Terms & Conditions

These Terms & Conditions govern photography services provided by Chicago High-End Headshots, including individual professional headshots, corporate and team photography, and personal brand photography.

By booking a photography session, accepting a proposal, or otherwise engaging Chicago High-End Headshots for photography services, clients agree to the applicable terms outlined below.

1. Individual Headshot Sessions

Session Fees & Image Purchases

A prepaid session fee is required to reserve an individual photography appointment. This fee covers the photographer's time, expertise, professional direction, and photography experience. It does not include finished photographs.

Clients review their photographs during the session and select the images they wish to purchase before the appointment concludes.

Final images are purchased separately. There is no minimum image purchase requirement.

The session fee is nonrefundable regardless of the number of photographs purchased.

Purchased images receive professional retouching and are digitally delivered within 3–5 business days following the session, unless otherwise communicated.

Rescheduling & Cancellation

Each booking includes one complimentary reschedule when requested at least 48 hours before the scheduled appointment.

The complimentary reschedule is available only once per booking. The rescheduled session must take place within 90 calendar days of the original appointment date and is subject to availability.

Rescheduling requests made with less than 48 hours' notice are subject to a $150 fee. Any additional rescheduling request after the complimentary reschedule has been used is also subject to a $150 fee, regardless of advance notice.

Only one rescheduling fee applies to a single rescheduling request.

Session fees are nonrefundable in the event of cancellation or failure to attend the scheduled appointment.

Clients arriving more than 20 minutes late may forfeit their appointment and session fee at the photographer's discretion.

Exceptions may be considered for extraordinary circumstances at the sole discretion of Chicago High-End Headshots.

Image Selection & Approval

Clients have the opportunity to review their photographs before purchasing final images.

Selection and purchase of a photograph constitute approval of its expression, posture, composition, and overall appearance.

Clients are encouraged to raise questions or concerns during the image review process before finalizing their selections.

Once image selections have been approved and professional retouching has begun, purchases are considered final, except as otherwise required by applicable law.

2. Corporate & Team Photography Productions

Reservations & Payment

A nonrefundable retainer equal to 50% of the agreed production fee is required to reserve a corporate photography date.

Production dates are confirmed only upon receipt of the retainer and acceptance of the applicable agreement.

The remaining balance is due no later than 48 hours before the scheduled production.

Chicago High-End Headshots maintains its standard payment requirements for all corporate productions. Purchase orders, extended payment terms, and deferred payment arrangements are not accepted.

Additional services or production charges approved by the client will be invoiced separately.

Chicago High-End Headshots reserves the right to postpone or cancel a production if payment has not been received according to the agreed schedule.

Production Scope & Scheduling

Corporate productions are reserved according to an agreed production block, estimated participant count, location, schedule, and defined deliverables.

The client is responsible for coordinating employee participation, communicating photography schedules, and ensuring participants are available during their designated photography times.

Changes to the agreed participant count, production duration, location, schedule, or requested deliverables may require adjustments to the production structure or additional charges.

Any changes affecting the agreed production fee must be approved by the client before additional charges are incurred.

Additional photography time requested beyond the reserved production block is subject to availability and will be billed separately at the rate approved by the client.

Unused production time, missed appointments, late participants, or employees who elect not to participate do not qualify for refunds or credits.

Chicago High-End Headshots will make reasonable efforts to accommodate unexpected scheduling changes during production when doing so does not interfere with the overall photography schedule.

Corporate Rescheduling & Cancellation

One complimentary reschedule may be accommodated when requested more than 10 business days before the scheduled production, subject to availability.

Rescheduling requests made within 10 business days of production may require an additional retainer or rescheduling payment, agreed upon in writing before the new date is reserved.

Any rescheduled corporate production must take place within 90 calendar days of the original scheduled production date, subject to availability, unless otherwise agreed upon in writing by Chicago High-End Headshots.

The 90-day period is measured from the original production date and does not reset with subsequent rescheduling requests.

If the client cancels the production or the rescheduled production does not take place within the established 90-day period, Chicago High-End Headshots will retain the nonrefundable 50% retainer.

If the production fee has been paid in full, the remaining 50% of the total production fee will be refunded.

Separately approved additional services, incurred expenses, or rescheduling charges will be handled according to the written terms agreed upon for those charges.

Corporate Deliverables

Unless otherwise specified in the accepted proposal, each photographed participant receives one professionally retouched digital headshot.

Image selection may take place during production or through individual online proofing galleries, depending on the size and structure of the project.

Finished photographs are generally delivered within 3–5 business days following completion of photography and receipt of all required image selections.

Additional images and services may be purchased separately at the rates established in the applicable proposal or agreement.

Original RAW files, unretouched proofs, rejected images, and working files are not included in the production deliverables and are not provided to clients.

On-Site Requirements

For on-location corporate productions, the client is responsible for providing a suitable photography space, reasonable access for equipment setup and breakdown, and the necessary facilities for the agreed production.

Unless alternative arrangements have been confirmed, standard requirements include approximately 15 × 15 feet of unobstructed space, convenient access to electrical power, an eight-foot table and chair, and reliable Wi-Fi when required for the selected image review process.

The production schedule must allow sufficient setup time, generally 60 minutes before photography begins.

If on-site conditions materially differ from those agreed upon and prevent the production from proceeding as planned, adjustments to the schedule, production structure, or scope may be necessary.

Any additional costs resulting from client-requested changes or unsuitable site conditions will be discussed and approved before they are incurred.

3. Personal Brand Photography

Personal Brand Photography sessions are designed around the client's professional identity, intended image usage, creative objectives, and selected locations.

Session fees, production duration, image pricing, location requirements, and deliverables are established during the booking or proposal process.

Unless otherwise specified in writing, personal brand photography session fees do not include finished photographs, which are purchased separately following image review and selection.

For on-location sessions, the client is responsible for securing permission to photograph at the agreed locations and disclosing any access restrictions, location fees, or scheduling limitations before the session.

Additional locations, extended photography time, travel requirements, or changes to the approved production scope may result in additional charges, subject to client approval.

Rescheduling, cancellation, image selection, retouching, and delivery terms will follow the applicable individual session policies unless different arrangements are specified in the accepted proposal or agreement.

4. Professional Retouching & Image Delivery

Retouching Standards

Professional retouching is intended to refine and enhance the selected photograph while preserving the client's natural appearance and authentic expression.

Standard retouching may include reasonable adjustments to skin, complexion, minor distractions, color, tone, and other visual elements consistent with the photographer's professional finishing standards.

Retouching does not include substantial changes to facial expressions, posture, body positioning, composition, or other elements that would require recreating the original photograph.

Requests for extensive alterations beyond standard professional retouching may be declined or quoted separately.

Technical Corrections

Chicago High-End Headshots takes reasonable care to maintain consistent technical and professional photographic standards.

If a delivered image contains a technical error attributable to the studio, the concern will be reviewed and an appropriate correction provided when reasonably possible.

Subjective preferences regarding personal appearance, expression, or artistic interpretation do not automatically constitute technical defects when the client has reviewed and approved the selected image.

Digital Delivery

Finished photographs are delivered electronically through a secure or private digital delivery process.

Delivery timelines are estimates based on normal production volume and begin after all required selections and information have been received.

Clients are responsible for downloading and securely maintaining copies of their delivered photographs.

5. Copyright Ownership & Image Licensing

Copyright Ownership

Chicago High-End Headshots retains copyright ownership of all photographs created during its photography sessions and productions, except where otherwise agreed in a separate written agreement.

The purchase of a finished photograph provides usage rights as described below but does not transfer copyright ownership.

Permitted Image Usage

Clients receive a nonexclusive, perpetual license to use their purchased or delivered finished photographs for personal and professional purposes.

Permitted usage includes professional websites, LinkedIn and other social media profiles, business communications, corporate websites, marketing materials, professional publications, conference materials, press features, and printed collateral.

Clients may provide finished photographs to employers, professional associations, publications, event organizers, designers, and marketing agencies when such distribution supports the client's authorized personal or professional use.

Corporate clients may use delivered employee headshots for legitimate company communications, marketing, websites, directories, and related business purposes.

Individual participants may also use their own delivered headshots for professional purposes, including after their employment relationship with the commissioning organization ends, unless otherwise established in a separate written agreement.

Image Usage Restrictions

Photographs may not be sold, sub-licensed, or commercially redistributed as standalone photographic products without prior written authorization.

Clients may resize, crop, compress, or make minor formatting adjustments necessary for publication.

Material alterations to facial features, expressions, composition, or the overall photographic appearance require written permission from Chicago High-End Headshots.

Finished photographs may not be used to create materially altered or synthetic representations of the photographed individual, or to train generative image systems, without prior written authorization from the copyright holder and any other permissions required by law.

Unpurchased proofs, preview images, RAW files, and unretouched working photographs are not licensed for publication or distribution.

6. Portfolio & Promotional Use

Chicago High-End Headshots may request permission to feature selected finished photographs in its professional portfolio, website, social media, advertising, educational materials, or other promotional communications.

The use of identifiable client photographs for studio marketing purposes will be subject to appropriate client authorization.

Behind-the-scenes photography and video recordings may be created during sessions or productions when the appropriate permissions have been obtained.

Permission to use a finished photograph for portfolio purposes does not automatically constitute permission to publish behind-the-scenes recordings.

For corporate productions, any promotional use involving identifiable employees or company-related content must comply with the permissions and restrictions applicable to the organization and individual participants.

Declining promotional usage does not affect a client's photography experience or the quality of the services provided.

7. Photographer Availability & Unforeseen Circumstances

Chicago High-End Headshots makes every reasonable effort to fulfill scheduled photography commitments.

If a session or production cannot proceed due to photographer illness, equipment failure, severe weather, emergency, or other circumstances beyond reasonable control, the studio will notify the client as soon as reasonably possible.

When appropriate, the studio will offer an alternative photography date.

If Chicago High-End Headshots is unable to provide the agreed services and a mutually acceptable alternative cannot be arranged, payments for services not provided will be refunded, subject to applicable law.

Neither party is responsible for delays caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, except for payment obligations and other responsibilities that cannot lawfully be excused.

8. Image Retention & Privacy

Chicago High-End Headshots maintains original RAW files and delivered photographs for one year following final image delivery.

Following this period, files may be permanently deleted without additional notice.

The studio does not guarantee indefinite storage or archival availability of client photographs.

Clients are responsible for maintaining their own backups of delivered images.

Personal information collected through inquiries, bookings, payment processing, and image delivery is handled according to the studio's published Privacy Policy.

Please review the Chicago High-End Headshots Privacy Policy for additional information.

9. Private Studio Policy

Chicago High-End Headshots operates from a dedicated, private home-based photography studio in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. The studio is professionally equipped and designed to provide a comfortable, personalized photography experience in a quiet, distraction-free environment.

Sessions are available by appointment only, ensuring each client receives individualized attention without interruptions.

Clients are welcome to bring one accompanying guest. Complete arrival instructions are provided before the scheduled appointment.

As the studio is located within a private residence, accessibility features are limited. Clients with questions about physical access to the studio are encouraged to contact us before booking.

10. Limitation of Liability

Chicago High-End Headshots exercises reasonable professional care in planning, photographing, processing, and delivering client images.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, the studio's liability arising from a photography booking or production will not exceed the total amount paid by the client for the specific services giving rise to the claim.

The studio will not be liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, including lost business opportunities, anticipated profits, or third-party claims, except where such exclusions are prohibited by applicable law.

Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot legally be excluded or restricted.

11. Governing Law & Agreement Terms

These Terms & Conditions are governed by the laws of the State of Illinois, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

If any provision is determined to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in effect to the extent permitted by law.

Any modification to the agreed photography services, deliverables, payment arrangements, or other contractual obligations must be confirmed in writing by Chicago High-End Headshots and the client.

Where an accepted written proposal or service agreement expressly establishes different terms for a specific production, those expressly agreed terms will control for that production.

Chicago High-End Headshots may update these Terms & Conditions periodically. Changes will apply prospectively and will not retroactively alter the terms of an existing confirmed booking without agreement by the affected parties.

12. Acceptance of Terms

By completing a booking, affirmatively accepting these terms during the reservation process, or accepting a written photography proposal or agreement that incorporates these Terms & Conditions, the client acknowledges and agrees to the applicable policies.

For corporate productions, the individual accepting the agreement on behalf of the organization represents that they are authorized to do so.

Clients are encouraged to review these terms before completing their reservation.

For questions regarding these policies, please contact:

Chicago High-End Headshots

Rolling Meadows, Illinois

Email: david@chicagohighendheadshots.com

Phone: 847-812-2833

Website: www.chicagohighendheadshots.com

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