You and I are gonna get along just fine.
First Rule of Engagement : I don't like rules. Especially somebody else's.
But sometimes they're necessary to prevent everything from spiraling into mind-blowing madness and mayhem.
Sooo messy. And Head-achy. Nobody has time for that nonsense.
So here's where you'll find all the stuff that everyone needs to know to make sure we're all on the same page.
My page is probably splotched with coffee or some kind of rum-based beverage - but you get the idea.
Splotchy or not splotchy - the Mandate for Bullshit Avoidance is still the same - because life is hard enough as it is.
Sooo messy. And Head-achy. Nobody has time for that nonsense.
So here's where you'll find all the stuff that everyone needs to know to make sure we're all on the same page.
My page is probably splotched with coffee or some kind of rum-based beverage - but you get the idea.
Splotchy or not splotchy - the Mandate for Bullshit Avoidance is still the same - because life is hard enough as it is.
Second Rule of Engagement : You should be dancing.
Dance like nobody's watching - even if everybody is. No - seriously.
Upta Camp. (That's Mainer-speak for "on vacation").
I typically take most of my personal downtime during the off-season, which is generally December thru April. This works well, because this is when I'm trapped under twelve feet of snow and it snows every three days and I'm spending all my spare time swearing and sweating and wrangling snow blowers and swearing and chiseling ice off my roof and swearing. This is also a good time to travel to far away places with warm beaches and palm trees and sunsets and pool boys and rum punch and pineapples and little paper umbrellas. Not that I ever go to any of these places. BUT I MIGHT.
That being said, there are a few exceptions to this fast and loose rule. Like 98% of the population, I enjoy a good barbecue. And the occasional hot dog. And celebrating things with glittery explosives. And pie. In light of this, Sugarjets Studios recognizes the following calendar days as "Convivial Glad-Handering Celebration Days on Which I Do Not Work":
Please be aware that these days will not count as a regular business day for any submitted jobs, and will add an extra day to the normal 5-10 business day turn time.
Also, this :
That being said, there are a few exceptions to this fast and loose rule. Like 98% of the population, I enjoy a good barbecue. And the occasional hot dog. And celebrating things with glittery explosives. And pie. In light of this, Sugarjets Studios recognizes the following calendar days as "Convivial Glad-Handering Celebration Days on Which I Do Not Work":
- New Year's Day, Memorial Day, June 23rd, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas.
Please be aware that these days will not count as a regular business day for any submitted jobs, and will add an extra day to the normal 5-10 business day turn time.
Also, this :
- In addition, I schedule a few days off during the month of August when my family is in town so I can properly annoy and embarrass my nieces. These days change every year, depending on their vacation schedule. But as soon as I know the dates, I will post them. I will be out of the office on those days and will not respond to emails or voicemails unless they are urgent - because I may have a face-full of potato salad. Or pie. Or rum. Or you know - all of them.
Submitting an Order
Regardless of how you submit your order, each order MUST be accompanied by an order form. My lawyer insists on it, and I pay him to be a lot smarter than me - therefore I do as I'm told. The order form will link to this page of Rules, and you must agree to them before I will process the order. Turn time on my end is usually 5 - 10 business days, but can (and sometimes does) go a couple of days longer. This typically happens August - October, when everyone is shooting multiple weddings per weekend, and dropping 5 or 6 weddings all at once. It is not uncommon for me to receive 10-15 weddings per week at this time of year. You can help avoid the bottleneck by submitting work as you get it culled and prepped, rather than waiting and batch uploading. See "Quickdraw McGraw" below for more details on that.
There is a $25 minimum charge for post-processing work. Editing that requires Photoshop work is charged accordingly - see here. It's best to combine small orders with larger ones whenever possible to avoid the minimum charge.
If you send a LRCAT file, either with original raw files or with smart previews, you will receive an edited LRCAT back. I don't upload preview files because they are ginormous and take forever to upload and download, and preview files are like reptiles - they regenerate. :) If you need help with this, click here.
If you ever have any issues with the processing on your files, please let me know immediately - within seven days of receiving your edited files - and I will be more than happy to re-do anything that is not to your satisfaction. If you're not happy, I'm not happy - so let's get everyone into their happy pants, shall we? I mean, if you absolutely MUST wear the grown-up pants, the happy ones look the best, don't you think?
Jobs are invoiced when they are completed and returned to you, and payment is due upon receipt of your completed files. If payment has not been received after 30 days, a late fee will be added to your invoice. If you have an invoice over 60 days past due, I will not process another job until payment in full has been received. Nobody likes tough love, but sometimes you just gotta do it - you know what I'm sayin'?
There is a $25 minimum charge for post-processing work. Editing that requires Photoshop work is charged accordingly - see here. It's best to combine small orders with larger ones whenever possible to avoid the minimum charge.
If you send a LRCAT file, either with original raw files or with smart previews, you will receive an edited LRCAT back. I don't upload preview files because they are ginormous and take forever to upload and download, and preview files are like reptiles - they regenerate. :) If you need help with this, click here.
If you ever have any issues with the processing on your files, please let me know immediately - within seven days of receiving your edited files - and I will be more than happy to re-do anything that is not to your satisfaction. If you're not happy, I'm not happy - so let's get everyone into their happy pants, shall we? I mean, if you absolutely MUST wear the grown-up pants, the happy ones look the best, don't you think?
Jobs are invoiced when they are completed and returned to you, and payment is due upon receipt of your completed files. If payment has not been received after 30 days, a late fee will be added to your invoice. If you have an invoice over 60 days past due, I will not process another job until payment in full has been received. Nobody likes tough love, but sometimes you just gotta do it - you know what I'm sayin'?
Quickdraw McGraw
Whether you've got demanding couples who have a list of 15,000 photos they absolutely MUST have or the world will implode, are shooting a three-day, two-ceremony multi-faith destination wedding or you're just a trigger happy human (like me) who can seriously not. stop. taking. pictures. - this one's for you. And for everyone else, really - because ultimately, everyone expects (as they should) that the same level of TLC and quality will be given to every job they submit. For that reason, any submission of more than 1000 images on the same day by the same client (whether its multiple jobs or one Gigantosaurus Rex) MAY be subject to a two-day extension, per job, to the normal turn-time. I say "may" because there will be times when this extension isn't necessary - it will depend on when the submission is made and what the current workload is at the time. But if it's during the time frame of August through October, it's a safe bet that you could expect a delay. I know turn time is important to you - and to your clients. But quality is important to me. And I refuse to sacrifice quality for speed. Or my sanity. Or sleep. A girl can only drink so much coffee, you know? Acid reflux.
Force majeure
If you're a fan of The Big Bang Theory, you may be familiar with this term. Whether you call it "force majeure" (French - superior force), " or just a good old-fashioned "act of God," in the real world it all boils down to the same common denominator : Sugarjets Studio cannot be held responsible for extraordinary events or circumstances, either internal or external, beyond our control - including but not limited to :
Of course, I'll always do my damndest to get you what you need, when you need it - but I cannot be held responsible or assume liability for (includes but is not limited to) any data loss or failure to deliver (either by me or a shipping carrier) under conditions of force majeure. Because I think we can all agree that stampeding rhinos can be a very serious problem.
- World War Z, riots, looting, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, tornados, gustnados, sharknados, ice storms, cyclones, blizzards, power outages, EMPs, solar flares, volcanic eruptions, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Planet X, stampeding zoo animals, the zombie apocalypse, a global cricket pandemic, a national cheese shortage, an impending asteroid strike, revolution, Killer Clowns from Outer Space, 32-ounce banana smoothies or anything else not mentioned here (like illness, computer or other hardware or software failures, debilitating accidents, death in the family, etc) that is beyond human control.
Of course, I'll always do my damndest to get you what you need, when you need it - but I cannot be held responsible or assume liability for (includes but is not limited to) any data loss or failure to deliver (either by me or a shipping carrier) under conditions of force majeure. Because I think we can all agree that stampeding rhinos can be a very serious problem.
Rush Jobs (hint : we don't do them).
Sugarjets operates on a "first in, first out" basis only. Here's why.
Every Sugarjets client is (likely) contractually obligated to deliver their images to their clients in a specified amount of time. We respect and honor that. Every client's images are just as important as everyone else's. Our posted turn time is 5 to 10 business days - at some times of the year (August through October, usually) it can be a bit longer. Please be aware of that, and prepare for it. We want every client to receive their images back in a timely manner. And while this may be an inconvenience that one time out of a thousand you have a legitimate rush order, it also means that those other 999 times? No one will be able to pay a fee and push their images ahead of yours.
Every Sugarjets client is (likely) contractually obligated to deliver their images to their clients in a specified amount of time. We respect and honor that. Every client's images are just as important as everyone else's. Our posted turn time is 5 to 10 business days - at some times of the year (August through October, usually) it can be a bit longer. Please be aware of that, and prepare for it. We want every client to receive their images back in a timely manner. And while this may be an inconvenience that one time out of a thousand you have a legitimate rush order, it also means that those other 999 times? No one will be able to pay a fee and push their images ahead of yours.
Dawdlers, Dilly-Dalliers and Disappearing Acts
So, yeah... this could get awkward. But it doesn't have to.
Pretty, pretty please... understand this : I work on files based on the order I receive them, not based on event date. The reason I ask for dates and shooting schedules is so that I can effectively manage client expectations to the best of my abilities. I do it for your benefit as well as my own. If I put a wedding on my calendar, I expect that I will be receiving files within a reasonable amount of time after the event ("reasonable" being used rather loosely, but typically within a week to ten days following the event). Life happens to everyone, but when things back up and weeks upon weeks upon weeks go by and clients submit 5 or 6 events all at once, it tends to get a little messy. And awkward. Because that means end-client deadlines are lurking, blood pressures are rising, and I'm buried under a mountain of work that is now time sensitive - all while other clients are still submitting jobs. This means I swear a lot. Well, a lot more than usual.
So help a sister out here. Help me help you. If you're getting behind, let me know. Because doing a massive dump and run ultimately doesn't work for anyone. You won't meet your client deadlines and I won't meet your expectations and you'll be mad and I'll be upset and everybody will need a drink and nobody wins. If a client sends me a job 6 or 8 weeks after they shoot it, it will go into the queue with everyone else's, in the order it's received. I can't put work ahead of someone else's just because the event date was before theirs.
One last thing, I swear. Like the professional photographers I work with, my income depends on the clients who commit work to my schedule. When that work suddenly isn't there, neither is the income - and space is unexpectedly open that could have been filled by someone I may have turned away. I simply ask that all clients respect my time they way they value their own - and if there are extenuating circumstances, please just tell me. We're all human, and we're all on the same team here. Our goals are one and the same - work hard, play hard, have ridiculous amounts of fun and nap when it's necessary. Preferably after a margarita.
Pretty, pretty please... understand this : I work on files based on the order I receive them, not based on event date. The reason I ask for dates and shooting schedules is so that I can effectively manage client expectations to the best of my abilities. I do it for your benefit as well as my own. If I put a wedding on my calendar, I expect that I will be receiving files within a reasonable amount of time after the event ("reasonable" being used rather loosely, but typically within a week to ten days following the event). Life happens to everyone, but when things back up and weeks upon weeks upon weeks go by and clients submit 5 or 6 events all at once, it tends to get a little messy. And awkward. Because that means end-client deadlines are lurking, blood pressures are rising, and I'm buried under a mountain of work that is now time sensitive - all while other clients are still submitting jobs. This means I swear a lot. Well, a lot more than usual.
So help a sister out here. Help me help you. If you're getting behind, let me know. Because doing a massive dump and run ultimately doesn't work for anyone. You won't meet your client deadlines and I won't meet your expectations and you'll be mad and I'll be upset and everybody will need a drink and nobody wins. If a client sends me a job 6 or 8 weeks after they shoot it, it will go into the queue with everyone else's, in the order it's received. I can't put work ahead of someone else's just because the event date was before theirs.
One last thing, I swear. Like the professional photographers I work with, my income depends on the clients who commit work to my schedule. When that work suddenly isn't there, neither is the income - and space is unexpectedly open that could have been filled by someone I may have turned away. I simply ask that all clients respect my time they way they value their own - and if there are extenuating circumstances, please just tell me. We're all human, and we're all on the same team here. Our goals are one and the same - work hard, play hard, have ridiculous amounts of fun and nap when it's necessary. Preferably after a margarita.
Archiving Your Work
Regardless of how you submit your work to Sugarjets Studio, whether electronically or on a portable hard drive, we archive every job for the remainder of the current calendar year. At the beginning of the following calendar year, each client is contacted to verify if there is anything they want me to send them from the previous year before I clear the archived work from the server. If work was submitted in the last quarter of the year, it will be archived through the first quarter of the following year. This is a service we provide for you free of charge - but we are not responsible and assume no liability for client images or files and their archiving or security. Please, please, please - I BEG OF YOU - do not rely on Sugarjets as an iron-clad backup service.
Backup, storage and security of intellectual and artistic property is the sole responsibility of each client.
Backup, storage and security of intellectual and artistic property is the sole responsibility of each client.
Shipping Charges
With the number of new file transfer options available, and the fabulous portability of the new LR5 smart catalog, it's very rare that I get a drive in the mail these days. I have Drop Box capability, and 99.9% of the files I receive are transferred this way. There are many ways to transfer files back and forth without the need for shipping. However, if you do need to send a drive, I will send it back to you via USPS Priority Mail. Insurance can be added if you prefer. Shipping charges will vary depending on where you're located and whether or not you choose insurance.
Refunds
Refunds are tricky, awkward creatures - requiring individualized care. Every circumstance is unique. If a situation arises where a refund is requested, it will be considered at the sole discretion of Sugarjets Studio. However, please know that it is my personal mission to prevent this situation from occurring in the first place. This is why I feel that honest communication throughout the whole team-building process is so critical. I view myself as a dedicated member of your team - and as such, your success is my success. Should my efforts fall short, I am committed to you, and to your product - and to making sure you are 100% satisfied with whatever resolution is reached.
Rules about the Rules
Rules wouldn't be rules if they weren't subject to change. So if they do, they'll be updated here. Like maybe Margarita Mondays will one day become Mojito Mondays. I doubt it - but it's possible. NEVER SAY NEVER, right? I just don't feel this section would be complete without the seemingly proper disclaimer that "these are the rules - until they aren't."
No mas Grumpy Pantalones
Life shits on everyone enough as it is, so check your grumpy pants at the door of this party. Now DISCO pants, on the other hand... those are highly recommended (sequins and gold lamé encouraged, but not required).
That Diem you've been pussyfooting around for months?
Yeah. Go Carpe the shit out of that. Because it's time. And you're awesome. It's time for you to get out there and go do some seriously epic shit.
Last, but definitely not least :
Always be yourself. Unless you can be a unicorn - then DUH. Be a unicorn.