1. Introduction
Welcome to Aurea Photo. By accessing our website and securing our photography services, you agree to be bound by the following terms and conditions governing our professional relationship. These terms are designed to ensure a seamless, transparent, and enjoyable experience for all our clients while protecting the artistic integrity of our work. Please read these terms carefully before proceeding with any bookings, as they outline our mutual responsibilities, expectations, and the legal framework under which we operate. Engaging our services signifies your complete understanding and voluntary acceptance of these established guidelines regarding our photography sessions, event coverage, and final artistic deliverables.
2. Booking and Reservations
Securing a date with Aurea Photo requires a signed agreement and a non-refundable retainer fee to guarantee our availability for your special event or portrait session. Because we limit the number of commissions we accept to maintain our high standard of quality, turning away other potential clients for your reserved date makes this retainer absolutely essential. Your final balance is typically due a specified number of days prior to the actual session or event date as outlined in your contract. We operate on a strict first-come, first-served basis, meaning no date is officially locked into our calendar until both the signed contract and the required retainer have been successfully received and processed by our studio.
3. Payment and Cancellation Policy
We accept various forms of payment to accommodate our clients, all of which will be clearly detailed in your official invoice and booking contract. In the unfortunate event that you must cancel or significantly reschedule your photography session, please notify us in writing as soon as possible. While the initial booking retainer remains non-refundable due to the loss of potential business for that date, we always strive to be flexible and may allow you to apply that retainer toward a rescheduled session if requested within a reasonable timeframe. However, cancellations made extremely close to the event date may result in the forfeiture of all payments made up to that point.
4. Artistic Vision and Editing Process
When you hire Aurea Photo, you are commissioning us for our specific artistic style, cinematic color grading, and creative perspective as showcased in our portfolio. We retain full creative control over the selection of images to be edited and the final artistic adjustments applied to those photographs. We meticulously cull through the raw images to remove blinks, out-of-focus shots, and duplicates, presenting you only with the absolute best representations of your moments. We do not provide unedited or RAW files to clients under any circumstances, as they represent unfinished work that does not accurately reflect the high standards and artistic integrity of our photography brand.
5. Image Delivery and Archiving
Your beautifully edited, high-resolution digital photographs will be delivered via a private and secure online gallery within the timeframe specified in your contract. Upon receiving the gallery link, it is your sole responsibility to download and safely back up all your images to your own personal storage devices or physical hard drives. While we generally keep client files archived on our studio drives for a limited period as a courtesy, we cannot guarantee the permanent retention of your images once they have been officially delivered to you. Therefore, we highly recommend making multiple backups immediately to ensure your precious memories are never lost to unexpected technological failures.
6. Copyright and Usage Rights
Aurea Photo remains the sole and exclusive author and copyright owner of all photographs captured during your session or event, retaining all worldwide intellectual property rights. Upon final delivery, we grant you a personal, non-exclusive, and non-transferable print release, allowing you to print the images, share them with family and friends, and post them on your personal social media accounts. However, this release strictly prohibits you from using the photographs for any commercial purposes, selling them to third-party vendors, or entering them into photography competitions without our prior written consent. Any online sharing should ideally include a courtesy tag or credit to our studio.
7. Model Release and Publication
By booking our services, you grant Aurea Photo the right to use, publish, and exhibit the photographs from your session for our portfolio, website galleries, marketing materials, social media platforms, and physical studio displays. We take immense pride in the beautiful images we create together and rely on showcasing our actual client work to demonstrate our expertise and style to future clients. If you have specific privacy concerns or require a completely private and unpublicized photography session, please discuss this with us during the initial consultation phase before booking. We are always willing to respect your boundaries and can draft a specific non-disclosure agreement to accommodate your privacy requests.
8. Client Cooperation and Liability
A successful photography session requires mutual cooperation, punctuality, and clear communication between the photographer and the clients throughout the scheduled timeframe. We hold no liability for missed moments or compromised photographs resulting from a lack of client cooperation, extreme tardiness, scheduling delays caused by third-party vendors, or unforeseen environmental factors such as severe weather restrictions. Furthermore, Aurea Photo cannot be held financially or legally responsible for any accidental injuries, damages, or losses that may occur during the photography session on location. We always prioritize safety and professionalism, but clients are ultimately responsible for their own well-being and the supervision of minors or pets present at the shoot.