A headshot session for a lawyer, a product shoot for a skincare brand, a family session at the beach. These jobs share a pattern: a few hours behind the camera, then days of culling and editing, then images that the client wants to use in ways you may or may not have priced for. A photography contract for portrait and commercial work spells out the session, the deliverables, and the license before anyone picks up a camera.
This template is for single-session and short-production work, not weddings. It separates personal-use portrait licenses from commercial usage, and it includes a reschedule policy that works for both weather-dependent outdoor shoots and studio bookings.
TL;DR
The photography contract template covers portrait, headshot, product, and commercial sessions: date, location, session length, a non-refundable retainer, number of edited images, delivery timeline, editing scope, personal or commercial usage license, reschedules, and releases. Send it at booking with a 25–50% retainer, and price commercial usage separately from the session fee so the license matches how the images will be used.
What's inside
- Session details — date, time, location, length, number of looks or products, and who attends.
- Deliverables — minimum number of edited images, file formats, resolution, and delivery date.
- Editing scope — standard color and exposure correction versus advanced retouching.
- Fees and retainer — session fee, image packages, usage fee, expenses, and payment schedule.
- Usage license — personal use for portraits, or commercial use defined by media, territory, and term.
- Reschedules and cancellations — notice periods, weather calls, and what happens to the retainer.
- Releases and permissions — model releases, property releases, and location permits.
- Liability and equipment failure — limits if the session cannot go ahead or files are lost.
When to use it
Use this contract for portrait sessions (individual, family, newborn, maternity, headshots), brand and personal-branding shoots, product photography, real-estate and interiors work, and small commercial productions. Send it after the client accepts a photography proposal, and plan the shoot with a photography shot list.
For weddings, elopements, and other full-day events, use the wedding photography contract instead. For video work, the videography contract covers footage, music licensing, and edit versions.
Copyright, image rights, and release requirements vary by country. Have a lawyer review your version once, and keep governing law, interest, and fees as your own filled-in values rather than defaults.
Pricing usage for commercial clients
The session fee pays for your time and edit. The usage fee pays for what the client does with the images. Separating the two is the clearest way to avoid underpricing a shoot that ends up on billboards.
Define usage on three axes. Media (website and social, print, packaging, paid advertising, out-of-home), territory (one country, a region, worldwide), and term (one year, three years, perpetual). Paid advertising and packaging are usually priced higher than organic social and website use.
Write the license into the invoice too. When the license appears on both the contract and the invoice, nobody can later claim the scope was different.
Portraits are different. Families and individuals usually get a personal-use license: print, share on personal social media, no commercial use or competitions. Headshots for professionals sit in between, so say whether use on a company website and LinkedIn is included.
Retouching tiers. Standard edits (color, exposure, crop, minor blemish removal) are usually included. Skin smoothing, body reshaping, composites, and product clipping paths take much longer. List them as add-ons with a per-image price.
Customize it in your COLO workspace
Save this contract as a template in COLO Contracts, then send it to each client through the client portal, where they can sign with a typed name or a signature image. Raise the retainer from invoicing and payments and let the client pay by card or PayPal from the portal.
Upload the shot list and the delivered gallery link to the project so the client sees everything in one place. The photographers page shows how other photographers set up their workspace.
Common mistakes
- No minimum image count. "A selection of images" invites disputes. Give a minimum and say the photographer selects the final images.
- Letting the client direct the edit to the pixel. Say the editing style matches your portfolio and that requested changes beyond that are add-ons.
- Ignoring releases on commercial shoots. If a model or a recognizable property appears in advertising, you need a signed model release.
- Refunding the retainer on reschedule. Move it to the new date once; after that, it is forfeited.
- Promising delivery without a date. Portrait clients expect a gallery within one to three weeks; state yours.
FAQ
Q: What should a photography contract include for a portrait or commercial shoot?
The session date, location and length, the retainer, how many edited images are delivered and when, the editing style, the usage license, reschedule and cancellation terms, and a model or property release where needed.
Q: Does the client own the photos they paid for?
Usually not. Photographers typically keep copyright and grant a license, personal use for portraits and a defined commercial license for business clients. Full copyright buyouts are possible but priced much higher.
Q: How much retainer should a photographer charge?
Many portrait photographers take 25–50% or a flat session fee to hold the date. For commercial shoots, 50% on booking with the balance on delivery is common, plus any pre-approved expenses.
Q: Can a client get the RAW files?
Most photographers do not deliver RAW files because the edit is part of the product. If you offer them, set a separate price and state that RAW files are unedited.
Q: Is this template suitable for weddings?
No. Weddings need event-day clauses like coverage hours, second shooters, meal breaks, and timeline coordination. Use the wedding photography contract for those.
Related
- Photography Invoice Template — bill the retainer, balance, and usage fee.
- Model Release Form — for commercial use of people in your images.
- Freelance contracts guide.