Terms and Conditions
Effective Date: September 7, 2026
By booking a photography session with DS Media, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to the following Terms & Conditions.
1. Booking & Payment
A 50% non-refundable deposit is required to reserve your session date and time. Your remaining balance must be paid in full before the scheduled session or immediately following the session.
DS Media currently accepts the following payment methods:
Credit/Debit Cards
Cash
Cash App
Venmo
PayPal
Zelle
Apple Pay
Your session is not considered fully booked until the required deposit has been received.
Once a package is selected and a price is agreed upon, you are in agreement to that package. There is no downgrading, you can only upgrade.
2. Cancellations & Rescheduling
If a client cancels their session, the 50% deposit is forfeited.
Clients may request one reschedule per booking, provided the request is made at least 24 hours before the scheduled session.
Requests to cancel or reschedule made less than 24 hours before the scheduled session will result in the loss of the deposit.
If a client fails to attend their scheduled session without providing at least 24 hours' notice, the deposit is forfeited. A new 50% deposit will be required to book another session.
If DS Media must cancel a session for reasons within the Photographer's control and a suitable reschedule cannot reasonably be arranged, the client will receive a full refund of all amounts paid toward the affected session.
3. Late Arrivals
Clients are expected to arrive on time for their scheduled session.
Time lost due to Client preparation, wardrobe changes, personal activities, late arrival, failure to follow reasonable direction, or other Client-caused delays will generally count toward the scheduled session time and will not require DS Media to extend the session or provide a refund or discount. The shoot will automatically be considered forfeited and cancelled if a client is 30 minutes late, unless notified or agreed upon prior. The deposit will remain non-refundable and non-transferable.
4. Client Preparation & Guests
Clients are responsible for arriving prepared for their session, including having their desired clothing, hair, makeup, grooming, and other personal preparations completed before the session begins.
Clients may bring a total of 2-4 guests to their session. Additional guests require prior approval from DS Media.
5. Minors
Clients under the age of 18 must have permission from a parent or legal guardian before being photographed by DS Media.
6. Image Delivery
Final images will be delivered digitally through HoneyBook within 5–7 days following completion of the scheduled session.
This standard turnaround applies to all DS Media photography packages unless otherwise agreed upon in writing.
The number of final images included will vary depending on the package selected at the time of booking.
48-Hour Expedited Delivery is available for an additional $100, subject to DS Media’s availability.
When purchased and confirmed, DS Media will make reasonable efforts to deliver the Client's final edited images within 48 hours following completion of the scheduled session.
The expedited delivery fee must be paid in full before the expedited service is confirmed. DS Media may limit or temporarily suspend availability of expedited delivery when the Photographer’s schedule does not reasonably allow the requested turnaround time.
Expedited delivery applies to the final images included in the Client’s selected package. Additional retouching, additional images, or other services requested after the session may require additional time and are not automatically included within the 48-hour delivery time frame.
DS Media may deliver images earlier than the stated turnaround time at the Photographer’s discretion.
DS Media’s standard editing is included with the selected package.
7. Editing & Retouching
All delivered photographs receive DS Media's standard editing, which may include exposure adjustments, color correction, color grading, natural skin cleanup, minor blemish removal, minor flyaway hair removal, teeth whitening, and other adjustments appropriate to the selected session.
Premium Retouching
More extensive retouching is available as an optional $25 per-image add-on.
Premium Retouching may include:
Body shaping
Detailed skin retouching
Extensive hair cleanup
Background enhancement
Removal of larger or unwanted objects
Advanced teeth correction
Sky enhancement or replacement
Other significant Photoshop alterations
Requests that fall outside DS Media's standard editing process may require an additional fee.
DS Media retains artistic discretion over the selection, editing, color grading, retouching, cropping, and overall presentation of the final photographs.
Clients may request one reasonable round of revisions to final delivered images within 7 days of initial gallery delivery.
Only the final images selected and delivered by DS Media are included in the Client’s package. RAW files, unedited images, rejected images, duplicate images, test shots, and other files not specifically identified as deliverables are not included and will not be provided.
8. Gallery Availability & File Storage
Final photographs will be delivered through HoneyBook. The client's gallery will remain available for 14 days (2 weeks) from the date of initial delivery.
Clients are responsible for downloading and safely backing up their photographs before the gallery expires.
DS Media will retain delivered image files for 30 days from the date of initial delivery.
After the 30-day retention period, DS Media may permanently delete the files and cannot guarantee that photographs will be recoverable or available for re-delivery.
If a client requests that an expired gallery be re-uploaded or restored, DS Media may accommodate the request for an additional fee, provided the files are still available.
9. Copyright & Image Usage
DS Media retains the copyright and ownership of all photographs created during a session.
Clients are granted a personal, non-commercial license to download, print, display, and share their delivered photographs for personal use, including posting them on social media.
Clients may not sell, license, reproduce for commercial purposes, or use the photographs to promote a business, product, service, or other commercial activity without prior written permission from DS Media.
Clients are encouraged to credit and tag DS Media when sharing photographs online.
10. Promotional Use
By booking a session with DS Media, the client grants DS Media permission to use photographs from their session for portfolio, website, social media, advertising, marketing, and other promotional purposes.
Clients who do not wish for their photographs to be used for promotional purposes must notify DS Media before booking their session.
11. Location & Travel Fees
Certain locations may require additional costs such as entrance fees, permits, parking fees, or other location-specific charges. Responsibility for these costs will depend on the selected session and location and will be communicated to the client before booking.
Sessions outside DS Media's standard service area may be subject to an additional travel fee. Any applicable travel fee will be communicated to the client before booking.
12. Weather & Unsafe Conditions
For outdoor sessions, DS Media reserves the right to reschedule a session when weather or other environmental conditions make the session unsafe or impractical.
Weather-related rescheduling initiated by DS Media will not count toward the client's one allowed reschedule.
DS Media will work with the client to select a new date and time that is reasonably suitable for both parties.
13. Circumstances Beyond Control
DS Media will make reasonable efforts to fulfill all booked sessions. However, circumstances such as severe weather, natural disasters, emergencies, serious illness, venue or location closures, equipment failure, technical difficulties, or other circumstances beyond reasonable control may prevent a session from taking place or photographs from being delivered as originally planned.
When reasonably possible, DS Media will attempt to reschedule the session.
If DS Media is unable to complete the session due to circumstances within its control and a reshoot is not reasonably possible, the client will receive a full refund of amounts paid.
14. Equipment & Technical Issues
DS Media takes reasonable precautions to protect photographs and equipment throughout each session. However, photography involves technical equipment and digital files, and unexpected equipment failure, memory-card failure, data corruption, or other technical issues can occur.
If a technical issue prevents DS Media from delivering the agreed-upon photographs, DS Media will make reasonable efforts to recover the files or provide a reshoot when reasonably possible.
If the issue cannot reasonably be resolved and a reshoot is not possible, the client's remedy will be limited to a refund of amounts paid for the affected session.
15. Client Responsibilities
Clients are responsible for providing accurate booking information and communicating any relevant requests, restrictions, or concerns to DS Media before the session.
Clients are also responsible for their own personal belongings and for following reasonable instructions provided during the session.
DS Media is not responsible for delays, missed opportunities, or other issues resulting from inaccurate information, failure to follow instructions, or circumstances caused by the client or third parties.
16. Privacy & Personal Information
DS Media may collect personal information such as a client's name, contact information, booking details, and payment information for the purposes of communicating with the client, scheduling and managing sessions, processing payments, and providing photography services.
DS Media does not sell clients' personal information. Information may be shared when reasonably necessary to provide services, operate the business, comply with legal obligations, or protect the rights and safety of DS Media and its clients.
17. Agreement to Terms
By submitting a booking request, paying the required deposit, or otherwise confirming a session with DS Media, the client acknowledges that they have read, understood, and agreed to these Terms & Conditions.
These Terms & Conditions apply to all photography sessions booked with DS Media unless otherwise agreed to in writing by both parties.
DS Media reserves the right to update these Terms & Conditions as the business evolves. Updated terms will apply to future bookings and will not retroactively change the terms of an already-booked session unless otherwise agreed upon.