Terms of Service.

These terms govern all bookings made with Sylvek Studios, operated by the photographer trading as Sylvek Studios and based in Sheffield, England. By submitting a booking enquiry or paying a deposit, you confirm you have read and agree to these terms in full.

These terms are between Sylvek Studios ("we", "us") and you, the client ("you"). They form a legally binding contract under the laws of England and Wales.

A booking is not confirmed until a non-refundable 25% deposit has been received and acknowledged in writing. The deposit is retained as a genuine pre-estimate of the loss incurred by holding the date and declining other enquiries — not as a penalty clause.

The remaining balance is due one week before the shoot date. A payment link is sent automatically. If the balance is not settled within 48 hours of the shoot date, the booking is treated as cancelled, the deposit is forfeited, and Sylvek Studios is under no obligation to attend the session.

Prices quoted include all applicable costs. Sylvek Studios is not currently VAT-registered; no VAT is charged. Prices are fixed at the time of deposit unless a scope change is agreed in writing.

Because bookings are made online (a distance contract), you have a statutory right under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 to cancel your booking within 14 days of the confirmation email, without giving a reason and without penalty. A full refund of the deposit will be issued within 14 days of that notice.

Exception: if your shoot date falls within those 14 days, by paying the deposit you expressly request that services begin before the cooling-off period expires, and you acknowledge that this right is lost if you subsequently cancel. In that case, section 04 applies.

Outside the statutory cooling-off period, the following sliding-scale terms apply. All fees represent a genuine pre-estimate of the loss caused by late cancellation — lost opportunity, unrecoverable preparation costs — and are not penalties.

A session's quality depends on both sides showing up prepared. You are responsible for the following.

Sessions run 1–2 hours. There is no rigid clock-watching — if we are deep into something and neither side has a hard stop, we continue. The session formally caps at 2 hours unless extended duration is agreed in writing beforehand.

Location is agreed before the shoot. Final location is confirmed at least 48 hours in advance. Where Sylvek Studios proposes the location, we will have satisfied ourselves it is publicly accessible and appropriate for the session.

Sessions cover the primary subject and up to two additional companions under the Dedicated Session package. Larger groups require advance written agreement and may attract adjusted pricing.

Sylvek Studios operates to a clear standard of conduct at every session. These are not guidelines — they are commitments.

Dignity. Sylvek Studios will not direct, pose, or frame a subject in any way that could reasonably expose them to ridicule, lewd comment, or reputational harm. The session exists to make the subject look good. Any shot that doesn't serve that purpose doesn't get taken.

Physical contact. Sylvek Studios will not touch a subject without express prior permission. Where physical guidance is needed to achieve a pose, permission will be asked for explicitly and in the moment. If permission is not given, the pose is abandoned. There are no exceptions to this.

Your call. You may stop the session at any point, decline any direction, or raise a concern without explanation. The session adapts to you.

If at any point you feel these commitments have not been honoured, raise it immediately or contact us after the session via the complaints process in section 13. It will be taken seriously.

In the event of significant equipment failure during a session that materially affects the quantity or quality of deliverable images, Sylvek Studios will offer one of the following:

Equipment failure means a mechanical or technical failure of Sylvek Studios' gear that is outside our reasonable control. It does not include adverse conditions that were reasonably foreseeable (low light, rain), or any failure arising from client interaction with equipment.

Your suit is not a prop. It is treated accordingly at every session.

Sylvek Studios will not direct you into poses, locations, or situations that risk damage to the suit. If you are not comfortable with anything, say so. The session adapts to what is safe and what works for the suit.

Sylvek Studios accepts no liability for suit damage arising from: circumstances outside our control, including weather events not reasonably foreseeable at the time of location agreement; pre-existing structural weaknesses in the suit not disclosed before the session; or damage caused by the client's own actions during the session.

Any concern about risk during the session should be raised immediately; we will stop or adapt without question.

Edited images are delivered via private gallery link within two weeks of the shoot date. The gallery remains live for 30 days; extensions are available on request and provided where reasonable.

The Dedicated Session delivers 25 fully edited images. The Maker's Family Portrait delivers 30–40. Image selection is made by Sylvek Studios to represent the best of the session — not simply the highest number.

RAW files are not included and are not available for purchase. Editing style is Sylvek Studios' standard treatment; individual preferences beyond this are available by prior written arrangement and may attract an additional charge.

Gallery delivery is conditional on full payment. If the remainder balance is unpaid at the time of the shoot, no gallery will be delivered. The booking is treated as cancelled under the terms above and the deposit is forfeited.

The service provided by Sylvek Studios is the session itself and the editing and delivery of the agreed number of images. The service is deemed fully delivered upon dispatch of the gallery link. Subjective dissatisfaction with individual images — including dislike of specific poses, expressions, or compositions that were not raised during the session — does not constitute grounds for a refund, a reshoot, or a dispute. If you have a concern about whether the service was delivered as described, the complaints process in section 14 applies.

All images are protected by copyright under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and remain the intellectual property of Sylvek Studios. Copyright is not transferred by delivery of files.

You are granted a perpetual, non-exclusive personal licence to use delivered images for personal, non-commercial purposes — including sharing on social media, personal websites, and communities such as FurTrack — provided Sylvek Studios is credited where reasonably possible.

Commercial use — including use in connection with selling goods or services, advertising, or paid media — requires a separate written agreement and licence fee. If your fursona is associated with a commercial brand or maker identity, raise this at enquiry stage before the session.

You may not sub-license, sell, or transfer images to third parties without prior written permission from Sylvek Studios.

Sylvek Studios reserves the right to use session images as portfolio material, on the website, and across social channels. This use is based on legitimate interests — specifically, a photographer's legitimate interest in showcasing their work. It is not conditional on your consent and does not require your approval of individual images. If you would prefer your session remain entirely private, this must be agreed in writing before the shoot date. It cannot be requested retrospectively. No images of uncostumed, identifiable individuals will be published without their separate explicit written agreement.

Sylvek Studios processes personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

We collect: your name and contact details for the purpose of managing your booking (lawful basis: contractual necessity); and images from the session, which may constitute personal data where individuals are identifiable (lawful basis for portfolio and promotional use: legitimate interests — specifically, a photographer's legitimate interest in documenting and promoting their work, which we consider proportionate given the voluntary, commercial nature of the booking).

Where you have requested your session remain entirely private before the shoot date, that agreement is honoured and no images will be published.

Your rights under UK GDPR include: the right to access data we hold about you; to request correction of inaccurate data; to object to processing; and to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk. Where our lawful basis is legitimate interests, the right to erasure is qualified rather than absolute — we will consider any objection to portfolio use on its merits, but may continue processing where our legitimate interests outweigh the objection. Images already published or in wide circulation may not be fully retrievable, and we are not obligated to pursue removal from third-party platforms or caches beyond what is reasonably within our control.

We do not sell personal data to third parties. We do not share images with third parties except where required by law.

Indemnity. You agree to indemnify and hold Sylvek Studios harmless against any claims, losses, damages, or expenses (including reasonable legal costs) brought by a third party arising from: your instructions to photograph individuals who have not consented; your breach of any third party's intellectual property, privacy, or image rights; or your breach of these terms. In plain terms: if someone sues us because of something you asked us to do, you are responsible for the consequences of that claim.

Limitation of liability. Sylvek Studios' total liability in connection with any booking is limited to the total amount paid for that booking. We accept no liability for indirect, incidental, or consequential losses — including, without limitation, travel costs, accommodation, convention entry fees, or costs arising from event attendance.

Exceptions. Nothing in these terms limits or excludes liability for: death or personal injury caused by negligence; fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 or otherwise.

Sylvek Studios carries public liability insurance to £2 million. Evidence of cover is available on request for event organisers who require it.

Complaints. If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of the service, contact us via the enquiry form within 14 days of gallery delivery. We will acknowledge within 5 working days and aim to resolve within 28 days. We take complaints seriously and would always rather fix a problem than argue about it.

Disputes. Before either party commences legal proceedings, both parties agree to attempt in good faith to resolve any dispute through direct negotiation for at least 30 days following written notice of the dispute. If that fails, either party may pursue resolution through the courts.

Governing law. These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. Any dispute that proceeds to court is subject to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

Severability. If any provision of these terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force.

Entire agreement. These terms, together with any written booking confirmation, constitute the entire agreement between the parties and supersede all previous discussions, representations, or arrangements relating to the subject matter.

Updates. Sylvek Studios may update these terms at any time. The version in effect at the time of your booking confirmation applies to that booking. Clients with active bookings will be notified of material changes.

Contact. All formal written notices under these terms should be sent via the enquiry form at sylvek.studio/book, or by email to the address in your booking confirmation.