Every business has policies to keep communication clear. The purpose of this document is to be transparent, set expectations for you and for us, putting everyone on the same page about what we do and how we do it so there are no surprises.
Ever After Portraits is an in-demand, luxury portrait studio that is often booked 1-3 months in advance. Our studio team often comes together from different cities to give our clients a memorable custom portrait experience at the highest levels of excellence. Excellent customer service is our goal.
Please read our Studio Policies carefully, understanding you will be held to these posted Studio Policies by booking a session with Ever After Portraits operating legally as Ever After, LLC, a limited liability corporation, subchapter S.
We view Studio Policies as tools that help us ensure that all clients have a wonderful experience.
We are happy to answer any questions or clarify anything.
Studio Location and Hours
Ever After, LLC’s Residential Studio is located at 46506 Oak Lane, Sterling, Virginia, 20165.
Our phone number is 571-434-0009.
We are open by appointment only.
Please consider your schedule, understanding most meetings and correspondence will take place during daytime business hours.
We will return your call and respond to emails during the week in the daytime.
Preferred Communication
We will do our best to keep an open line of communication and information and ask that you do the same.
Speaking in person or on the phone is our favorite way of communicating with you to book in or answer questions about your session.
We do use email and text to forward information to you, as it offers us all the luxury of having our correspondence in one place.
By providing your phone number, you agree to receive text messages from Ever After. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies. You may at any time reply STOP to opt-out. By submitting, you authorize Ever After to send text messages with offers and other information. Consent is not a condition of purchase.
Although we may have initially connected with you on social media, our communication preference is phone/email/text message as we move forward in providing services.
Please note that we do not accept text messaging as a valid way to book or cancel a session.
Please all our Studio at 571.434.0009 with any questions.
Securing our Services and Scheduling
For some sessions, a non-refundable Session Fee is required to secure our services and hold your date.
For other sessions, a refundable Holding Fee is required for this purpose.
To ensure that we are booking committed clients, as serious and committed as we are to their having beautiful portraits created, and to prevent no-shows and late cancellations, we ask every client for a holding or session fee and only payment of either type of fee secures a date on our calendar.
This fee is 100% refundable for the cancellation of a session within the first 48 hours of payment, no questions asked.
Sales Tax applies to all fees.
You are under no obligation to purchase any portraits. Products are a separate purchase from the session or holding fee.
One Portrait Session appointment and one Ordering Session appointment is included as part of your holding or session fee.
Add ons may be purchased separately and are non-refundable.
Ordering Sessions are typically scheduled within approximately 1 to 2 weeks after your Portrait Session.
Preparation for your session/event often requires planning and coordination.
Planning and Design sessions are by phone and generally last about 15 -20 minutes.
Because we have a wedding division, typically, we do not photograph sessions on Saturdays, and Sundays are our family day. If exceptions are made, additional fees may apply.
After you book your session, we will send you detailed information on clothing, directions, etc.
When participating in a charitable fundraising project, the participation fee that goes to charity is always fully nonrefundable.
Exclusive Photographer / Other Cameras / Personnel
Ever After, LLC will be the exclusive photographer/s retained by the Client/s for the purpose of photographing the session.
No other cameras or video recording devices are allowed during the portrait or ordering sessions. Yes, this includes your cell phones!
Ever After, LLC may have an Associate Portrait Artist taking photographs who shall be a competent professional, and/or may have an Assistant take photographs under the supervision of Portrait Artist.
Copyright and Reproductions/Usage/Model Release
The Client who books our services gives copyright, reproduction, usage and model release consent as further detailed below and recognizes that no further notification is required, that Client is over 18 years of age, and that if any portrait Subject is a minor child, that you are the parent or duly authorized representative of that Subject and have read and understand and give consent to this Release.
Ever After, LLC
– shall exclusively retain the copyright and ownership of all digital negatives to all portraits created and reserves the exclusive right to make reproductions of any time in perpetuity.
– may provide a written Usage License of ordered purchased portraits/digital negatives.
Client will not
– make copies for sale or for the purpose of circumventing the sale of portraits or images.
– copy or reproduce the portraits/images in any way without express written permission.
Please note: Even though portraits may be of you or your child, the photographer still owns the copyright to the portrait.
In order to control the quality of the work produced, the photographer is the only one who can crop, modify, or order any portrait produced at this Portrait Session.
All digital negatives/images/portraits are copyrighted by Ever After, LLC and are protected by United States Copyright Laws (USC Title 17). It is illegal to copy, scan, reproduce, or post images online in forums elsewhere without the written permission of Ever After, LLC or alter in any manner, including, but not limited to, electronic scanning via personal scanner or reproduction via photo lab or self-service kiosk. Violators of this federal law will be subject to its civil and criminal penalties.
Quality and Training
Calls or sessions may be recorded by the Studio for quality and training purposes.
Counterparts, Signature to Agreements, including Ordering Agreement
Client and the Studio agree that signatures by facsimile transmission or electronic scan, or using electronic and email signatures are acceptable and shall have the same force and effect as if an original signature.
Code of Conduct
We expect all our clients to maintain an appropriate level of conduct.
Inappropriate Verbal or Physical Conduct to Our Staff
– Raising your voice to any staff.
– Profane, obscene, or abusive language; racial, ethnic, or sexual orientation comments or gestures.
– Taking any property, inventory or materials owned by Ever After, LLC.
– Vandalizing our property by writing, marking, scribbling, defacing, or causing destruction to the property in any manner.
– Possess, use, or sale any controlled substance while we are on the property or in our presence.
RESCHEDULING
If you RESCHEDULE, FAIL TO ATTEND or CANCEL your Portrait or Ordering Session for any reason, the studio loses the ability to book this time for another family.
Please book ALL of your dates thoughtfully and with consideration, as rescheduling any type of appointment can not only be difficult, but will incur a $200 Rescheduling Fee. The Rescheduling Fee can be used as a spending credit toward purchase.
We understand that emergencies happen, but please don’t reschedule your Session unless absolutely necessary as it may be several weeks or even months before there is another opening.
Our Rescheduling Policies apply to Portrait and Ordering appointments.
HOW TO RESCHEDULE
WEATHER
ILLNESS
LATE ARRIVAL AND NO SHOWS
CANCELLING YOUR SESSION
REGULAR FAMILY SESSIONS
FAMILY INCLUDED in any session fee, MEANS IMMEDIATE FAMILY that live under the same roof, PARENTS AND CHILDREN.
MULTIGENERATIONAL/EXTENDED FAMILY SESSIONS REQUIREMENTS
Any session which has 3 or more ADULTS will be considered a MULTIGENERATIONAL/EXTENDED FAMILY SESSION
MULTIGENERATIONAL/EXTENDED FAMILY UNIT
A MULTIGENERATIONAL/EXTENDED FAMILY UNIT MEANS a separate FAMILY UNIT that lives in a separate home or household.
We require the name, phone number and email of one contact person for each FAMILY UNIT. As a studio, we would like to send them our welcome packet so they also have all the information and there are no surprises. We want your entire family to have the best experience.
Any portrait with 3 or more ADULTS is available as Wall Art only.
MULTIGENERATIONAL/EXTENDED STUDIO FAMILY STUDIO SESSION FEE
– $1200
– $1000 SPENDING CREDIT
MULTIGENERATIONAL/EXTENDED FAMILY PORTRAIT PARK SESSION FEE
– $1500
– $1000 SPENDING CREDIT
ADD ONS AVAILABLE:
HAIR AND MAKEUP (EACH) – $250
STUDIO WARDROBE (ALL) – $250
SESSION LENGTH – 2 HOURS
Each FAMILY UNIT desiring to purchase portraits may have at no additional charge their own:
– PLANNING CALL
– DESIGN SESSION
– ZOOM* ORDERING SESSION
MULTIGENERATIONAL/EXTENDED FAMILY POOL YOUR RESOURCES PRICING
EACH FAMILY UNIT ordering session must be held within one week of the PRIMARY ORDERING SESSION for PRODUCTS PURCHASED to be counted as ONE SALES SESSION and treated as ONE ORDER with POOL YOUR RESOURCES PRICING. While separate invoices may be issued, POOL YOUR RESOURCES PRICING is treated as ONE invoice; REWARDS of as much as 50% off additional products may apply after your first Wall Art purchase. No PRODUCTS are delivered until payment in full has been received. Absolutely no refunds.
Matching Digitals of products ordered are NOT INCLUDED for MULTIGENERATIONAL/EXTENDED FAMILY sessions, but are a separate product that may be purchased.
CLOTHING OPTIONS
– MULTIGENERATIONAL/EXTENDED FAMILY STUDIO WARDROBE is $250 and includes styling and clothing pressed and ready for ALL session participants.
– Optionally, a suggested clothing palette can be created and shared with your family.
– Coordinating clothing a challenge for your family? Black and white portraits are always an option.
STUDIO WARDROBE: Please allow for 15 minutes for changing into studio wardrobe.
Refunds
For an In Studio Session, in the case of a holding fee, if you choose not to purchase anything at your Ordering Session, your holding fee is fully refundable as long as:
1. For family sessions, all members of the immediate family are present for Portrait Session appointments;
2. BOTH parents/all decisionmakers are present for Ordering Sessions appointments.
If you do choose to order, your holding fee becomes a credit towards artwork purchased at that time. There is no obligation to purchase.
We are unable to refund any payment for permanently cancelled appointments or no shows.
Product Prepayment Refunds: Should you take advantage of our prepayment/prepurchase offer (for example, paying an amount in advance of a product order to be used as a product credit at your Ordering Session), in the event you don’t spend the entire prepaid amount at your Ordering Session, what you don’t spend will be refunded.
Product Orders: Due to the custom nature of our products which are made to order and cannot be resold to any other family, Ever After has a strict policy of absolutely no refunds.
In the event that a product is delivered, and a manufacturer defect is evident and reported within 3 calendar days from the date received, damaged during shipping (a separate claim must be filed with the shipping carrier and also must be reported within 3 calendar days after being received), or in the event that the order was erroneously processed compared to the original recorded order, products will be replaced.
Product and Design Info
Ever After has different product lines and our work is CUSTOM to each client.
Guidance on starting prices is provided on our Investment Page here – https://www.everafterportraits.com/investment/
Certain products are only available for certain types of sessions.
Albums are designed with, on average, 2 portraits per page but could have as many as 6 or as few as 1, but generally are designed with 4 to 6 per two pages. Some pages may have more, some less, to allow for design with similar portraits.
As your order cannot be changed after it is placed, portraits ordered for an Album are final and cannot be changed at a later time.
We provide archival-quality photographic prints and products, color corrected & calibrated to print as we see on our computer. .
Periodically we add new products and update pricing, so pricing is subject to change without notice.
If purchased, archival digital negatives are printable up to an 8×10, for personal use purposes only, unless otherwise expressed (such as for our commercial clients).
We include a print release for photographic prints only, and they may be printed up to 8×10 inches and are full frame, meaning cropping will occur when you print with most labs.
Digital Negatives may NOT be used to make your own canvases, or any other large photo products, without our express written permission.
Artistic license is not granted to alter Digital Negatives in any fashion.
Sharing and social media file restrictions: Social media files may be provided after your order, at the Studio’s discretion; however, files are watermarked and not suitable for printing or zooming and permission or artistic license is not given to at any time screen-capture proofs or design proofs for any reason or download anything we create from Facebook or any other published place, or to crop out our watermark.
Please back up all Digital Negatives in two places.
We recommend an external hard drive or flash drive, as well as online cloud storage.
Any digital images you see (on our website, blog, social media sites, or that have been provided directly to you), may vary from their intended appearance, depending on your computer’s display and settings. Please note that zooming in is outside the intended use and will result in poor quality.
In addition, Ever After, LLC cannot guarantee the results or quality of photographic prints made by client or by client’s chosen labs. For consistent, quality results, made to last a lifetime, please purchase your prints directly from Ever After, LLC
Ever After, LLC will make every effort to retain ordered files for up to one year from the date of your session but cannot guarantee storage.
Ever After, LLC reserves the right to charge additional fees in the event anything is redesigned or retouched more than two times.
You will receive a Projected Delivery Date.
Since the only variable in our production process is the amount of time that a client may take to approve retouching/painting/designing, please note that taking longer than 24 hours to approve retouched/painted/designed proofs, WILL push back delivery of your products.
Retouching approval from the majority of our clients is typically complete within 2 weeks.
Please allow an additional 2 weeks for products that are PAINTED or DESIGNED. Producing archival quality products that are bespoke and each custom created takes time.
Once we receive your final approval and final payment, we project that your products will be in your hands within 3 weeks.
In general, products arrive 4 to 6 weeks after final payment is received.
Rush shipment is available on some items for an additional charge.
For orders to be delivered by Christmas, you will need to have completed both your Portrait Session and Ordering Session with your order placed and fully paid for by November 15.
Product turnaround CAN vary depending on our current volume of orders and the professional lab. Each product, lab or vendor has a varied turnaround time.
While we want to set appropriate product delivery expectations, due to Covid and other production and supply chain issues beyond our control, realistically we ask that you allow 3 weeks after your final approval for your products to be delivered.
Not every session is put up on our blog or Instagram account, but if your session/portraits is/are one of the ones we choose, after your Ordering Session, some of your portraits may be on our blog within 6 weeks.
We want you to be completely thrilled with your portraits. Together, we will invest considerable time, effort and expense in their creation. We feel you deserve to have the very finest work possible that can be only be created by a professional photographer.
If for any reason your portraits aren’t as you expect them to be (regardless of fault) at your Ordering Session, we will throw them away and you may have additional ones made to your liking, at no charge to you. Or, if you don’t wish to have additional portraits made, your Portrait Session fee will be refunded. If you have purchased additional sessions and are not thrilled with the results, those Portrait Session fees will be refunded.
We earn our reputation one client at a time—with quality, caring and friendliness as our hallmarks. We appreciate your confidence in us.
Be sure to Check out our Privacy Policy here — where we explain that we don’t share your info with a third party and other valuable info!