POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

session fees

Session fees are outlined by category in Michelle Praskins Photography pricing documents or will be quoted to clients in writing by email or invoice. Sales tax will be applied to session fee and is not included in the prices listed in documents. Session fees cover: photographer’s time and talent in planning, shooting and processing images; the set number of digital files as outlined specifically for each session package; and complimentary product as outlined specifically for each session package. Session fees do not cover: access to unedited images, copyrights to any images, digital copies of all images captured, or special-request editing.

retainer and payments

A nonrefundable retainer of $100 is required for booking any session. Retainer paid will be applied to session fee balance due on the day of session. Retainer is nonrefundable except as outlined below in ‘punctuality and rescheduling’. All sales are final and no refunds will be issued for services already performed or orders placed. Payments can be made four ways: cash, check, or paid invoice through my invoicing system.

travel fee

Travel fee of $100 will be due for locations farther than 50 miles from Surprise, AZ.

punctuality and rescheduling

If a client is late to a session, the session will begin at their arrival time and end at the originally scheduled end time, meaning that shooting time will be cut short. Michelle Praskins Photography does not penalize families for running a few minutes late or needing to reschedule when kids get sick or other unforeseen things come up. Rescheduling will be offered at the discretion of Michelle Praskins provided that ample notice is given prior to session time. Rescheduling is subject to the availability of Michelle Praskins Photography. If a client has to cancel, retainer amount paid can be applied to a rescheduled session within the following three months if and only if Michelle Praskins Photography is able to fill the original timeslot that was cancelled. Retainer refund is never guaranteed.

If Michelle Praskins Photography must cancel a session due to unforeseen circumstances and is unable to find a trusted substitute photographer, any retainer paid will be refunded. Michelle Praskins Photography is not liable for any other reparation or reimbursement. Michelle Praskins Photography will attempt to reschedule if possible. For sessions that cannot be rescheduled such as Events,Michelle Praskins Photography will attempt to find the client another photographer if this is feasible to do given the circumstances of the cancellation.

posing with children

Michelle Praskins Photography generally has very good rapport with children, which is why we specialize in family, child and baby photography. That said, each child is unique and will respond differently to being photographed. Michelle Praskins Photography cannot guarantee specific poses or images that a client might have seen elsewhere (like Pinterest), especially when working with babies and children, and introducing props or attire that is unusual to them. No refunds will be issued or complimentary re-shoots scheduled on account of poses or facial expressions not captured during a session. What we do promise is that we will capture the kiddos as the best, authentic version of who they were on the day of session!

gallery time frame

Your image gallery will be delivered to you electronically within one month of your session date unless otherwise discussed in writing. Michelle Praskins Photography guarantees that Fall sessions shot November 20th and earlier will be delivered in time to order holiday cards. Michelle Praskins Photography has limited business hours in December and will take time off from shooting and editing, therefore sessions shot November 21st and later may be processed in January unless otherwise discussed in writing.

liability / exculpatory clause

Safety is a top priority to Michelle Praskins Photography, especially with babies and small children. In the rare event of accident or injury, Michelle Praskins and any representative of Michelle Praskins Photography shall be held harmless for any and all injury during the course of the photography session and surrounding events.

ordering / complimentary item

Sales tax will be applied to print and product orders and is not included in the prices listed. Product pricing at time of order (not time of session) will apply, as pricing is subject to change. An order is not “placed” until invoice is paid in full and all options are chosen. Complimentary printed item is forfeited if client chooses not to select all options within 30 days of gallery delivery.

product and file pickup/delivery

Digital files purchased will be provided by way of digital gallery. USB Drives loaded with the same files are available for purchase [$25]. Printed products will be available for pickup at Michelle Praskins Photography in Surprise, AZ within three weeks of order placement, with the exception of some albums and books which may take longer to process. Shipping directly to a client or their gift recipient anywhere in the USA is available for a flat fee of $15 per product category.

digital file format

Final “high resolution” digital files will be prepared at a 2:3 aspect ratio (same proportions as a 4x6”) in “JPG” format, and should be printable to most commercial print or art sizes. All files will come with a print release allowing unlimited printed copies for personal, non-commercial use.

A print release is not a copyright release (see ‘copyright’ section below). Some places of printing are better (and worse) than others, and Michelle Praskins Photography is not responsible for dissatisfaction a client may have with how images look when printed elsewhere, or for trouble-shooting with other printers, including file compatibility, resolution or sizing.

sharing on social media

Clients may share digital images on personal Facebook and Instagram accounts. Michelle Praskins Photography does not watermark the digital files provided to clients, and asks that clients please include a photo credit in the comments or description for each image to avoid copyright infringement. Clients may not upload images to Pinterest without obtaining a digital copy that includes a watermark. Michelle Praskins Photography asks that clients please disable “auto-enhance” when uploading images to Facebook and do not apply Instagram ‘filters’.

copyright

Michelle Praskins is the owner and copyright holder of all images created by Michelle Praskins Photography. Clients may not alter images in any way or share them publicly without permission from, and credit to, the copyright owner. This includes (but is not limited to): editing at home, applying filters or “enhancements” when sharing to social media, supplying images to third-party businesses for their marketing use, enlisting third-parties to further edit or retouch the images, entering images into contests, providing them to magazines or third-party websites, scanning prints, or mass producing them in any way, without explicit written permission from Michelle Praskins Photography.

As the copyright owner, Michelle Praskins Photography is free to use images to support and promote the business, such as on its website or Facebook page, or in other promotional material. Michelle likes to be sensitive to clients’ wishes, if there is a certain photograph(s) that a client would not like shared, or any sensitivity she should know about, please communicate this to Michelle specifically in writing. Simple requests are not a problem.

archived and lost or damaged items

Digital copies of gallery images will be kept for one year after session date. If clients need to access their gallery or be provided digital files a second time beyond six months from session date, there will be a $20 fee to re-open the gallery and provide a new link. Michelle Praskins Photography is not responsible for replacing lost digital files after one year. Michelle Praskins Photography is not responsible for replacing printed product damaged after it has been delivered to the client.