Terms of Service

Bookings & Retainers

A retainer is required to secure a scheduled photography session, event, or coverage date. A booking is not confirmed until the required retainer has been received.

Retainers are non-refundable and reserve the scheduled time, preparation, and availability required for your photography service.

Rescheduling & Postponements

If a game, event, or session is postponed due to weather, venue changes, or circumstances outside of our control, we will work together to reschedule whenever possible.

Rescheduling is subject to availability and will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Photographer Availability

Every reasonable effort will be made to attend all scheduled photography sessions and events.

If I become unable to provide photography services due to illness, injury, family emergency, or another unforeseen circumstance that prevents me from attending your scheduled session or event, you will be notified as soon as reasonably possible.

Whenever possible, I will work with you to reschedule the session or assist in arranging a suitable replacement photographer. If neither option is possible, any payments made for services that cannot be provided will be refunded.

Satisfaction Commitment

At SportsByShawn, I take pride in providing a professional experience from our first conversation through the delivery of your final gallery. If you have a reasonable concern about your photography session or the images you receive, I encourage you to contact me as soon as possible.

My goal is to work with you in good faith to reach a mutually satisfactory resolution whenever possible.

If I am unable to provide the professional photography service that was agreed upon because of a circumstance for which I am responsible, I am committed to working with you to reach a mutually satisfactory resolution. Where appropriate, this may include a complimentary replacement photography session.

Because every sporting event is unique, the final gallery will naturally reflect the opportunities presented during the game or event. Athlete participation, playing time, injuries, venue restrictions, weather, lighting conditions, and the natural flow of competition all influence the images that can be captured. My commitment is to capture those moments professionally and deliver the strongest possible collection of images from the opportunities available.

Refund Policy

As a general policy, SportsByShawn does not offer refunds for photography services.

Photography services require reserving time, planning, travel, equipment preparation, and, in some cases, venue or facility rentals. These commitments begin well before the first photograph is taken and continue throughout the photography process.

If a reasonable concern arises, my first priority is to work with you in good faith to reach a mutually satisfactory resolution rather than issuing a refund.

If I am unable to provide photography services due to circumstances that prevent me from fulfilling our agreement, the Photographer Availability policy outlined above will apply.

Image Delivery & Storage

Delivery times vary depending on the type and size of the photography service. Standard delivery timelines will be discussed at the time of booking.

Client galleries will remain available for a minimum of 6 months after delivery. Edited images are stored for a minimum of 1 year; after that time, galleries and files may be removed to manage storage.

Editing & Final Images

All delivered images are professionally edited as part of the final photography service. Editing decisions, including colour, contrast, cropping, and overall style, are part of the finished creative process.

Delivered images may not be altered, edited, filtered, or modified without prior permission.

Copyright & Image Usage

Unless otherwise agreed upon in writing, SportsByShawn retains copyright ownership of all images created.

Clients are granted permission to use delivered images according to the agreed usage terms. Images may be shared personally and used by athletes, teams, and organizations for approved purposes such as social media, websites, and internal promotion.

Images may not be sold, licensed, transferred to third parties, or used for commercial advertising without prior written permission.

Safety & Professional Environment

SportsByShawn is committed to creating a safe, respectful, and professional environment for athletes, families, teams, officials, and event participants.

Threatening, abusive, discriminatory, or unsafe behaviour will not be tolerated. Coverage may be ended at my discretion if an environment becomes unsafe or inappropriate, and refunds may not be provided in these situations.

Custom Agreements

Some organizations, professional teams, universities, leagues, and commercial projects may require custom agreements based on their specific policies and usage needs.

Any written agreement created for a specific project will take priority over these general Terms of Service.