Terms of Service

Effective Date: August 15, 2026  |  Hector Rivera Photography  |  Passaic, NJ

1. Acceptance of Terms

By booking a session with Hector Rivera Photography ("we," "us," "the Photographer"), submitting an inquiry through our website, or otherwise engaging our photography or videography services, you ("client," "you") agree to the terms below. These Terms of Service apply alongside any signed contract for your specific event — if a signed contract and these Terms conflict, the signed contract controls.

2. Services

Hector Rivera Photography provides wedding and event photography and cinematography services throughout the New Jersey / New York Tri-State area, including but not limited to engagement sessions, wedding-day coverage, videography, and related products such as albums and prints. Specific package details, coverage hours, and deliverables are outlined in your individual booking agreement.

3. Booking, Retainer & Payment

A retainer (deposit) is required to reserve your date. The retainer is non-refundable and compensates us for holding your date and turning away other inquiries for that day, regardless of whether the event later takes place. The remaining balance is due in full no later than 10 days before your event date.

We accept payment via Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, or credit card (processed securely through Stripe). Late payments may delay editing and delivery timelines.

4. Cancellations & Rescheduling

We understand plans change. Here's how cancellations and date changes are handled:

• Retainer: Non-refundable under all circumstances, including cancellation, rescheduling, or postponement.
• Rescheduling: We're happy to reschedule your date as long as we're notified in advance and the new date is available on our calendar. Your retainer and any payments made will carry over to the new date.
• Cancellation by client: Any payments made beyond the retainer are refundable only for the portion of services not yet rendered, minus any costs already incurred on your behalf (e.g., album printing already in production).
• Cancellation by photographer: In the rare case we must cancel due to illness, emergency, or circumstances beyond our control, we will make reasonable efforts to secure a qualified replacement photographer/videographer or, if none is available, refund all payments received.

5. Delivery of Final Images/Video

We share a small sneak peek from your gallery within the first 5 days after your event. Full delivery timelines are as follows:

• Photos: 3–4 weeks (4–5 weeks during peak wedding season, typically May–October)
• Video: 6–8 weeks

Rush delivery may be available for an additional fee — ask us if your timeline requires it.

6. Copyright & Image Usage

Hector Rivera Photography retains full copyright ownership of all images and video captured. When you receive your final gallery or files, you are granted a personal-use license, which allows you to:

• Print, share, and post the images for personal, non-commercial use (social media, personal albums, family sharing, etc.)
• Request professional reprints through our recommended lab, or a lab of your choice, provided the images are not materially altered in a way that misrepresents the original work

You may not sell, license, or use the images for commercial purposes, and you may not claim authorship of the images, without our prior written permission.

7. Portfolio & Marketing Use

Unless you opt out (see below), you agree that we may use images and video from your session in our portfolio, website, social media (Instagram, Facebook), blog, and other marketing materials. This is standard practice for photographers and helps us showcase our work to future clients.

Opting out: If you'd prefer we not use your images publicly, just let us know in writing before or at any point after your event, and we will honor that request going forward and remove previously published images upon reasonable request.

8. Client Responsibilities

To help us deliver the best possible coverage, clients are responsible for:

• Providing an accurate event timeline and any changes to it as soon as possible
• Obtaining any permits, permissions, or venue clearances required for photography/videography at your venue
• Informing us of any venue-specific restrictions (e.g., "unplugged ceremony" policies, flash restrictions, drone restrictions)

9. Third-Party Vendors (Albums & Prints)

Physical products such as albums and prints are produced through our production partners, ZNO and Ken Color Lab (Fairview, NJ). Once an order is submitted to these vendors for production, it generally cannot be cancelled or refunded, as we incur costs at that point. Turnaround times for physical products are set by the vendor and are separate from digital image delivery timelines.

Final galleries are delivered and hosted via Pic-Time and remain available for 90 days after delivery. It is your responsibility to download and back up your photos and video within this window — we are not responsible for files not downloaded before the gallery expires.

10. Limitation of Liability

While we take every precaution to protect your images (including backing up files during and after your event), we are not liable for:

• Equipment failure, memory card corruption, or theft beyond our reasonable control
• Circumstances that prevent coverage, such as illness, accident, or emergency (see Section 11, Force Majeure)
• Missed or unusable images due to factors outside our control, including venue restrictions, lighting conditions, or interference by other guests/vendors

In the unlikely event of a legitimate service failure on our part, our maximum liability is limited to a refund of the fees paid for the specific service affected. We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages.

11. Force Majeure

Neither party is liable for failure to perform due to events beyond reasonable control, including natural disasters, severe weather, public health emergencies, government restrictions, or similar circumstances. In such cases, we will work with you in good faith to reschedule or otherwise resolve the situation fairly.

12. Governing Law & Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of New Jersey, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Any disputes arising from these Terms or our services will first be addressed through good-faith direct communication, and if unresolved, will be resolved in the courts of Passaic County, New Jersey.

13. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in our services or legal requirements. The version posted on this page is the version currently in effect. Material changes affecting an active booking will be communicated directly to you.

14. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Reach out:

Hector Rivera Photography
138 Albion Street, Passaic, NJ 07055
Email: Hecrrt2009@gmail.com
Phone: 973-997-7960
Website: www.hectorriveraphotography.com