Photography
Terms & Conditions.

1. Booking & payment

A 50% deposit secures your booking. Bookings are confirmed only once the deposit is received. Dates are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and may be released without notice until payment is received.

The deposit is subject to the cancellation policy below and any refund required by applicable law. The remaining balance is due after you receive watermarked previews and select your images for final editing. Final images are released after full payment.

Accepted payment methods: cash, EFT and cash send.

Current studio portrait packages

• Essential — R750: 10 edited images, 30 minutes and 1 prop choice. Deposit: R375.
• Signature — R1,100: 20 edited images, 1 hour and 2 prop choices. Deposit: R550.
• Deluxe — R1,600: 40 edited images, 2 hours and 3 prop choices. Deposit: R800.

All studio packages include guided posing and professional retouching. Outdoor, on-location, matric dance, corporate, events and weddings are quoted separately. Your agreed quote confirms the package, scope and any extras.

2. Cancellations & rescheduling

You may reschedule once with at least 24 hours’ notice, subject to availability. Additional reschedules cost R100 each.

If you cancel, a reasonable cancellation charge may be deducted from your deposit, taking account of the notice given, the nature of the booking and the opportunity to fill the slot. Any balance due to you will be refunded. No cancellation charge applies where prohibited by law, including applicable circumstances involving death or hospitalisation.

If Ashley cancels your booking, you will receive a full refund.

3. Late arrivals & no-shows

A 15-minute grace period is allowed. Arrival more than 15 minutes late reduces shooting time. Sessions end at the originally scheduled time unless overtime is agreed.

If you are more than 20 minutes late without notice, your session may be cancelled. No-shows and late cancellations are subject to the reasonable cancellation charges in section 2; the deposit may be applied to those charges. Rescheduling after a no-show costs R100, subject to availability and any applicable statutory rights.

4. Overtime

Overtime costs R200 per 15 minutes and must be agreed during the session. Without approval, the session ends at its scheduled time.

5. Image delivery & turnaround

You will receive watermarked previews to choose your final images. Turnaround begins once your final selection and full payment have both been received.

• Essential (10 images): approximately 4 days.
• Signature (20 images): approximately 7 days.
• Deluxe (40 images): delivery timeframe confirmed with Ashley when booking.

These are estimated turnaround times. Additional images, custom work and agreed re-edits may affect delivery; Ashley will confirm the expected timeframe. Final edited images are delivered digitally.

6. Editing & style

Ashley maintains creative control over the editing style. One sample edited image may be provided for approval before the final edits.

You may request minor adjustments such as brightness, skin tone or basic retouching. Extensive or repeated re-edits may be declined or quoted separately, with any additional charge agreed before work begins. This does not limit remedies for services that fail to meet applicable legal standards.

RAW and unedited files are not included and will not be supplied.

7. Additional images & services

• Extra edited images: R40 per image.
• Extra-image offer: 1 additional image free for every 10 extra images purchased.
• Rush editing: R400 for agreed 24-hour delivery, subject to availability and confirmation of the image quantity. Timing begins after final selection and full payment.
• Same-day editing is not offered.
• Travel costs may apply depending on location and will be quoted before booking.

Additional charges must be agreed before the relevant work or service is provided.

8. Client responsibilities

Please arrive on time, bring your outfits, secure any required location permissions and cover applicable entry fees. Ashley is not responsible for missed shots caused by client lateness or lack of preparation, subject to applicable consumer rights.

9. Weather

Severe weather may require an outdoor session to be rescheduled at Ashley’s discretion. A replacement date will be agreed subject to availability. Photographer-initiated weather rescheduling does not incur a client rescheduling fee.

10. Usage rights & privacy

Clients may use their delivered images for personal or business purposes. Ashley may use photographs for portfolio, social media, marketing and advertising, subject to any required permission and applicable privacy rights.

You may request that your images remain private, and they will not be shared publicly upon request. Please communicate your preference before the session where possible. To request removal of an image already published on channels controlled by Ashley, email contact@ashleysmithphotography.co.za. See our Privacy Policy for information handling.

11. Image protection

Clients may not alter, re-edit or apply filters to delivered images without Ashley’s permission, or claim the photography as their own work.

12. Refunds & resolving concerns

Please contact Ashley if the agreed number of images is not delivered, files are lost or corrupted, or technical failure makes the images unusable. Depending on the circumstances and your statutory rights, a remedy may include correcting the work, an agreed reshoot or an appropriate refund.

Personal preference about the agreed editing style, minor imperfections within professional standards, or client-related issues such as lateness or non-cooperation do not automatically entitle a client to a refund.

Ashley may offer reasonable re-edits or a reshoot, subject to availability. Offering a solution does not remove any refund or other remedy required by law. Nothing in these terms excludes liability or consumer rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.

13. Equipment failure & data loss

In the unlikely event that equipment failure or data loss prevents delivery of your session’s images, a full refund will be issued.

14. Conduct & right to refuse service

Ashley may refuse or stop a session if a client behaves disrespectfully, aggressively, abusively or threateningly. Any payment retained will be limited to services already provided and reasonable charges permitted by law; this does not remove your statutory rights.