Terms of service in plain English

Last updated: 4 November 2026

1. About these terms

These terms apply to every photography service booked with Tom Sheard Photography, the trading name of Tom Aizenberg, who works under the professional name Tom Sheard, Ground Floor Flat, 13 Beaumont Road, London W4 5AL (“I”, “me”, “the photographer”). “You” means the person who books the service. Please read them before booking; you will receive a copy with your booking confirmation.

If you are a consumer, you have legal rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. Nothing in these terms affects those rights.

2. Requests and how a contract is made

Sending the booking form, an email or a phone enquiry is a request, not a booking. Estimates from the price calculator are for guidance. After your request I confirm availability, the services and the total price in writing. The contract is made when you accept that confirmation and pay the booking fee, and I confirm receipt.

3. Prices and payment

• All prices are in pounds sterling (GBP). I am not registered for VAT, so no VAT is added.
• A booking fee of 25% of the total price is payable to reserve your date. It counts towards the total price.
• For weddings, the balance is due 30 days before the wedding date. For all other sessions, the balance is due 48 hours before the session.
• Travel within Greater London is included. Travel beyond Greater London, and accommodation where needed, is agreed and listed in your confirmation.
• Add-ons ordered after the session (prints, albums, extra retouching) are invoiced separately and payable before production.

4. Your right to cancel (cooling-off period)

If you book at a distance – online, by email or by phone – you may cancel within 14 days of the day the contract is made, without giving a reason, and receive a full refund within 14 days of telling me.

If you ask for the session to take place within those 14 days and then cancel after the service has started, you pay a proportionate amount for what has already been provided. Once a service has been fully performed within the cooling-off period at your request, the right to cancel no longer applies.

To cancel, send a clear statement by email to [email protected] or by post to the address above. You may use the wording: “I hereby give notice that I cancel my contract for the following service: [service], booked on [date]. Name, address, date.”

5. Cancelling or rescheduling after the cooling-off period

The booking fee covers time spent planning and other bookings turned away for your date. After the cooling-off period:

If I am able to rebook the cancelled date with another client, I will refund what you have paid above the booking fee. Wedding dates can be moved to another available date for a £100 administration charge; the original booking fee carries over. Outdoor sessions can be moved once free of charge because of bad weather.

6. If I have to cancel

If I cannot attend because of serious illness, injury, bereavement or events outside my control, I will tell you as soon as possible and do my best to arrange a suitably experienced replacement photographer, with your agreement. If no replacement is acceptable to you, I will refund all money you have paid for the service. For portrait, couples and family sessions, I will first offer a new date.

7. The service

• I will provide the service with reasonable care and skill, as agreed in your confirmation.
• My style is mostly documentary. I will photograph the agreed lists of groups and key moments, but cannot guarantee every guest or moment, particularly where access, light or timings are restricted by a venue, an officiant or the schedule on the day.
• Children under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian during the session.
• Please tell me about venue rules (for example, no photographs during the ceremony) in advance. I will follow them.

8. Editing and delivery

• I select and edit the final images in my own style. Unedited files (RAW files) are not provided.
• Delivery times are: portrait proofs within 7 working days; couples and family galleries within 2 weeks; wedding galleries within 6 weeks, unless express delivery is booked.
• Images are delivered through a private online gallery, which stays online for 12 months. Please download your images and keep your own copies. I keep a backup of edited images for at least 5 years.

9. Copyright and use of the photographs

Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, copyright in the photographs belongs to the photographer, Tom Aizenberg (Tom Sheard). Once the service is paid in full, you receive a non-exclusive, perpetual licence to use the photographs for personal purposes: printing, sharing with family and friends, and posting on personal social media. Please do not alter the images with filters or edits in a way that misrepresents my work.

Commercial use (advertising, marketing, resale or entering competitions) needs a commercial licence, which is included in the Personal Brand package and available as an add-on.

I will only use photographs of you on this website, in my portfolio or on marketing materials if you give separate written consent, which you may withdraw at any time.

10. Gift vouchers

Gift vouchers are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase, can be used for any session of the same or higher value (paying the difference) and cannot be exchanged for cash. The cooling-off period in section 4 applies to the purchase of a voucher.

11. Liability

Nothing in these terms limits or excludes liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or any other liability that cannot be limited by law. Otherwise, my total liability to you is limited to the total price paid for the service. I am not liable for losses that were not reasonably foreseeable when the contract was made.

Professional equipment is used with backups on every assignment. In the extremely unlikely event that images are lost or damaged because of technical failure, my liability is limited to a refund of the price paid for the affected part of the service.

12. Complaints

If something is not right, please tell me promptly at [email protected] or on 07941 795690. I acknowledge complaints within 5 working days and aim to resolve them within 14 days. You can also get free advice from Citizens Advice.

13. Law and jurisdiction

These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. You may bring proceedings in the courts of England and Wales, or, if you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, in the courts of your home country.

Your personal data is handled as described in the privacy & cookies notice. Business details are in the legal notice.