Five Things You Need In Your Photo Styling Contract

Photo Stylists (in many styling niches including food stylists, wardrobe stylists and interior stylists) have told me that they do not use a Styling Services Contract. THIS is one of the reasons when I launched this site ~ to organize, prepare and protect those stylists.  You need to use a contract. It helps you as well as your clients and it sets you up for being professional and taken seriously as a Freelance Stylist.  Using a Styling Services Contract, you legally establish expectations (for you and your client) and outline all expectations and guidelines for the assignment.  Have you ever had a client say to you, just do your thing?  You can’t just do your THING.  You need to do “your thing” with a contact.  Oftentimes, this could be a warning sign of a client who is not really sure what they want. (The ol’ ~ I’ll know it when I see it, client.) 

You many be telling yourself as a new stylist, that a client will not want to sign your contract, but actually your clients will feel more at ease with a contract in place.   As part of our “organize, prepare and protect” you mission, we have a Styling Services Contract in our Shop for you.  While our Contract is very detailed with several clause ~ these are 5 top clauses you NEED to think about and have as part of your business.

1.  SCOPE OF WORK.

You need to be specific about what hours you will be working and the scope of work that the job entails.  Be specific about the days you will be researching, sources shopping AND the days you will be in the studio or on location stying.  While I’m strict on my contract, I do go the extra mile and what I call “surprise and delight” my styling clients.  I always want to extend myself for them.  BUT, you also do need to have guidelines in place.  I call this bending with boundaries.  It is a balance between boundaries and scope creep.  I talk about scope creep more in what you can do to stop scope creep with clients.

2.  PAYMENT DETAILS.

Be specific on your payments.  Will you be requiring a deposit before you start sourcing, shopping or before the job starts.  What is that deposit and when is it due?  If it is a longer (multi-week assignment) will you be requiring “milestone” payments.  Will you be charging a day rate for your services?  If you charge a day rate ~ will your shopping days and your in studio styling rates be different.  What will be your overtime rate if the photo shoot goes overtime.  Will you charge by the hour for overtime and what will that rate be? All things to think about (and put into your contract.)  My philosophy is “my preferences become by policies”.  You do not have to do what every other photo stylist is doing.

Also, something to keep in mind is while you style the images that the Photographer photographer, they do not wait for payments.  In their contract their is a clause that they will not release (send to client) photographs until they get payment. We don't want you waiting on payment for your styling services.

3.  EXPENSES.

Don’t overlook your expenses.  I do not charge for anything in my Photo Styling Kit to a client for what should be in my kit, but if I have to purchase something very specific or if I have to rent something, I do charge my client.  Also, your prepare time (hours) and your wrap time (hours) should be included in the job.  Also, keep track of your time researching, inspiration searching and sourcing.  You need to charge for that time.  Oftentimes, as Stylists, we see that as the “fun stuff” and tend to be more lenient in charging for these tasks.

Also, keep track of those transportation costs, tolls, taxis, etc.  (You may decide to “roll” those into your rate.  But, do keep track for tax purposes.

4. SCHEDULE & CANCELLATION

The “do your own thing” client or the scoop creep client who keep adding more items to your schedule can delay your timeline for getting the job done and could interfere with your next scheduled assignment.  Be very clear on the contract the days you will be styling/doing their project.  You do not want to disappoint your next client ~ and also you have a contract with that client as well.

Your styling contract needs a clause that defines what happens if your client fail to respond or provide requested information (usually styling specs for job) within a certain timeframe. The schedule helps motivate you and your client to work efficiently during the assignment.

What if a client cancels on you?  Include a cancellation policy in your styling services contract in case a client cancels last minute.   I have a cancellation fee in my contract, in case this happens.  If you did not book with this client ~ you could have worked for another client.

This is a policy that you may want to be flexible on (if you can be.) Sometimes weather or delivery of products/services for photo shoot can interference. 

5.  SIGNATURES TO MAKE IT LEGAL.

Make sure before you start assignment you and client have signed the contract.  There are websites that make this easy for you.  Sites like * Docusign, * Honeybook or many client management systems have signature options for you to use.

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Side Note:  Many times it can be challenging to get Tearsheets and your images from the styling assignment.  You have to get your samples, tears and images!  THESE are what you show to future client and how your business grows.  You need to have a “Tearsheet”/Images clause in your contract.  (AND never, ever leave a assignment, last day of shoot, without getting the name and email of the person you send out the images to the creative pros! 

Interested in getting a Styling Services Contract?  Check out our Shop for the Details.  Our Contract comes with the following:

▪︎ Guide to Contracts
▪︎ Contract
▪︎ Same Contract explaining the meaning to all the legal language and why you need it in your contract.

Bonnie ~