Booking Information & Terms
(Terms and Conditions)
Rev: 21-Jun 2026r1
Note: A PDF version of these exact terms (per revision reflected above) is available for download here.
By booking a photography session and submitting a retainer payment, the Client acknowledges that they have read, understood, and agree to the following Terms & Conditions:
Booking, Retainer, & Payment
A non-refundable retainer equal to 50% of the total session fee is required to reserve a date and time.
No date is considered reserved until the retainer has been received.
The remaining balance is due before, on, or within 24-hours after the photography session unless otherwise agreed in writing.
Photographs, galleries, downloads, and products may be withheld until all outstanding balances have been paid in full.
Session Preparation & Meeting Location
The session location, meeting point, and start time will be discussed and agreed upon prior to the photography session.
Clients are expected to arrive at the agreed-upon meeting location, whether indicated on the booking confirmation or through discussions with Photographer, at or before the scheduled session start time.
Clients are encouraged to arrive 10–15 minutes early, particularly for locations that require parking, venue entry, outfit changes, restroom stops, or walking to the photography location.
Mark August Photography will make reasonable efforts to send a reminder or check-in message prior to the session, typically the day before and/or the day of the session. However, failure to receive a reminder message does not alter the scheduled session time or the Client's responsibility to arrive as agreed.
Clients are encouraged to communicate any questions, delays, or location concerns as soon as possible before the session begins.
Late Arrival Policy
Mark August Photography understands that traffic, parking, family logistics, and unexpected delays can happen. Clients are encouraged to communicate any delays as soon as possible.
Photography sessions begin and end at the scheduled times agreed upon at booking. Time lost due to client lateness may not be recoverable.
If scheduling permits, the Photographer may choose to extend the session to accommodate a late arrival; however, such extensions are not guaranteed.
Additional shooting time beyond the originally scheduled session may be available at the Photographer's discretion and may incur additional fees.
Clients who are more than 30 minutes late without any communication may be considered a no-show. In such cases, the session may be cancelled and any retainer paid shall be forfeited.
The Photographer will also make every reasonable effort to arrive on time. Delays caused by traffic, accidents, road closures, weather conditions, vehicle issues, or other circumstances beyond the Photographer's reasonable control shall not constitute a breach of these Terms & Conditions.
Cancellation Policy
The retainer is non-refundable.
In the event the Client cancels a session, the retainer shall be retained by Mark August Photography to compensate for reserved time, preparation, and lost booking opportunities.Hi there!
Rescheduling Policy
Clients may reschedule a session one time at no additional charge provided at least 48 hours notice is given.
Additional rescheduling requests may be accommodated at the Photographer's discretion and may incur additional fees.
Failure to provide at least 48 hours notice may result in forfeiture of the retainer.
Weather Policy
For outdoor sessions, weather-related rescheduling may occur at no charge when weather conditions are determined by the Photographer to be prohibitive to creating quality photographs.
Examples may include heavy rain, severe wind, hazardous conditions, wildfire smoke, or other conditions that significantly impact safety or image quality.
Note that cloudy conditions alone are not a reason for weather-related rescheduling.
However, sessions may be rescheduled due to less-than-ideal weather conditions if both the Client and Photographer mutually agree.
Travel Fees
Photography sessions located more than 45 minutes from Mountain View, California may be subject to additional travel fees.
Any applicable travel fees will be discussed and agreed upon prior to booking.
Photographer Artistic Style & Editing
All photographs are edited and delivered according to the Photographer's artistic judgment and creative discretion.
Color grading, cropping, exposure adjustments, black and white conversions, retouching decisions, and overall image presentation are determined solely by the Photographer.
By booking a session, the Client acknowledges that they have reviewed the Photographer's portfolio and are hiring the Photographer specifically for that artistic style.
Requests for additional edits, alterations, or reprocessing after delivery are not included and may be accommodated only at the Photographer's discretion.
Additional editing requests may incur additional fees.
RAW Files
RAW files, unedited files, and original camera files remain the exclusive property of the Photographer and are not delivered to Clients.
Exceptions may be made only under special circumstances at the Photographer's sole discretion and must be agreed upon in writing.
Image Selection Process
For portrait sessions that include Client image selection, an online proof gallery will generally be delivered within one week of the session date.
Once the Client communicates their final image selections, final edited photographs will generally be delivered within the timeframe specified for portraits in the Delivery Timeline section.
Delays in image selection by the Client may extend delivery timelines.
Other session types could include Client image selection, but must be agreed with Photographer at time of photo session, and delivery deadlines will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Delivery Timeline
Estimated delivery timelines are as follows:
- Portrait Sessions: 1–2 weeks
- Events: 2–4 weeks
- Weddings: 4–8 weeks
Delivery timelines are estimates and may vary depending on workload, seasonality, and project scope.
Gallery Delivery & Expiration
Online galleries will remain available for a minimum of 120 days from the date of delivery.
Clients are responsible for downloading and backing up their photographs during this period.
Mark August Photography is not responsible for maintaining permanent storage of delivered images beyond the gallery expiration date.
Gallery reactivation after expiration, if available, may incur a fee.
Copyright & Personal Use License
Mark August Photography retains full copyright ownership of all photographs.
Clients receive a non-exclusive personal-use license to download, print, share, and display purchased photographs for personal purposes.
Photographs may not be sold, licensed, entered into contests, submitted for publication, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Mark August Photography.
Portfolio & Promotional Use
The Client grants Mark August Photography permission to use photographs from the session for portfolio display, website content, social media, advertising, marketing materials, photography competitions, educational purposes, and other business uses.
Requests for privacy or non-disclosure must be communicated and agreed upon prior to the session.
Client Cooperation
The Client acknowledges that photography results are influenced by numerous factors beyond the Photographer's control.
Mark August Photography cannot guarantee:
- Specific poses
- Specific expressions
- Participation or cooperation of children
- Participation or cooperation of pets
- Participation or cooperation of guests
- Specific weather conditions
- Specific lighting conditions
- Capture of every requested moment
The Photographer will make every reasonable effort to capture meaningful images and provide a high-quality final gallery.
Safety & Conduct
Mark August Photography is committed to providing a safe, respectful, and professional experience for all clients, guests, participants, and members of the public.
The Photographer reserves the right to refuse, terminate, or leave any photography session, event, or assignment without refund if the Photographer reasonably believes that the environment has become unsafe, threatening, illegal, abusive, discriminatory, harassing, or otherwise inappropriate.
This includes, but is not limited to:
- Threatening or aggressive behavior
- Harassment of any person
- Discrimination or hate-based conduct
- Illegal activity
- Dangerous conditions that may place individuals at risk of injury
- Abuse or mistreatment of people or animals
- Requests that would require the Photographer to participate in, document, or facilitate unlawful or unsafe activities
If a session is terminated due to safety or conduct concerns, any payments previously made shall be retained by Mark August Photography.
The Photographer reserves the right to prioritize the safety, well-being, and dignity of all individuals involved over the completion of photographic services.
Limitation of Liability
In the unlikely event of equipment failure, illness, injury, emergency, acts of nature, venue restrictions, or circumstances beyond the Photographer's reasonable control, liability shall be limited to the amount paid by the Client.
Mark August Photography shall not be responsible for consequential, indirect, or incidental damages arising from the photography session or delivery of images.
Mark August Photography reserves the right to terminate coverage without refund if the Photographer experiences unsafe, threatening, illegal, abusive, or harassing behavior.
Acceptance of Terms
Submission of a retainer payment constitutes acceptance of these Terms & Conditions.
The Client acknowledges that they have read, understood, and agreed to these Terms & Conditions before booking services with Mark August Photography.
A PDF version of these exact terms (per revision reflected above) is available for download here.
If there is something I missed or remains unaddressed, please reach out. I'm always trying to improve!