No. It is a set of clauses to paste into a contract you already have, or to give to whoever writes one for you. It covers deposits, rescheduling, cancellation, weather, late arrival and what happens if you cannot attend. It does not cover copyright, image usage, model releases or payment terms.

No, and it is careful not to pretend otherwise. Every sentence it produces is a term you chose in the form. It never states what the law requires, because consumer cancellation rights differ enormously by country and in many places they override what a contract says. Have a lawyer read it before you rely on it.

Should my deposit be refundable?

Most photographers make the retainer non-refundable, because its purpose is to compensate you for turning down other work on that date. That is a common arrangement rather than a universal right, and in some jurisdictions a non-refundable deposit that looks like a penalty rather than a genuine estimate of your loss can be challenged. Keeping it proportionate is the practical protection.

What should the weather clause actually say?

The useful part is who decides and by when. Vague clauses fail on the morning of a shoot when one of you thinks light rain is fine and the other does not. The generated clause names the decision maker, sets a deadline of the morning of the session, and states explicitly that overcast skies and light drizzle are not grounds to postpone, which is the argument that actually happens.

Why is the three line version separate?

Because it is the one clients read. A full clause set sits in a contract nobody opens twice. Three lines above a deposit button set the expectation at the moment it matters, and that is where cancellation disputes are actually prevented.

Cancellation policy generator

Answer a few questions about deposits, rescheduling and weather, and get clauses in plain English for your contract, plus a short version for your booking page.

Free, no account, nothing to install. Your answers stay in your browser.

Cancellation and rescheduling policy

Booking and retainer. A retainer of 25% of the total fee is due at booking and is non-refundable. The date is not held until it is paid. The retainer covers the time reserved for you and the work already done before the session, which is why it does not come back if the booking does not go ahead.
Rescheduling. You may move the session to another available date at no charge with at least 14 days notice. This applies to 1 reschedule. Any further change is treated as a new booking and a new retainer applies. With less than 14 days notice, the retainer is forfeited and a new retainer is required to hold the new date.
Cancellation by you. If you cancel, the retainer is not refunded. If you cancel within 7 days of the session, the full fee remains payable, because the date can no longer realistically be filled.
Weather. This session depends on workable conditions. If heavy rain, high wind or unsafe conditions would prevent the session going ahead as planned, the photographer will make the call no later than the morning of the session, and we move to the next date we both have free at no charge. The retainer carries over to the new date. Overcast skies and light drizzle are not grounds to postpone: they are frequently better light than full sun, and a postponement decided on the day for anything other than genuinely unworkable conditions is treated as a reschedule under the terms above.
Late arrival. The session starts and ends at the agreed times. If you arrive up to 15 minutes late I will run over where I can. Beyond that the session ends at the scheduled time and the shooting time lost is not refundable, since the slot after yours may already be booked.
If I cannot attend. If I cannot attend through illness, injury or an emergency, I will arrange a photographer of comparable standard at no extra cost to you, and I will edit and deliver the work myself where I am able to. If no suitable replacement is available, you receive a full refund of everything paid, including the retainer.
Events outside anyone’s control. If the session cannot go ahead because of something neither of us controls, such as a natural disaster, a public health restriction, or the venue closing, we will reschedule to the next date we both have free at no charge. Where no workable date exists, everything paid other than costs already committed on your behalf is refunded.

Short version for your booking page

A 25% of the total fee retainer holds your date. It is non-refundable, and it comes off your final balance.
Need to move it? 14 days notice and the first change is free.
If the weather makes the session genuinely unworkable, we move it and you pay nothing extra.

This is the version that actually prevents disputes. Most clients will never read the full clauses, but they will read three lines above a deposit button.

These are the terms you chose, written out clearly and ready to use. They are a starting point rather than legal advice: consumer cancellation rights vary by country and can override contract terms, so it is worth having a lawyer read them once before you rely on them for high-value bookings.

The clause most contracts get wrong

For anyone shooting outdoors, weather is the single most likely thing to go wrong, and the standard wording handles it badly. "The session may be rescheduled due to inclement weather" sounds fine until eight in the morning on the day, when one of you thinks light rain is workable and the other has already cancelled the babysitter.

The parts worth being specific about are dull and short: who decides, by when, how many times, and what happens to the money. Get those four right and almost every cancellation conversation becomes routine.

What a retainer is for

A retainer is not a down payment on the photographs. It compensates you for the date you stopped selling to anyone else the moment you accepted the booking. Saying that in the clause, rather than just declaring it non-refundable, is what makes it read as reasonable rather than punitive, and reasonable is also the standard a court would tend to apply.

Two documents, not one

The generator produces both because they do different jobs. The numbered clauses go in the contract and exist for the rare case where something goes badly wrong. The three line summary goes on your booking page and exists to stop that case happening, by setting the expectation at the moment the client is about to pay.

If you are also working out what to charge, the effective hourly rate calculator is worth ten minutes first. A cancellation policy protects the fee. It does not fix a fee that was too low to begin with.

One thing to check locally

The generator writes down the terms you pick, in the words you would want a client to read. What it cannot know is where you work. Distance selling rules, statutory cooling-off periods and consumer protection law vary by country, and in some places they override contract terms entirely. One afternoon with a lawyer in your jurisdiction turns this from a good starting point into something you can lean on.

Common questions

Is this a contract?: No. It is a set of clauses to paste into a contract you already have, or to give to whoever writes one for you. It covers deposits, rescheduling, cancellation, weather, late arrival and what happens if you cannot attend. It does not cover copyright, image usage, model releases or payment terms.
Is it legal advice?: No, and it is careful not to pretend otherwise. Every sentence it produces is a term you chose in the form. It never states what the law requires, because consumer cancellation rights differ enormously by country and in many places they override what a contract says. Have a lawyer read it before you rely on it.
Should my deposit be refundable?: Most photographers make the retainer non-refundable, because its purpose is to compensate you for turning down other work on that date. That is a common arrangement rather than a universal right, and in some jurisdictions a non-refundable deposit that looks like a penalty rather than a genuine estimate of your loss can be challenged. Keeping it proportionate is the practical protection.
What should the weather clause actually say?: The useful part is who decides and by when. Vague clauses fail on the morning of a shoot when one of you thinks light rain is fine and the other does not. The generated clause names the decision maker, sets a deadline of the morning of the session, and states explicitly that overcast skies and light drizzle are not grounds to postpone, which is the argument that actually happens.
Why is the three line version separate?: Because it is the one clients read. A full clause set sits in a contract nobody opens twice. Three lines above a deposit button set the expectation at the moment it matters, and that is where cancellation disputes are actually prevented.

A policy nobody reads prevents nothing

Xposure bookings put your terms in front of the client at the moment they pay the deposit, with an e-signature attached, so the conversation happens before the date is held rather than after it goes wrong.

See how bookings work

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