A conversation that changed things
A few days ago, a photographer wrote to us with a very specific problem: she had a client who wanted to hire a children's session for her son, but when it came to signing, the system asked for two signatures. So far, all normal: contracts with minors under 14 years require the signature of both legal representatives.
The problem was that this client was a single mother with exclusive parental authority. There was no second signer. And the contract was blocked.
That conversation made us realize we had covered the most common case (two parents) but not the real cases photographers encounter in their day-to-day.
What we changed
When a contract includes minors and requires two signatures, a new option now appears in the client's signing form:
"I declare that I exclusively hold parental authority or legal representation of the minors included in this contract."
It's a checkbox the signer can mark if they're in any of these situations:
- Has exclusive parental authority by court order
- The other parent has deceased
- There's a court declaration of absence of the other parent
- A deprivation of parental authority has occurred by court order
By marking this checkbox, the second signer's fields disappear and the contract can be completed with a single signature.
What your client sees
The process is very simple:
- Your client opens the contract link as usual
- Fills in their data and the minors' data
- In the signature area, sees the exclusive representation declaration checkbox
- If they mark it, the second signer's fields are hidden
- Signs and submits the contract normally
If they make a mistake and uncheck the checkbox, the second signer's fields reappear. No problem.
What appears in the signed contract
When you download the PDF of the signed contract, you'll see a new section titled "Exclusive representation declaration" stating that the signer declared under their responsibility that they exclusively hold the legal representation of the minors.
In the signed contracts panel, you'll also see this information clearly indicated in the contract details.
Responsibility lies with the signer
This is important: PhotoHeart records the declaration, but the responsibility for it being true lies with the signer. If someone falsely declares having exclusive representation, they assume the legal consequences.
As a photographer, you're protected because the contract includes this declaration as digitally signed evidence.
Born from real feedback
This improvement wasn't on our roadmap. It arose from a real conversation with a user who encountered a case we hadn't contemplated. And that's exactly what we want to happen: for you to tell us what you encounter in your day-to-day so PhotoHeart adapts to your reality.
If you have a similar situation or an idea you think could improve the tool, write us. Every message counts.