD Only Packages

Usually within 2 weeks of receiving the final balance and acceptance of images.

Print Only Packages

Usually within 3 weeks of receiving the final balance and final order.

Album Design

Two weeks between me receiving your instructions and sending out your draft during off-peak times, up to 4 weeks during peak times. This also applies to subsequent revisions that are requested.

Album Ordering

From receiving confirmation you are happy with the design and final payment 6 to 8 weeks.

Christmas deadlines are usually imposed by supplier in the first week of November. Albums being ordered in the months leading up to Christmas will be dealt with on a first come, first served basis. There is no guarantee albums ordered before the manufacturers deadline (usually first week of November) will be returned in time for Christmas by the supplier. The suppliers deadlines are indicative only and my advice is to order your album soon after your wedding rather than waiting several months.

Rush me, I'll Rush policy

By default I will take the necessary time to provide a very high standard of work as I believe in taking the time to produce the best result possible. Put simply you can't rush art.

However as a business offering a service I do try to respond to my clients wishes so If I am rushed or receive repeated 'progress requests' I will assume this means your priority is speed of delivery and I will switch emphasis to speed in order meet your priorities. Please remember however that the quicker something is done, the less time is spent on it!

Sending the CD

Please note in order to maintain an efficient workflow, the CD will only be sent with the final product, be that, just the CD, an album or prints. Unless a CD only package has been purchased, the CD will only be sent with the finished product without exception.

This is an attempt to reduce the number of couples who delay ordering their albums, as often after a couple has received the CD they urgency to receive the product dies and as their priorities take over, the order can be delayed months, sometimes even years which makes it very difficult to plan and manage my workload.

I will happily send up to 3 images by email if they are required for thank you cards.

Communications Policy

The best way to contact me is always via e-mail.

I aim to respond to emails within 3-4 working days. Please mark urgent email, 'urgent'.

When I am on holiday my e-mail will still usually be answered, however please note everybody needs a holiday occasionally and it's entirely possible I may choose somewhere without a mobile phone signal!

Album does not pass quality control

If I receive an album that does not pass quality control I will reject it and order another. Sadly should this occur (it does happen very rarely) this will impact upon album delivery date.

Albums Lost in Transit

If an album is lost in transit I will pay for a replacement. Please note however that an album will not be accepted as 'Lost in transit' until officially done so by the Royal Mail. This is currently declared when a parcel is 15 working days overdue it's expected date.

Albums Damaged in transit

Should this occur, I will pay for a replacement. Before I can proceed I will need you to return the album to me so I can claim compensation from the Royal Mail. Your replacement order will be placed as soon as I have received your damaged album back. Please note, I will pay for your return postage via cheque. All returns should be sent via special delivery.

Albums Damaged in your possession

Any damage to the album not reported to me within 21 days after posting or collection will be considered to be damage inflicted while in your possession. All my albums are designed to last a very long time when looked after and stored correctly. However with any product, occasionally one bad sample may slip through and of course any product can be damaged through accident or misuse.

Any damage which appears to be due to material defect such as binding within the first 3 months will be rectified at my expense without quibble and up to 1 year after inspecting the album for signs it has not been involved in an accident of some kind.

Should your album show signs of being dropped, scratched, stained with foreign objects or substances or being stored in damp conditions or has received water damage or any other damage which does not appear to be the result of faulty materials or workmanship then I will happily provide a direct replacement where still available at cost. This is an aftersales commitment to you.

Essentially, if it doesn't arrive in good condition or fails within a  year I will replace it. If you damage it accidentally than where possible I will replace it at cost.