Terms & Conditions

These Terms & Conditions ("Terms") govern your use of the ShootEmpire website, WhatsApp booking channel and Pro dashboard (together, the "Platform"), and every photography or videography booking made through it. By requesting a quote, confirming a booking, paying, or registering as a Pro, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Platform.

1) Definitions

• ShootEmpire, "we", "us": the operator of the Platform.
• Client: a person (18+) or business that requests or books a service.
• Pro: a photographer, videographer or editor approved to provide services through the Platform.
• User: any Client or Pro.
• Booking: a quote the Client has confirmed, with an agreed package, date, time, location and price.
• Deposit: the part of the price paid to secure the date (normally 50%).
• Credit: a balance held on the Platform that can only be used towards future ShootEmpire bookings.
• Deliverables: the photos, videos and edits included in the booked package.
• Gallery: the private online link through which Deliverables are delivered.

2) Accounts & eligibility

• You must be at least 18 years old and legally able to enter a contract. A booking for a minor must be made and attended by a parent or legal guardian.
• You must provide accurate, current information (name, phone number, email and, for Pros, identity and payout details) and keep it up to date.
• Each person may hold one account. Duplicate or impersonating accounts may be closed.
• You are responsible for everything done through your account and your WhatsApp number, and must not share or transfer access.
• We may ask for identity verification or supporting documents at any time. Until they are provided we may limit features such as accepting bookings, publishing portfolio work, delivering files or receiving payouts.

3) Bookings & quotes

• A booking request is not confirmed until you receive a written confirmation (on the Platform, by email or on WhatsApp) and the Deposit has been received.
• Quotes are valid until the expiry time shown. After that, price and availability may change.
• You must disclose anything that affects the shoot before confirming: number of people, subject type, location access, permit requirements, unusual items, animals, height or water work, and intended commercial use.
• We match or assign a suitable Pro. If you request a specific Pro (for example a female photographer), we will try to honour it; if we cannot, we will tell you before the Deposit is taken.
• If an assigned Pro becomes unavailable, we may replace them with a Pro of equal or higher level. If you do not accept the replacement, you receive a full refund.
• Package changes: upgrades (more time, more edits, video, add-ons) can be requested before or during the shoot, subject to the Pro's availability, and are charged at the published rate. Downgrades are not possible once the Booking is confirmed.

4) Prices & payments

• All prices are in UAE Dirhams (AED) and exclude VAT where applicable. Published prices are for shoots within Dubai; shoots in other Emirates or remote locations may carry a travel/logistics fee, shown on your quote.
• Unless your quote says otherwise, a 50% Deposit secures the date and the balance is due before delivery of the final Gallery. Some bookings (same-day, urgent, peak dates, large events) may require full prepayment.
• Payments must be made only through the payment methods ShootEmpire provides. Cash or transfers made directly to a Pro are not covered by these Terms and are not protected by ShootEmpire.
• If a technical problem prevents payment, you remain responsible for paying and we will offer another method.
• Location fees, entry tickets, venue or permit fees, parking and props are the Client's responsibility unless included in the quote.
• Discount and promo codes are one-per-booking, may expire, cannot be exchanged for cash, and may be withdrawn if obtained by error or misuse.
• Credit cannot be withdrawn as cash, is non-transferable and is valid for 12 months from issue.
• Refunds to the original payment method are processed within 14 working days of approval; your bank may take longer to show them.

5) Cancellations, rescheduling & no-shows

5.1 Cancellation by the Client

5.2 Rescheduling

• You may reschedule once, free of charge, with at least 72 hours' notice, to a date within 90 days, subject to availability.
• Rescheduling with less than 72 hours' notice, or a second reschedule, is treated as a cancellation under 5.1 unless we agree otherwise in writing.
• For outdoor shoots, if weather (rain, sandstorm, extreme heat alerts) or an official restriction makes the shoot unsafe or impractical, either side may reschedule at no cost.

5.3 Cancellation by the Pro or ShootEmpire

• If a Pro cancels, fails to arrive, or arrives more than 30 minutes late without agreement, we will first offer a replacement Pro. If none is acceptable, you receive a full refund to your original payment method. For late arrival, the lost time is added back or refunded pro rata.
• If no Pro matching your requirements is available, we will cancel with a full refund.

5.4 Force majeure

Neither side is responsible for failure caused by events outside reasonable control, such as serious illness or accident (with reasonable evidence), government orders, severe weather, natural disasters or major outages. In these cases the booking is rescheduled, or refunded in full as Credit, or to the original payment method where rescheduling is not possible.

6) On the day of the shoot

• The session time starts at the booked start time. Late starts caused by the Client are not added to the end of the session unless the Pro is free and you pay for the extension.
• Extra time must be agreed on the day and is charged at the package's hourly or add-on rate.
• The Client is responsible for obtaining location access and any permits required (for example malls, hotels, beaches with restrictions, government or free-zone areas, and drone use). If a shoot is stopped because a required permit was missing, the booking is treated as used.
• The Client is responsible for the consent of everyone who will be photographed, including guests, staff and passers-by who are the focus of an image.
• The Client is liable for loss of or damage to the Pro's equipment caused by the Client, their guests or pets, other than normal wear.
• The Pro may end the shoot early, and the booking is treated as used, if they face harassment, a safety risk, or an illegal or undisclosed activity.

7) Conduct & prohibited use

All Users must follow UAE law, including laws on privacy, public decency and cybercrime, and respect local culture. In particular, you must not:

• request or produce nude, sexually explicit or indecent content, or any content that is illegal in the UAE;
• photograph or film people without their consent, or in places where photography is prohibited;
• bring or use narcotics, weapons or dangerous substances at a shoot, or be intoxicated in a way that affects safety;
• harass, threaten, discriminate against, or behave abusively towards any User or ShootEmpire staff;
• withhold files, payment, or reviews as leverage, or make demands outside the agreed booking;
• advertise or sell your own products or services to the other party during a booking;
• arrange, pay for or accept work with a User you met through ShootEmpire outside the Platform for 12 months after your last booking together (non-circumvention);
• keep, share or reuse another User's personal information (phone number, address, photos) for any purpose other than the booking;
• post false reviews, or damage ShootEmpire's name or reputation through false statements.

Communications about a booking should take place through ShootEmpire's channels. Promises, discounts or permissions agreed privately outside those channels are not binding on ShootEmpire.

8) Deliverables & quality

• The number of edited images, video length, format and resolution are those stated in your package. Unless the package says otherwise, you receive all usable photos from the session with colour and exposure correction, and the stated number of retouched images.
• Standard delivery windows, counted in working days from the day after the shoot: photos 3–5 working days; videos 7–10 working days; property and delivery-app shoots 24–48 hours. Same-day and express delivery are paid add-ons. Large events and heavy retouching may take longer, and we will tell you in advance.
• RAW files are not included unless purchased as an add-on.
• Deliverables are provided through a private Gallery. Please download your files: Galleries stay available for at least 30 days after delivery, after which we may remove them.
• Quality concerns: report any issue within 7 days of delivery. Where Deliverables do not match the package (missing items, technical faults, edits that clearly differ from the agreed style), we will first arrange corrections or re-edits at no cost. If the problem is caused by the Pro and cannot be fixed, we may offer a partial or full re-shoot, Credit, or a partial refund, at our reasonable discretion.
• Artistic style, poses, weather, lighting at the chosen location, and the Client's own appearance or preparation are not grounds for a refund.
• If no issue is reported within 7 days of delivery, the Deliverables are treated as accepted.

9) Copyright, usage & portfolio

• Copyright in the Deliverables remains with the Pro (or with ShootEmpire where the Pro has assigned it) unless a written agreement says otherwise.
• Once paid in full, the Client receives a non-exclusive, perpetual licence to use the Deliverables for the purpose stated in the booking:
  • Personal: private use, printing, and sharing on personal social media;
  • Social: additionally, organic posts on the Client's business social accounts;
  • Commercial: additionally, advertising, paid media, websites, packaging and resale-related use, as quoted.
• The licence does not allow selling the Deliverables as stock, claiming authorship, or entering them into competitions without permission. Unpaid bookings carry no usage licence.
• Portfolio use: a Pro or ShootEmpire may publish work from a booking (on portfolios, social media or ShootEmpire marketing) only with the Client's recorded consent through the Platform or in writing from ShootEmpire's channels. Consent covers only the files and uses it names, and the Client can withdraw it for future use at any time.
• A Pro publishing permitted work must credit that it was shot through ShootEmpire and must not present it as a private booking.
• Images of children and of women who request privacy will never be used for marketing without explicit consent.

10) Rules for Pros

• Pros are independent professionals, not employees or agents of ShootEmpire, and are responsible for their own trade licences, visas, permits, taxes and equipment insurance as required by UAE law.
• Pros may accept or decline booking requests. Once a Booking is accepted and confirmed, cancelling it without a valid reason (see 5.4) may lead to a lower ranking, fewer requests, a deduction from pending payouts to cover a replacement Pro, or suspension.
• Pros must arrive on time with working equipment and backups, follow the brief, and behave professionally.
• Pros must deliver the Deliverables through ShootEmpire within the delivery window, and must not hold back files for any reason, including disputes; disputes are handled by ShootEmpire.
• Pros must keep all Client files secure, must not share them with third parties, and must delete their copies on request or after 12 months, except work covered by a portfolio consent.
• Pros must only use ShootEmpire branding, uniforms or IDs provided or approved by us.
• Payouts: the Pro's share (the booking price less the ShootEmpire commission agreed with the Pro) is released after delivery and the 7-day quality review period in section 8, provided no issue is open. Amounts refunded to Clients because of the Pro's fault may be deducted.
• If a Pro sees an illegal activity or a safety risk during a shoot, they should leave and report it to ShootEmpire and, where needed, to the authorities.

11) Platform role & liability

• ShootEmpire runs the Platform, handles quotes, matching, payments, delivery and support, and works in good faith to resolve disputes between Clients and Pros. Our decision on a dispute under these Terms is final, without affecting your statutory rights.
• We aim to keep the Platform available but do not guarantee it will work without interruption on every device or network.
• We are not responsible for third-party services we do not control (payment providers, WhatsApp, venues, cloud storage), subject to our duty to act reasonably.
• To the maximum extent permitted by law, ShootEmpire is not liable for indirect or consequential loss, such as lost profits, missed opportunities or emotional distress. Our total liability for any booking is limited to the amount you paid for that booking.
• Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited under UAE law, including for fraud or gross negligence, or your rights under UAE consumer protection law.

12) Technical & intellectual property

• The ShootEmpire name, logo, website, software and content belong to ShootEmpire and may not be copied or used without permission.
• You must not scrape, data-mine, reverse-engineer, frame or mirror the Platform, attempt unauthorised access, overload it, or use bots to create requests or reviews.

13) Suspension & termination

• We may warn, restrict, suspend or close an account, cancel bookings, or withhold payouts pending investigation, if a User breaches these Terms, provides false information, circumvents the Platform, breaches privacy, publishes content without consent, threatens others, or creates legal or safety risk.
• Where we cancel a Client's upcoming booking for reasons not caused by the Client, the Client receives a full refund.
• We may report illegal conduct to the relevant authorities and pursue compensation for losses caused to ShootEmpire or other Users.
• You may close your account at any time by contacting us. Sections that by nature should survive (payments owed, usage rights, liability, conduct and non-circumvention) continue after closure.

14) Electronic communications & records

• You agree that quotes, confirmations, consents and notices may be sent and accepted electronically, including by email, on the Platform and on WhatsApp, and that clicking "confirm", paying, or sending a written approval from your registered number or account is a valid electronic acceptance under UAE law on electronic transactions.
• Platform records (timestamps, message logs, IP address, device information and consent records) may be used as evidence of what was agreed.
• How we handle personal data is described in our Privacy Policy.

15) Changes, governing law & contact

• We may update these Terms. The "Last updated" date will change, and material changes will be notified to active Users. Bookings already confirmed stay under the Terms in force when they were confirmed.
• If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, the rest remains in effect.
• These Terms are governed by the laws of the United Arab Emirates as applied in the Emirate of Dubai. Before starting legal proceedings, both parties will try to resolve the dispute amicably with our support team for 30 days. Unresolved disputes fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Dubai.
• If there is a conflict between an English version of these Terms and a translation, the English version prevails.

Contact: email info@shootempire.com, message us on WhatsApp, or use our contact page.