policies

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Policies and Procedures

We now have a basic contract which must be signed prior to our confirming a scheduled date for photography. Below are our policies and procedures in full. Please read carefully.

Accent Photography has developed a specific set of policies and procedures to ensure that everyone is clearly aware of all responsibilities pertaining to a photography session. We want to avoid misunderstandings and help you get the most out of your experience with us. Please read this page carefully and contact us if you have any questions.

Be prepared before you hire us. It is very important that you have finished ALL work on any project that is to be photographed prior to our arrival.

If we are photographing a home, make sure that homeowners are aware of the date and time we will be arriving, and that they understand this could take a considerable amount of time. We are not taking a few snapshots and leaving. Make sure they understand that we will be bringing in lots of photographic equipment and lighting. Pets and children (and sometimes overexcited homeowners) tend to cause potential catastrophes. We are there to utilize our professional skills to give you the best possible images, not to conduct crowd control. It is your responsibility to keep everyone in check. Ideally, the best situation possible is that we photograph when no one is at home. You can also kindly ask them to remain in another area of the home while we work.

If we are photographing products, make certain that all products are produced, have been inspected and are ready to be photographed. If the products require lifting to relocate them to the photography area, please make certain that someone is available to do that lifting. We are not movers, we are photographers.

If we are photographing people, please be sure that you inform us beforehand if you require a stylist...otherwise we will not be coming with one. Make certain that everyone who is being photographed is wearing suitable clothing for the style of photography you require and that they are aware of the date and time.

It is generally our policy to begin work at approximately 9:00 a.m. unless otherwise discussed beforehand. Any time that we spend waiting will be billed at our hourly rate.

Cancellations/changes: Once you have been scheduled for a specific day or days, please understand that we have marked that time off our calendar and set it aside for you. When other clients call wanting that day, we have to schedule them for another time. If you call to cancel a date, we then have open days where we could have had work, and we must try to fill them. Therefore, we must have 72 hours notice of any cancellations in order to refund your deposit. We must also know of any date changes 72 hours in advance so that we can adjust our travel arrangements and reservations.

Out of state locations: When traveling out of town, we typically leave early in the morning the day before we are scheduled to photograph, so it is critical that you inform us of changes at least 72 hours before your scheduled date. Do not wait until the day before we are to arrive at your location because we will already be on the road. You will be charged for our travel and that day.

If we are photographing multiple homes for you, have a back-up plan in case one of your clients is unable or unwilling at the last minute to allow us to photograph. We give you a price based on time and distance. It is the minimum amount that we will charge to come to your location and work for you. It is not based on the number of rooms or homes that we photograph, or the hours we are there. It is a minimum quote for a minimum number of hours and it will be charged regardless of what is actually available to be photographed once we arrive.

Balance Due: Because of the way we photograph, you are able to proof your images on a 17" laptop monitor while we work. Once we return to our studio, we process the images, usually within 24 hours. We post them online for your final approval and email you a link to the images. Please be aware that this is coming up shortly after we photograph for you and be prepared to respond quickly. You have 24 hours to view the images and contact us with any changes you'd like to have made. Once all work is completed and the finished images have been viewed online, the total amount of the balance is due immediately. Release forms and image CD will be shipped upon receipt of final payment. Please contact us first if, for any reason, the payment cannot be made within this timeframe. If payment has not been receive within 10 days, a service charge equal to 18% annually may be applied to any remaining amount on a monthly basis, until the invoice amount is paid in full. Meanwhile the photography remains solely our property and is not released for your use in any form. If the amount is not paid in full within a period of six months or there is indication that no further payment will be received, you will be held responsible for all related attorney's fees and court costs.

If it is necessary on your part to have signed release forms at the time the photography is completed, please make arrangements to pay your total estimated invoice ahead of time. We will not sign release forms until the balance due is paid. Under no circumstances will we release the images without the balance due paid in full.

Image Rights: The rights to each image is determined prior to the photography session and priced accordingly. The rights apply only to you and your company. Rights are not transferable to any third party for any reason without prior written consent by Accent Photography. Rights apply to specified usage only. Accent Photography retains full ownership of all images unless otherwise specified.

Our Fees: Our fees include our time to travel to your location, any meals and accommodations necessary, fuel, our time to photograph your images, one CD with all final images in either .tif or .jpg high resolution format. Our time in processing the images for color correction, perspective correction and removing light switches and power cords (if desired) is covered also. Because each of our clients is different, we do require that you specify what you want removed from an image. This is another reason we allow you 24 hours to proof the images online. Our fees DO NOT include overrun hours, additional travel such as going from one home to another, detailed retouching of images, prints, additional image CDs or shipping. All this will be invoiced additionally on your balance due or in a separate invoice. All shipping will be billed actual cost plus a fee to cover packaging. Accent Photography will gladly handle ordering professional photo lab archival quality prints for you if you like. If you request this service, we will give you a quote on the prints, which must be paid prior to the prints being ordered. Normal turnaround time for the prints is approximately 5 business days. We do not guarantee the quality of prints made anywhere else. Our entire photographic system is color matched to a specific professional photo lab.

Your Responsibilities: During the photo shoot, you are responsible for approving the images as they are being taken and all details within that image. We gladly provide assistance with visual placement of items, and advice on what we feel will make for the most visually pleasing image. You do not have to take our advice. You are responsible for the way everything is placed and prepared in the room and therefore the final results. We will take numerous photographs of all rooms. Some of these are in preparation for the final image--getting lighting correct, selection of the best angle to photograph from, etc. These are considered "test shots" and will not be processed because they are incomplete. Once you approve the image you would like as the "final" for that angle, we will make note of that image number as the one to be processed for your use. The images noted as "final" will be the images you receive on your CD. We do not release test shots for any reason.

Miscellaneous: We do not hang wall art. We will not be responsible for putting holes in your clients walls. As soon as we arrive on location, your time begins and it does include the time it takes for us to get our equipment into the home and get it set up. Color: Please understand that your computer monitor is not professionally color balanced. What you see on your screen is likely quite different than what we see on ours. We have a process we use during each session to detect and record the true color of everything in each room. We will make every attempt to produce an image that is visually pleasing and of true color based on the recordings we make while photographing. There are some colors that cannot be reproduced in print exactly as you see them with your eye. The ultimate goal is to have a beautiful image. We will reproduce our images to industry standards, but cannot guarantee that every color will be exactly as you perceive it to be.

Accent Photography

Onsite Photography for your Business and Web Solutions