Terms & Conditions: People & Pet Portraits

By booking/purchasing a session with us or purchasing/using a gift voucher you agree to the following terms and conditions:

AVAILABILITY
You agree to attend a session at a pre-agreed date and time (subject to availability of the studio). Certain types of session may only be available on specific days and times only. Unless otherwise stated your session fee covers just the time of the photographer and does not include any products or digital images.

SESSION FEES
Some portrait sessions require you to pay a session fee to secure your booking. Session fees are non-refundable in the event of cancellation.

DEPOSITS
For sessions where a deposit is required, including promotional shoots, a deposit is taken to secure your session with us. This will automatically be discounted off any products you purchase at your viewing and ordering session. If you make no purchase your deposit will be refunded providing that you (a) have not cancelled your session/appointment, (b) attended your portrait session and (c) attended your follow-up viewing and ordering session. Deposits will not be refunded in the event of cancellation (or if you do not attend all sessions/appointments).

AGE RESTRICTIONS
All sessions and appointments may only be booked by a person 18 years or older. If a subject is under 18 years of age, a responsible adult will need to attend and sit in during the shoot (and any follow up sessions).

RE-SCHEDULING
If you are running late please let us know as soon as you can. We allow for sessions to begin up to 10 minutes late. Beyond that your session will need to be cancelled or where available re-scheduled (for a re-scheduling fee of £25). Due to the busy nature of our studio, you must let us know with at least 5 days notice if you would like to re-schedule. A non-refundable fee of £25 to re-schedule may be taken on re-scheduling a shoot. Sessions may only be re-scheduled once. To re-schedule a viewing session a non-refundable fee of £50 will be taken. Failure to attend a session/rescheduled session or failure to notify us in time will result in your booking/re-booking fee/deposit being lost (and any included credit/products being lost). Promotional “offer” (or free) sessions may be subject to further restrictions.

RESCHEDULING DUE TO COVID-19
If you or any of your group test positive before your session, please do not attend your session and get in touch with us as soon as possible. We may be able to re-book you to a future date – provided we have availability and that your re-scheduled date is within 30 days of your original appointment. Session fees are non-refundable or transferrable and we will only re-schedule your session if we have availability. If no availability can be found within 30 days, you may be offered a slot outside of this window for an additional booking charge. We are under no obligation to re-schedule cancelled appointments due to Covid.

BEHAVIOUR
It is your responsibility to ensure the good behavior of those being photographed and/or visiting our studio. We cannot be held responsible for any subjects who are not co-operative and may terminate your session if any or all of the subjects are not co-operative or their behaviour is deemed unacceptable by the studio. Pets need to have some degree of basic “house training”. e.g. they must be obedient enough to sit or stay on command. You agree to take responsibility for any costs incurred as a result of damage to studio property by any member of your party.

MOBILITY
All our portrait sessions are active and require some degree of physical exersion (by humans and pets). If you are not capable of such exersion, you will need to bring someone with you who is. You will be in charge of assisting place any subjects for posing (pets or humans). If any members of your group suffer from limited mobility or there is something we should be made aware of to ensure the smooth running of the shoot, you must make us aware of this at the time of booking.

LIABILITY
You agree the studio will not be held liable for any injury or damage caused to you, your pets or your property during or as a result of the shoot. All pets attending, require pet insurance and must be microchipped.

LOCATION
All sessions take place at our studio at 276-278 Castlereagh Road, Belfast BT5 6AD. We are located on the first floor of the building. Lift access is available at limited times. You will be made aware of this at the time of booking. Should you require lift access, it is up to you to ensure that you book your session for a time where access is available. Parking is provided on site free of charge in the customer car parking area. If your session is out of studio hours the security gates may be closed. When you arrive, if this is the case, please call us on 02890 99 77 98 to gain entry to the business centre.

POSING
Unless otherwise stated, a range of poses and set-ups will be taken (chosen by the photographer). Specific shots may be catered for, where they are only part of the overall shoot at the discretion of the photographer. For example, for a family portrait a variety of combinations and individual shots will be taken. E.g. family groups and individual members. It is up to you to ensure that any specific combinations will be taken before you leave. Headshots will not be taken during sessions other than a dedicated headshot session. Backgrounds will be chosen by the studio. Post production colour change requests will be treated as advanced retouching and will be chargeable as such.

RIGHT TO CANCEL
You may cancel your shoot at any time. Booking fees (and any additional fees) are non-refundable. We reserve the right to cancel your shoot and refund any booking fees paid, if applicable (without explanation).

PRICE LISTS
A price list for our products will be sent to you at the time of booking and before your shoot. It is important you read this to familiarise yourself with our products and pricing. We reserve the right to adjust product pricing and remove products from our price list without notice. Prices are valid for 30 days from the date you made your booking (not your session date).

SALES
Unless otherwise stated, all sales (in person or remotely) are final and cannot be modified or cancelled once placed. Orders that have not been produced may be upgraded (on payment of the difference) provided work has not started on them, but cannot be downgraded once paid for.

BABIES & INFANTS
If a baby is involved in your shoot, the baby will only be photographed if it is part of an overall family portrait session and they can sit up on their own and/or with at least one other family member. We do not offer newborn or baby photography.

ADDITIONAL NOTES ON FAMILY PORTRAITS
For family portraits: You may bring additional clothing with you if you wish to change outfits during your session (subject to time restrictions). Family portraits are for a minimum of two generations (e.g. parents and children) and up to 9 people at a time. Up to 1 pet may attend a family portrait session, however the emphasis will be placed on the family photographs and not photographs of the pet.

ADDITIONAL NOTES ON PET PORTRAITS
Pet portraits are for a maximum of 4 pets (1 pet is included in the shoot and up to 3 additional pets may be added, at an additional cost). If bringing additional pets, you must ensure another person is present to help set-up the pets and also take care of additional pets when they are not being photographed. Pets will be photographed individually and then together (where possible). Humans can also take part in a pet portrait session, however the focus of the session will be on the pet(s) and not the humans.

ADDITIONAL NOTES ON HEADSHOT SESSIONS
Your session booking fee includes your chosen session type and a pre-agreed number of high resolution digital files (with standard retouching if included with your package) as described on your order. Please tell us what the purpose of the headshot is when you book (e.g. headshot for LinkedIn, actor headshot etc.) to help facilitate with the shoot. Headshot sessions are indoor studio sessions. No photographs will be taken outside. You may bring additional clothing with you if you wish to change outfits during your session (if included in your package). Head and shoulders photographs will be taken only (unless otherwise stated). Only one person can be photographed during the shoot (if you would like more than one person in a shot please ask us and we can give you a quote). During your session we will take a variety of headshot images. Poses and set-ups will be chosen by the photographer. After your session you will be able to see your images before you leave. You wil need to pick the images you want at that time. We can place your images in an online gallery for a further charge of £200. Only images you choose will be processed/edited. Delivery of any purchased images will be by digital download. The proof images you will be shown are copyright and attempting to copy them is an offence and breach of copyright law. Standard retouching takes place on purchased images (with the exception of Express headshot sessions and Rising Star sessions). This includes teeth whitening, basic skin softening, basic shape sculpting. Further retouching is available by request for an extra charge of £45 per image.

ADDITIONAL NOTES ON PASSPORT PORTRAITS
During your session you will be asked what the purpose of your passport/ID portrait is for. Passport sessions are not artistic sessions and no artistic input will be taken or provided. You will be asked to sit and face the camera with a neutral expression. You must remove all jewelry and eye glasses. You will receive one image (printed as many times as permits on a sheet of 6×4″ photographic paper) and will be provided with a digital copy of the image (if requested) to the specifications required by the appropriate agency. High resolution copies will not be provided, outside of the scope of what is required. Passport sessions are not headshot sessions. Your session will not exceed 10 minutes. You will be shown a series of images taken and may choose which one you would like printed. Alternatively, the photographer may choose. If your image is rejected for any reason we will re-shoot your image for no charge. No refunds will be given. For obscure passport/ID requirements, it is up to you to bring a copy of any specifications required with you to show the photographer.

NEW CUSTOMERS
You will only be regarded as a new customer if you have not attended or booked a session/appointment in the past. If you have booked and cancelled a session/appointment with us in the past you will be regarded as an exisiting customer and will not be eligible for new customer promotions or offers.

COMING BACK TO SEE YOUR PHOTOS (Excludes graduation, passport and headshot sessions, as no viewing session takes place with these types of session)
At the end of your session you will be required to set a date and time to come back to the studio to view your pictures (usually around a week after your shoot) at a “viewing and ordering session”. We will try to find a date and time to suit you, however sometimes due to limited availability it may be necessary to set a time for you not of your choosing. At your “viewing and ordering session” you will be shown a range of your pictures, chosen by the photographer and given a chance to order any products that you would like to order. It is important that all decision makers who were present at the shoot must also attend the “viewing and ordering session”. If for any reason a decision maker cannot attend the ordering session, you must make the studio aware at the earliest convenience so that the “viewing and ordering session” can be re-arranged. Images are only presented in person at this session and this will be your only opportunity to see the images taken at your shoot. If you arrive at your “viewing and ordering session” and not all decision makers are present, your ordering session will be cancelled and you will be asked to return at a different time. We offer the facility to “FaceTime” any family members who cannot attend (at the discretion of the photographer).

ARRANGING ANOTHER VIEWING AND ORDERING SESSION
If you decide that a second “viewing and ordering session” is required (or you need to re-schedule a cancelled viewing session) you may come back and see your images again on payment of a non-refundable fee of £50 to cover our time (subject to availability).

PROCESSING/EDITING
Only ordered images you choose will be processed/edited.

ORDERING
All orders must be placed at a “viewing and ordering session” and cannot be made outside of this. All orders need to be paid for in full at the end of the ordering session. We accept cash and debit/credit card. For orders over £500 we offer a payment plan through a third party finance company, if required. Goods paid for by payment plan will not be ordered until your first payment has cleared with the finance company and you have passed a credit check. As a responsible lender, our finance company required that you provide two copies of ID and requires us to ask youa series of questions regarding your financial committments. Due to the nature of bespoke products, for in person purchases no cooling off period applies. You will be required to sign an order agreement upon ordering. For purchases over £500, paid in full at the ordering session, a 5% cashback will be applied to the order (after discounts, where applicable). Cashback is not available where the order total is less than £500.

COMPLIMENTARY PRODUCT CREDIT
Where complimentary product credit is offered either with a complimentary or paid for voucher/or session, this is done entirely at the discretion of the studio and may be withdrawn or changed without notice. Product credit can only be used against specified products/services and cannot be combined or used in conjunction with any offers. Product credit cannot be applied to gift products, desk products or prints. Product credit has no cash value and cannot be exchanged for cash. No refund will be given for any unused product credit. New customers only. One per household.

COLLECTION
All orders need to be picked up in person from the studio and cannot be posted. Portrait products usually take between 3 to 5 weeks once full payment has been made, however may be subject to delays outside of our control.

COPYRIGHT
All images remain the copyright property of the Studio. Attempting to copy them is an offence and breach of copyright law. Physical images cannot be reproduced under any circumstances. Digital images may only be reproduced for personal use, where a licence has been obtained and permission granted. Receipt of a digital images does not automatically consititute permission to reproduce. Where permission has been granted, reproduction is for personal use only and may not be reproduced for commercial/editorial/promotional/social media use by the client. Infiringing on our copyright will result in you being invoiced for the appropriate use reproduction licence plus an illegal use fee of £200 per use. Failure to pay this will result in legal action being taken against you to recover our fees (plus costs).

PROMOTION
We reserve the right to use your images for marketing/promotional use.

MOBILE PHONES
No mobile phones or cameras are permitted in the studio. Using a mobile phone camera or camera in the studio at your shoot or “viewing and ordering session” will result in immediate termination of your shoot/session and any vouchers/credit remaining will be void (e.g. if any pre-paid or included promotional products were included). We offer the facility to “FaceTime” any family members who cannot attend (at the discretion of the photographer).

PROMOTIONAL/FREE SESSIONS
From time to time we offer promotional or free shoots. These are limited to one per household/family* (unless otherwise stated). If you have had a shoot with us in the past (or have one booked for the future) you (or your family or household) will not be eligible for a free shoot (unless otherwise stated). If eligible to attend a free shoot, previous customers are not entitled to any free prints, frames or other free products included with a promotional shoot – however may purchase products from our product offering. Free promotional products (such as prints or frames) cannot be exchanged for other products and cannot be used towards the value of another product. Subjects/attendees may only attend one shoot. If we believe you are trying to circumvent the rules (e.g. if we believe multiple subjects are from the same household/family of any promotion your shoot will be terminated without reason. There is no cash alternative. Promotional shoots cannot be transferred to other parties. Offers may be withrawn or changed without notice. You must attend both the primary session and the “viewing and ordering session” to receive any pre-paid or promotional products (if any are included in your session). You can only attend one session and one “viewing and ordering session”. Promotional sessions may not be re-scheduled – however you may be offered a new slot, if requested (at the discretion on the studio), on payment of the difference in the non-promotional and promotional price. We reserve the right to cancel or ammend any of the services or products offered for free or promotional sessions without notice. * Household refers to people who live together or who share a postal address. * Family refers to immediate and wider relatives (e.g. a mother, son and grandchild etc. would be regarded as the same family). Family also includes the family of a subject’s partner/wife etc.

COMPETITIONS
Entrants to all our competitions must be 18 years or older. Entrants who are younger than 18 will be disqualified and prize entitlement will be made void. Competitions are only open to one entry per household (as defined above). Entrants are not eligible to participate in competitions (unless otherwise stated) if they have won a competition with the studio before and/or they have had a session (or purchased a session or gift voucher) with the studio within the last 2 years for the same type of session offered in the competition. Additional per competition rules may apply.

ARBITRATION
Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this contract, or the breach thereof, shall be settled by arbitration, as laid out in the UK Arbitration Act 1996 and administered by an indepedent qualified arbitrator in the jurisdiction closest to the Photographer’s office and the arbitration award may be entered for judgment in any court having jurisdiction thereof. In no event shall an award in an arbitration initiated under this clause exceed the contracted price of the controversy in dispute.

SEVERABILITY
In the event that any provision of this Agreement is held invalid by any tribunal of competent jurisdiction, the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall not be held invalid and shall remain in full force and effect. The laws of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland shall govern this Agreement.

GIFT VOUCHERS
Gift cards are valid for a period of 6 months from the date of purchase unless otherwise stated. Gift cards can be redeemed for services and products offered by the Company, including portrait sessions and products. Only one gift card can be redeemed per session or purchase. Gift cards must be presented at the time of booking. Gift cards are non-refundable and cannot be exchanged for cash in part or full. Gift cards are transferable and may be gifted to others unless specifically noted as non-transferable at the time of purchase. The Company is not responsible for lost, stolen, or unauthorized use of gift cards. No replacement or compensation will be provided in these circumstances. Holders can check the balance of the gift card by contacting the Company directly. Upon expiration, any remaining balance will be forfeited. Gift cards may be extended for up to 30 days, at the discretion of the Company, if the Company has been informed prior to the expiry date. Gift cards cannot be extended under any circumstances if the expiry date has elapsed. Any quoted prices for services or products mentioned on the reverse are valid only for purchased services or products for the duration of the original validity period. Prices quoted for services or products other than those purchased on the reverse side (including those quoted in any printed or online material, such as a brochure or website) are for guidance only and are subject to change. Gift cards cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotional offers unless stated otherwise. The Company reserves the right to amend the terms and conditions of gift cards at any time without prior notice. No cooling off period applies to gift voucher sales – all sales are final. If multiple gift vouchers are used towards a single session, rather than booking individual sessions, any complimentary credit or session fee credit will be forfeited from additional voucher(s) and only credit over the value of the session fee itself will be carried over.

VAT
Prices include VAT (unless otherwise stated) at 20%.

STANDARD COMPETITION TERMS
Where “Standard Competition Terms” apply the following terms and conditions shall apply: New customers only. Old customers may not participate (unless otherwise stated). One shoot per household/family. Subjects/handlers can’t appear in or attend more than one shoot. Humans can feature in pet portraits too! Person booking must be 18+. For pet shoots involving a family pet, parent(s) must attend both the shoot and the viewing session. You may be asked to present a voucher/confirmation of entitlement upon booking/at your session. Prizes can only be claimed and used by the person notified and cannot be transferred or used by other parties. e.g. They cannot be given to another family member, friend etc. Standard family and pet shoots only. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers. Can be withdrawn or changed without notice. No cash alternative. At the end of your shoot we will arrange a date and time for you to come back to see your pictures. All persons attending the original session must also attend the viewing session. You will need to attend both the shoot and this follow up viewing session to get your complimentary print/product. Shoots cannot be re-scheduled. Viewing sessions may be rescheduled once for a £50 fee. The studio may decide to apply this fee as product credit to your order, at their discretion. Fair use policy applies. We reserve the right to refuse any person(s) we believe who is abusing these terms and our fair use policy without reason or question. A refundable deposit may be taken on booking – this will be refunded on successful attendance of your viewing session or may be used towards product. It will not be returned/cannot be used if you do not attend both sessions (at the original times) and/or you breach any of the conditions contained in these terms.

OTHER ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Other terms and conditions may apply, but you will be made aware of these at the time of booking.

£15 EARLYBIRD GRADUATION PROMOTION
New customers only. Does not apply to existing bookings or re-scheduled bookings. Applies to session fee only for Standard graduation session. Does not apply to other types of graduation session. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion or offer. Offer runs from 30.10.2024 until 30.11.24. Session date can be during this period or after this period. One per session/household. A session fee will be charged at the time of booking to ensure you attend the session. Re-scheduling a session can be done provided 5 days notice is given and can only be re-scheduled once. Additional graduates may be added for a non-refundable £15 fee. Session does not include any physical prints or digital images. Purchases must be made on the day at the end of the session. Standard terms and conditions above also apply. Fair use terms apply. We reserve the right to cancel sessions where we feel you are abusing the terms of the offer.

COMPLIMENTARY/FREE GIFT VOUCHERS
Periodically we may send vouchers for a complimentary session to a school, charity or other organisation to help with fundraising or to reward loyalty. These vouchers are valid for a maximum of six months from the date they were despatched from the studio (i.e. when they are sent to the organisation or charity) – not the date the recipient received them. A deposit of £25 must be paid to book your session. This will be refunded when you attend both the shoot and sales session – or it can be discounted off any products you purchase. If you do not attend both, you will forfeit your deposit. Complimentary sessions do not include printed or digital images (unless otherwise stated). One voucher per household per year. We reserve the right to discontinue complimentary vouchers for any reason. Complimentary vouchers have no cash value and cannot be exchanged for cash – regardless if they were obtained as part of a raffle or fundraiser.

FREE “FIX-IT” GRADUATION SESSIONSOne per household. To get the £35 session fee refund, the client must show evidence of a previously taken “official” university photograph or a photograph taken by another professional photographer of the graduate in graduation attire relevant to the photograph being taken at our studio. i.e. it must be for the same award. The evidence needs to be either a digital image (shown on a phone for example), or a printed physical photograph. If the photo was not taken by the university, but was taken by another photographer – that photographer must be a full-time photographer with a registered business address and Google My Business profile. £35 session fee refund is for a limited time only. Session fee will not be refunded for cancelled, re-scheduled sessions or a session where you do not show.

MELISSA & HECTOR PROMOTION
One voucher per family and household. Family refers to immediate and wider relatives (e.g. a mother, son and grandchild etc. would be regarded as the same family). Family also includes the family of a subject’s partner/wife etc. One voucher per session. Vouchers cannot be combined. If we suspect that these terms have been deliberately or inadvertently contravened, we reserve the right to cancel your voucher, at the discretion of the studio, with or without a refund. Voucher has no cash value and cannot be exchanged for cash. Decision makers must attend both the session and the follow-up ordering session. If all decision makers are not present at both sessions, you will not receive your complimentary product. Product credit applies to wall product purchases only. Sessions can only be re-scheduled once, provided 5 or more days notice has been given. Otherwise, to re-schedule a £25 re-booking fee will apply. Vouchers are valid for 6 months only. Vouchers do not include digital images or any other products unless otherwise specified. Voucher sales are final and non-refundable. Other standard gift voucher sale terms and conditions apply (see above).

The terms and conditions detailed here are governed by the laws of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Last updated: 30th October 2024.

Graham Crichton Photography is the trading name of Graham Crichton Photography Limited (a company registered in Northern Ireland).

Graham Crichton Photography, 276-278 Castlereagh Road, Belfast BT5 6AD, Northern Ireland.