Please tell me if this isnt clear enough

[windrider86]

"The basic fee for Wedding Photography service is a $**** (includes 4 hours of service, a basic 8.5 x 8.5 hard cover book with up to 27 pages and platinum photo package) plus $90 for each additional hour that the photographer is in attendance at your event. This begins at the time agreed upon for the photographer's scheduled arrival and ends at a time either mutually agreed upon in advance or when the photographer is dismissed. This includes travel time between venues, such as from the church or to the reception. $100 deposit is required at time of booking and is non refundable. Remainder is due the day of the wedding. Additional photos can be purchased at individual or package pricing."

This is how my verbiage reads in my contract. Am I not being clear enough on the rates? I go over the contrat with them and state very clearly that they have x amount of time and after that time is up they have so much per hour.
This last wedding I did was 10 hours. I was nice enough to give them an hour for fre and a $100 discount and now they are telling me they were not aware of the $90 per hour thing.
UGH
She says to me that I told her the flat rate would include the wedding and reception. I said well yes I did if they fell within the paramters of the time limits.

[sk66]

It might be clearer if you broke it out into "bullets"..

1. Basic fee: $xxx
Includes 4hrs of photographers time to include travel
X photos/ product

2. Additional Fees:
$90/hr for every hr beyond initial 4hrs included in basic package
$45/hr second shooter
etc...etc..

Not that it is unclear as is. It's just easier to see the "details" when they are broken out from paragraph form...

You could even put an "initials block" next to each area for them to indicate having read/understood...

[windrider86]

Great ideas!!!

[Big Nick]

I would just ask them if they are sure they know how to read or something. I mean that is plain as day

[Chip]

Here's my quick re-write. Feel free to use or ignore, as you wish.

The basic fee for Wedding Photography service is a $**** , which includes a basic 8.5 x 8.5 hard cover book with up to 27 pages, the platinum photo package and up to 4 hours of the photographer’s time. (The photographer’s time begins to run at the time agreed upon for the photographer's scheduled arrival and ends at a time either mutually agreed upon in advance or when the photographer is dismissed. The photographer’s time includes travel time between venues, such as from a church to a reception.)

If the photographer’s time at your event lasts longer than 4 hours, then you will be charged an additional $90.00 per hour for any additional hour or fraction of an hour the photographer spends at your event.

A $100 deposit is required at time of booking and is non refundable. The remainder is due the day of the wedding. Additional photos can be purchased at individual or package pricing.

[OsmosisStudios]

My contracts are in bullet points: people skim paragraphs FAR too quickly for my liking.

[windrider86]

I do like the initial thing. I use that on my rental contracts so dont know why I didnt think of that on the photography contracts

[Free]

Reads OK.

But I think you should be asking for more deposit! Nearly every professional service I use (and myself) required a third or even half up front. My wedding photo required half.

If someones sisters boyfriends uncles best friends daughter offers to shoot the wedding for nothing with their brand new, second hand D40 (& kit lens), they will not hesitate to ditch you at the last minute, writing off all the time you've put aside for that shoot and potentially turned down work. At least if you have a third you're not losing so much.

Just a thought

Cheers
Free

[windrider86]

Another good point. See, it pays to vent on here!
Thank you all for your input