It’s very important to have a solid group of contracts if you plan on running a photography business. I once found myself in a situation where I quickly realized my contract wasn’t up to par, and I seriously regretted it. I was embarrassed and unprotected. I didn’t fully understand the importance of a contract and I only had one because I was told I needed one. But I never had it reviewed by a lawyer, it was full of gaps and didn’t include the important information that I never would have considered adding on my own.
The lesson I learned from that whole experience was so valuable to my business! Not only did it teach me what NOT to do, I quickly learned what I needed to be doing from that point on. Personally, some of my successes are based solely off of failures/lessons I learned that thankfully didn’t ruin me. And in this particular case, something happened that was totally out of my control…but my biggest mistake was that I didn’t have a solid contract in place to protect me or my client. Don’t get me wrong, I had a contract! But it clearly wasn’t good enough.
What a lesson that was!!
1) Get your contracts from a trusted, reliable, LEGAL source! I can’t stress this point enough. When I first started thinking of opening up dates on my calendar to accept client bookings I knew I needed a contract, but I didn’t realize how important they really were. I thought it was a formality “just in case” something happened and I needed it to fall back on. I didn’t take it as seriously as I should have. (Insert face of shame, here.)
I found a contract template online that another photographer shared for other photographers to use. I changed out some contact information and started to use the contract. Hindsight is always 20/20! (Again…the face of shame.)
Shortly after my experience I KNEW I couldn’t go through something like that again. I KNEW that my clients needed to be my highest priority. I KNEW that by getting a stronger contract I would be protecting them as well as myself. My search started. And Rachel Brenke – The LawTog saved my business!!
2) Provide your clients with an easy way to view, sign, and submit these contracts. When I first started to accept clients I had a way to deliver contracts as a PDF through email. It was slow, inefficient, required paper to be printed and mailed/or scanned and emailed back. I hated it. As technology started to improve and companies started to see there were needs like this that had to be met, different options started to come available to me. My next form of delivering contracts was through the use of MachForms by AppNitro. This blog is operated through WordPress with ProPhoto, so it was very easy for me to integrate the use of MachForm directly into my blog. My clients were able to fill out questionnaires, contracts, submit payments, and provide me with feedback all through my website! This was like a dream come true for me!! Instantly, my clients started to write me emails thanking me for making the booking process so easy for them. I was thrilled!
But, as my business began to grow and my client base got larger I started to realize that I needed to update the way I handled my studio management. This past year I was introduced to Pixifi and I haven’t looked back since. Everything you can possibly think of is housed and managed in this easy-to-use interface. My clients now receive access to their very own, private, protected Client Portal. And I have access to every piece of information that has to do with running my business with one simple click of my mouse. (I’ll be providing some more in-depth information about Pixifi in another part of this series. So make sure you continue to come back to check the blog for the next installment!) 😉
3) Review your contracts AT LEAST annually. Make changes, as needed. Add clauses, as needed. This past year I was reading through posts in one of my photography groups and read something regarding contracts specifically for wedding albums. All of a sudden my eyes were opened to another contract that I knew I needed to have put in place. If you follow me at all you probably noticed a shift in my business model in 2014, as I’m shooting more engagement sessions and weddings. With that shift in concentration came along a brand new list of products I offer my clients. I have a workflow in place for choosing wedding album images, designing the album, getting feedback from my client regarding their album’s proof, and then ordering the album. But it NEVER dawned on me that I needed to have a contract to cover this part of my business. It makes perfect sense though! A lot of time goes into designing and proofing a wedding album for printing. It has to be protected.
I would recommend staying active in several photography groups and/or forums to stay aware of the changes in this industry. Things are constantly shifting and moving, and had I not been in that group on that particular day this conversation was taking place then I may have missed out on the tip of adding a wedding album contract to my arsenal. Needless to say, I now have one and it’s a very important piece of my wedding contract.
4) A good contract doesn’t just protect you, it protects your clients as well. PLEASE understand that having a contract isn’t a means of putting up walls of security around only yourself. A really great contract provides promises and protection for your clients by placing yourself under a legal agreement to provide them with EXACTLY what you’re promising to provide them. A client should ALWAYS feel comfortable signing the contracts you’ve provided them because they can easily see how they are protected in the off-chance something might happen that may prevent you from performing your contracted duties or providing the product. Unfortunately, there are times when something happens that is completely outside of your control (you’re in a car wreck, are horribly ill, digital files get deleted by accident, there’s a fire, etc). But make sure you have written clauses inside of your contract that talks about how you agree to provide alternate services if something like this occurs.
If you learn anything from this blog post, I hope that you’re able to take away some pointers and tips based off of my experiences. I pray you never find yourself in a position that could potentially ruin your business reputation before you even get started! And the best way to make sure you and your clients are covered is to put all expectations in writing before money ever changes hands.
