$200 Late Fee?!!!

I am all for students and amateur photography people, but not all of them are right.

I don't know if its standard but I do not agree with a 200$ late fee. I would think that if you don't pay, then you don't get your pictures. I mean no more penalty is needed. If it is too late to find another photographer or you don't want to, then I would just make sure to pay on time.

I also don't think it should restrict anyone. The only thing it should really say is you are paying her for this, ect. How does it restrict guests?

I was looking at hiring a student photographer who refused to give me the digital copies, it was against her policy. I think not, I went with someone else.

Look online for wedding contracts your self and see if that's standard. And just because its standard doesn't mean its just.

I am paying 300$ for my armature too and I hope there is no surprises in the contract =)

Ok, i'm paying $1300 for my photographer and there are NO late fees...and they've been in the business for over 20 years! My contract is very simple and basically the only restriction is that they don't want guests photographing the formal poses because it will throw off their lighting...I'd question a contract like that. I can send you a copy of mine if you'd like to see it. My email is ***********@***.***. Hope this helps!

That sounds absurd! I would definitley look at some other hobby photographers, they may be cheaper, or, contact the photopraghy school and ask if that is 'normal'..

Hello,

Congratulations, I hope you have a wonderful wedding day! $300.00 for a photogapher is cheap! If you do not intend on being late with your payment I would not look a gift horse in the mouth. As for the contract, well, now a days it is pretty hard to do anything without a contract. I do understand your point too much is too much. They are new and maybe they need to learn a few things about simplicity. You might want to talk with them and simply state your views in a positive constructive way. Keep It Simple is my motto.

I wish you both nothing but happiness and love throughout your future marriage. Be well and enjoy the moment!

$200 is quite high. I usually see other vendors use a percentage like.. 20% of the total invoice. I dont think there is a standard as far as late fees go but I've never seen one that high.

Maybe I'm crazy, but I don't expect full payment until I deliver the pictures. I do not charge a late fee of any kind. I'd have someone look over that contract as something doesn't feel right to me.

Cynthia

CYNTHIA'S SPIRIT PHOTOGRAPHY

Yikes!. Thats a bit steep.

We have no such things as late fees in our contract, but even if we did, 200 sounds a bit too much.

Whoa, $200 is quite steep for a late fee. Your student may be a great photographer, but she needs to work on her business skills, which she will acquire over time. If you don’t plan on paying her late, it shouldn’t be a problem.

What kind of restrictions is she giving you and your guests? If the restrictions are on guests using the posed images she has set up, that is quite normal. Guests trying to get the same posed images can mess with the lighting and will cause people to look in different directions. You will be happy about those restrictions when the day is over and you get your professional photos back.

Having some late fee does make business sense for the photographer, especially if she is putting out money to capture the best images possible for your wedding. There is a lot more that goes into photography than just the time capturing images on the day of the wedding. My suggestion is to ask her for a revision on the contract and come to a win-win situation for both of you. If you can’t work anything out, you might want to consider looking for another photographer before signing that contract. Good luck!

That is pretty absurd.

As far as my experience, there is no such industry standard towards late fee's.

The late fee should at the very least be relevant to the package price, and 200 on a 300 package is just wrong.

I don't have a late fee at all in my contract. Like most other photographer's, I presume, I just hold out on delivering the pictures if all payments haven't been met.

It sound like she sort of created her contract with various parts of other contracts without adjusting to fit her individual situation. You should tell her what terms you don't find acceptable, and ask her to adjust her contract. If she is completely unwilling to work with you, you might want to consider a slightly more professional photographer for such an important event.

good luck!

300 for your wedding photography sounds wonderful!!!! and yes the 200 late fee does sound a little steap but just make sure you can pay this on time and read over the rest of the contract and make sure there is nothing else that you do not approve of. If you are sure you can pay on time and get the pictures you want of your special day for only 300 go for it! THAT'S A BARGAIN!!!

I explained to her that she was asking for a 75% late fee and that even the electric company isn't that strict. She backed down to $50, which is fine but still makes no sense since the payment date is on our wedding day. I told her why not just withhold the photos? I further explained that Its not like she is going to give us the photos if we haven't paid. --She just gave me an odd look.--- Work on her business skills is right! She needs to understand that this is a word of mouth industry.

The restrictions that she had in the contract basically boiled down to, if anyone (other vendors, my guest, myself) treat her mean she can walk. If the other vendors don't co-operate with her- she can walk. I asked her about her policy on 'not treating her mean'. Her response was...wait for it..."I've seen those BRIDEZILLA shows. I'm not going to be treated that way." Nice...lol-- We've actually paid all of our vendors in full. -She will be paid on the day of! lol

WOW! I am paying 650 dollars for a photographer! there was no late fee in our contract just because we have agreed that she still has work to do after the wedding. She is going to take all the photos and fix some of them delete the ones that are junk and also she is making me a scrapbook! I think there should be NO 200 late fee she still has work to do for you after the wedding!

Mrs. Conway I agree with you. She still has work to do as far as retouches, spot color, cropping ect. She is to give us the CD to make our own prints, which is what I wanted.

It gets worse. On her business card it says "Potography by Stxxxx Rexxx" and She only referrs to herself as Stxxx. So I just assumed Rexxx was her last name. (shes been very illusive) So when my FH asked who should we make the money order out to, she said Stxxxx Nexxxx. So I assume that Rexxxx is her middle name. But to make matters worse we didnt have an address for her - just a cell #. So we asked her for a physical address. She tells us that she works at the (insert resturant name here) accross the street and thats where we can find her if we need to!!! LOL. When we pressed futhur she said she is in the midst of moving. --Mind you her cell phone # is out of state! ---Ok, dont say it---We got what we paid for~!!!! lol

Wow! I understand not wanting to be treated badly, but it is a stressful day and it will be easy for someone to be mean to her, especialy and unsuspecting guest. Are you supposed to write on your invite "p.s don't be mean to our photographer or she will walk" ? That sounds strange. Has she ever even done a wedding before?

I don't believe in "you get what you pay for" because I have found a few photographers that were 300$ and perfectly nice, of course I have found plenty 300-5000$ ones that were rude.

Good luck, to bad your not in the Florida area or I could recommend alot of good affordable options.

Chelsey S. I wish I could have a nice Florida wedding! --Yeah she atually did mention we should put something in our programs about no flash photography, limit photography, dont take a photo when she is, dont be rude ect. We were also to speak to all of our vendors and tell them not to be rude with her or she would walk. I felt it was a bit much. All of my vendors are type 'A' personalities that have been in buisness for years and are divas in their own right. They know how they want their part of the wedding run and she is not going to tell them otherwise. --She also had a thing in her contract that if my vendors didnt "cooperate" with her she could walk. Im not even sure I know what that is in referance to.

That is just absurd. I have never heard of someone with so many reasons that they "will walk" from a wedding. Much less any included in their contract. That is so unprofessional. The only reason I think I would ever walk from a wedding would be if my personal safety was in jeopardy.

Have you already paid/contracted her? If not I would seriously suggest exploring other options. After all these are your wedding photographs, they can't be re-shot. If she is this unprofessional before the event just image what could happen after.

You need to take a very good look at who you have chosen as a photographer. It is great to get a good price like $300.00 - but remember - the memories are priceless!! If there are no good pictures - or worse, she doesn't show up then there is nothing you can do. What are you getting for $300? If it is purely digital is she going to color correct the images and make sure they are all good? What kind of equipment is she planning on bringing? If the contract is any good there should be things in it to protect you as well, like what happens if she does not come through.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding and good luck.

That late fee is 66% of the total! Completely rediculous, and i'm also pretty sure it's illegal. There's certain rules that need to be taken into consideration when drawing up contracts, and late fee/penalties along with interest are a few of them. I say go with your gut here. Is saving a few dollars worth all the potential headaches? I'm sure you can find a different photographer for around the same price in your area, if that's what they go for. But I can tell you it's certainly not "standard" in the industry.

Wow, after reading your next post about the clause about "walking away", I would be EXTREMELY hesitant about using this person. It sounds like many of the young people that start in this industry that won't last. You have to be able to go with the flow, regardless of what's happening. A wedding day can be very tense, and you have to be able to deal with that. Saying that if someone is mean they can walk away is not a professional thing to do. I'd look elsewhere.

Ditch that company