An editable photography contract covering usage licence, booking fee, cancellation, payment and termination. A starting point to adapt with your lawyer.
Not legal advice — have a lawyer review it. Word, Google Docs and PDF.
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CONTRACTTemplate preview · Example
01
Services
40 edited images in high and web resolution; online gallery for selection.
02
Fees and payment
Deposit before work starts, invoices due within 14 days, expenses at cost with approval.
03
Usage licence
The photographer keeps copyright. The client receives a licence to use the final images for the uses, territory and period stated. Other uses need a new licence.
04
Termination
Either party can end the agreement with written notice; work done to date is paid.
What a photography contract should cover
A photography contract sets out what you’ll deliver, what the client must do, how you’re paid and what happens if things change. For photographers, the clauses that matter most are usually usage licence, booking fee, cancellation and weather.
Clause
Why it matters
Services and exclusions
Defines the work and stops scope creep before it starts.
Client responsibilities
Makes dependencies explicit and ties your dates to them.
Fees and payment
Deposit, payment terms, expenses and late payment.
Usage licence
The photographer keeps copyright. The client receives a licence to use the final images for the uses, territory and period stated. Other uses need a new licence.
Booking fee
A non-refundable booking fee secures the date and is deducted from the final invoice.
Cancellation and weather
If the client cancels within 7 days of the shoot, 50% of the shoot fee is payable. Outdoor shoots affected by weather are rescheduled at no charge.
Termination
How either side can end it and what’s owed.
The template
Parties
Service provider: [Business name, address, email] (“the photographer”)
The provider will deliver the photography services described below, or in a statement of work signed by both parties.
[40 edited images in high and web resolution]
[Online gallery for selection]
[Licence for the agreed usage]
2. Not included
[Models, stylists and props unless listed]
[Print production]
[Usage beyond the licence]
3. Client responsibilities
[Shot list and references]
[Products delivered before the shoot]
[Selections from the gallery within five days]
If the Client’s inputs are late, delivery dates move by the same amount of time.
4. Fees and payment
Fee: [Amount and basis — fixed, hourly, day rate or monthly]
Deposit: [e.g. 30% before work starts]
Payment terms: [e.g. invoices due within 14 days]
Expenses: [Charged at cost with prior approval / included]
Late payment: [Interest or right to pause work, as allowed by law]
5. Changes to the scope
Either party can request changes in writing. The provider will confirm the effect on fees and timeline before starting any change.
6. Usage licence
The photographer keeps copyright. The client receives a licence to use the final images for the uses, territory and period stated. Other uses need a new licence.
7. Booking fee
A non-refundable booking fee secures the date and is deducted from the final invoice.
8. Cancellation and weather
If the client cancels within 7 days of the shoot, 50% of the shoot fee is payable. Outdoor shoots affected by weather are rescheduled at no charge.
9. Confidentiality
Each party keeps the other’s confidential information private and uses it only to perform this agreement, during the agreement and for [2] years after it ends.
10. Liability
[Limit each party’s total liability, e.g. to the fees paid under this agreement in the previous 12 months, and exclude indirect losses, to the extent the law allows. Have a lawyer draft this clause for your jurisdiction.]
11. Term and termination
This agreement starts on the effective date and continues until the services are complete, unless ended earlier.
Either party may end it with [14] days’ written notice.
Either party may end it immediately if the other materially breaches it and doesn’t fix the breach within [10] days of notice.
On termination, the Client pays for work done up to the termination date.
12. Independent contractor
The provider is an independent business, not an employee, and is responsible for their own taxes and insurance.
General
Entire agreement: this agreement (and any statements of work under it) is the whole agreement between the parties on its subject.
Changes: changes to this agreement must be in writing and signed by both parties.
Notices: notices are sent to the email addresses above, or as updated in writing.
Governing law: this agreement is governed by the laws of [jurisdiction], and the courts of [jurisdiction] have jurisdiction.
Signatures
[Party A]
[Party B]
Name
Title
Signature
Date
How to fill it in
Fill in both parties’ legal names and addresses, and the effective date.
Describe the services and deliverables, or reference a signed statement of work.
List exclusions and the client’s responsibilities, with dates where they affect yours.
Set the fee, deposit, payment terms, expenses and late payment terms.
Review the photography-specific clauses, such as usage licence, and adapt them to the project.
Have a lawyer review the template for your jurisdiction, then sign it before work starts.
Use it in Word, Google Docs or PDF
Microsoft Word
Download the Word (.docx) file and open it. If Word opens it in Protected View, select Enable Editing.
Use Find (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) and search for “[” to jump between the placeholders you need to replace.
Save a clean copy as a Word template (File → Save As → Word Template) so every new document starts from it.
Google Docs
Upload the .docx file to Google Drive.
Right-click it and choose Open with → Google Docs, then File → Save as Google Docs to keep an editable copy.
Use File → Make a copy for each new client so your master stays clean.
PDF
Use Print or save as PDF in the template section above to print just the template, or fill it in Word or Google Docs first and export it (File → Save As → PDF in Word, File → Download → PDF document in Google Docs).
Example: key terms for Coldwater Photography and Juniper Skincare
How the main clauses read once filled in for a product and lifestyle shoot. Both companies are fictional.
Parties and dates
Provider: Coldwater Photography
Client: Juniper Skincare
Effective date: 1 March
Services
40 edited images in high and web resolution
Online gallery for selection
Licence for the agreed usage
Not included
Models, stylists and props unless listed
Print production
Usage beyond the licence
Fees and payment
Fee: $3,850.00 excluding tax, as itemised in the proposal
Deposit: $1,155.00 (30%) before work starts
Payment terms: Invoices due within 14 days
Notice: 14 days’ written notice by either party
Usage licence
The photographer keeps copyright. The client receives a licence to use the final images for the uses, territory and period stated. Other uses need a new licence.
Booking fee
A non-refundable booking fee secures the date and is deducted from the final invoice.
Cancellation and weather
If the client cancels within 7 days of the shoot, 50% of the shoot fee is payable. Outdoor shoots affected by weather are rescheduled at no charge.
Common mistakes
Starting work before it’s signed. Most disputes start on projects where the terms were “agreed on a call”.
A scope described in one line. Reference a detailed scope or statement of work.
No change process. Without one, every extra request becomes a negotiation.
Copying clauses you don’t understand. If you can’t explain a clause to the client, ask a lawyer about it.
Angelwood’s proposal software builds proposals and agreements from your own templates, shows when the client has opened them and collects e-signatures, with a countersignature to execute the agreement.
Commonly the photographer keeps copyright and licenses the client to use the images for agreed purposes. If the client needs full ownership, price a buyout and say so in writing.
Should a photography contract include a cancellation policy?+
Yes: a non-refundable booking fee to secure the date, a charge for late cancellation, and what happens if weather or illness affects the shoot.
Is a contract template legally binding?+
A template becomes binding once the parties agree and sign it, if it meets the legal requirements where you are. Whether it protects you depends on what it says, so have a lawyer review it for your jurisdiction.
Can contracts be signed electronically?+
In most countries, yes: electronic signatures are generally valid for business contracts like this one, with some exceptions for specific document types. Check the rules that apply to you.
Can I edit this template in Word or Google Docs?+
Yes. Download the Word (.docx) file and open it in Microsoft Word, or upload it to Google Drive and choose Open with → Google Docs. There’s also a Markdown version for any text editor. No account or email address is needed.
How do I save it as a PDF?+
Fill it in, then export it: File → Save As → PDF in Word, or File → Download → PDF document in Google Docs. On this page you can also print just the template or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print dialog.