Terms & Conditions

Clients are required to thoroughly read through these terms and conditions before making any payment. Once payment has been received, client agrees to these terms and conditions and no signature is required. No contract will be presented, these terms and conditions are legally binding upon acceptance.

Client agrees to pay a reservation fee of 30% of the invoice total upon making the reservation. (Unless otherwise stated in the event of a special promotion). Upon receiving the reservation fee Photographer reserves the time and date agreed upon. For this reason, all fees are non-refundable, even if the date is changed or cancelled for any reason.
The Client can cancel this contract at any time by notifying the Photographer in writing. However, if the Client cancels, they will forfeit all money already paid.
If client cancels their booking, booking will not be reinstated at a later stage. Once cancellation has been received, date will be made available to other bookings.
Invoices are only valid for 7 days, if expired please follow up about date availability before making payment.
Remaining invoice amount to be paid in full no later than 2 weeks before the booked date.
Client acknowledges that photography/videography on event day is at the sole artistic discretion of the Photographer / Videographer. Client acknowledges that the photographer has a specific style and adheres to the said style. No shots throughout the day are guaranteed but the Photographer will do her best to capture all important moments as far as possible.
The due performance of this contract is subject to alteration or cancellation by either party owing to any cause beyond their control. In such an event the Photographer will not be liable to the Client(s) and/or any further person in respect of any loss and/or damage of whatsoever nature caused by, or arising from any of the following circumstances:

Force majeure (Acts of God);

The loss, damage, destruction or theft of any property on the venue;

Any act or circumstance, save for gross negligence by the Photographer, causing the loss, damage, destruction, theft and such other related events of photographic material (including camera equipment);

Loss or damage resulting from or related to the use of any equipment on the venue, including but not limited to furniture, cutlery and crockery, sound equipment and photographic equipment or technical failure thereof;

The Photographer warrants that she takes the utmost care with respect to exposure, transportation, and processing the photographs. However, in the unlikely event that any Materials are damaged in processing, lost through camera or other media malfunction, lost in the mail, or otherwise lost or damaged without fault on the part of the Photographer, or in the event the Photographer fails to perform for any other reason beyond the Photographers control, the Photographer’s liability is limited to the return of all payments received for the event package.

The Client(s) indemnifies and holds the Photographer harmless against all liability, claims and expenses, including attorney’s fees, arising from Client(s), and/or any third parties’ use of the Photographer’s Material and / or any loss, damage or misuse of any Photographs supplied by the Photographer, granted that there is no fault on the part of the Photographer.

In the unlikely event that the Photographer is unable to attend the wedding due to circumstances beyond their control (such as, but not limited to, illness, injury, personal emergency, or unforeseen travel delays), the Photographer reserves the right to appoint a suitable replacement photographer to attend the wedding and carry out the photography services to the best of their ability.

If a suitable replacement cannot be found, the Photographer’s liability shall be limited to a full refund of all payments received for the event package. Such refunds will be processed and issued within four (4) weeks of the scheduled event date.

Re-shoots may be arranged if practicable but the Photographer will not be responsible for any further costs ancillary hereto.

Editing of photographs may take up to 2 months of the wedding date. Editing of the video can take up to 3 months after the wedding date. In the unfortunate event where this deadline is delayed due to instances beyond the photographers control, client will be updated on progress and no liabilities will be held against uncontrollable situations making it hard for the photographer to deliver within the period agreed upon. NO unedited photographs or RAW footage will be provided to the client.

All RAW photographs/footage taken on the day of the wedding, will be deleted from the hard drives after 6 months of receiving your photographs/video.

Edited photographs/footage will be kept for 2 years.

The Online gallery will be available for 12 months after your wedding date then will be take down. To reupload or keep online for additional 12 months will be R1000.

The Client(s) hereby permit and allow the Photographer to display any images covered by this contract and to generally promote the business by means of advertising, publicity material, websites, exhibitions, competitions, magazine articles, and other such media, providing that the images are used lawfully and without damage to the Client(s).

It is specifically agreed that the Material may be used on Facebook, and / or such other social media forums as is desired, and that the Clients’ may be tagged, or otherwise identified, unless otherwise agreed in writing.

-Special Requests: If there is anything uniquely different, or any specific and distinctive request, then such request needs to be brought to the attention of the Photographer in writing one week prior to your wedding date.

-Requested Photographs: The Photographer will honour all photographs requested and agreed in advance, provided the following factors are met: weather and allocated time permitting, availability and co-operation of the person/s concerned.

-Coverage: The Photographer will not be held responsible for the lack of coverage caused by the bride, the groom, or wedding party not being on time, or by any obstructed view caused by the Church, Register Office, or Licensed place of wedding restrictions on photography. The Photographer does not undertake to guarantee any specific picture nor incorporate any specific background, location or group arrangement. Where restrictions or limitations are set by any official or person possessing the correct legal authority to do so, the Photographer shall not be held responsible for non-fulfilment of this contract.

-Weather Changes: Weather permitting; all photographs requested will be taken as agreed. In the event of rain or snow or any form of weather disturbance, the Photographer will make the necessary changes in the photographic session and will not be liable for the lack of coverage caused by any weather disturbance and/or responsible for any disappointment caused due to the weather.

-Family photographs: The Client is responsible for appointing a friend or family member to gather all family members involved to the appointed place where the photographs will be taken. The persons to appear on each separate group photo should also be decided by the client beforehand. It is not the responsibility of the photographer to get all the family members together for the family photographs and the photographer will not be held responsible if time is wasted on this.

-Overtime Charged: All overtime charged will be computed at a rate of R1,500 per hour

-Accommodation: Should the venue for the function be more than 1 hour’s drive from The Photographer’s office, Accommodation will be added to the package. Please inform the photographer if you wish to make your own arrangements for accommodation on their behalf.

-Traveling Expenses: Travel charges of R3.50 per kilometer will be charged. Toll fees will be charged additionally. These traveling charges will be added to the quote and are for the Clients account. Any Further and / or more advanced travel arrangements will be as discussed between Clients and Photographer.

-Service Times: Our Service times can unfortunately not be later than 21:00. Program of the day needs to be worked out accordingly.

One hour and thirty minutes (1 ½ hours) is required for group photos, bride and groom photos but excludes traveling time to different locations.

It is essential to adhere to per-arranged schedule in order to achieve a high photographic standard. The photographer will not be held responsible for poor quality photographs as a direct result of rushed photography or lack of proper light due to schedule running late.

It is the responsibility of the client to inform the photographer of all locations the photographer will need to be present at on the day. Travel fees will need to be worked out accordingly and travel times will need to be calculated to successfully adhere to the timeline of the day. If the client fails to inform the photographer of all locations, an eligible fine will be served to the client.
Clients are welcome to add more hours or services to their initial package but such changes needs to be communicated and paid for no later than 2 weeks before the booked date.
If client booked with photographer at said venue and the venue changes without informing the photographer, the photographer arrives at initial venue only to find out the arrangements have changed, this will automatically be taken as a cancellation and the photographer will not be liable to arrive at new location.
The Client agrees to refrain from making any public statements, including but not limited to posts, comments, or reviews on social media platforms, websites, forums, or any other public communication channels, that could be construed as defamatory, false, misleading, or harmful to the reputation of VDM Photo & Film.

Should the Client have any concerns or complaints before or after the services provided, the Client agrees to first address these concerns directly with VDM Photo & Film or their appointed legal representative in writing and allow a reasonable opportunity for resolution before making any public statements.

Any defamatory or malicious remarks made publicly with the intent to harm or discredit VDM Photo & Film, its representatives, or its services, will result in legal action, including but not limited to claims for defamation, damages, and associated legal costs.

Client agrees that VDM Photo & Film will be the only team to perform photographic services on the wedding date and no other companies or individuals (family members, friends, acquaintances) will be appointed.

The Client(s) hereby accepts the quotation from The Photographer to render and supply all services and materials as agreed upon on these terms and conditions as stated herein. The Client(s) by agreeing to this contract acknowledges that they have read and understood the terms and conditions and agrees to all of the above and is further familiar with all details of the selected package.

By paying the booking fee we have understood the contents of this contract and agree to the terms therein. We understand that no signature is required to acknowledge agreement.