Photography Usage and Licensing - What Does it Mean?

Sometimes people can find the whole area of licensing and copyright very confusing, so I have tried to simplify and explain it below.

Basically, copyright is about who owns the image (the photographer), licensing is about who has the right to reproduce the image (the client).

When you hire a professional photographer you pay a Licence fee which grants you permission and the right to "Use" digital copies of original photographs for a Specific Period of time and for a Specific Use. You never own the image, you simply pay for the right to use it.

The Photographer retains Ownership and Copyright of the Work and the Rights to Use and Sell the Work indefinitely, in all forms including and not limited to the Photographers own Use for any personal or commercial portfolio, advertising, marketing, display and for resale in both print and digital media.

Rights Managed licensing

This can be both Non-exclusive or Exclusive and means that the image is licensed for a specific purpose or use, but with restrictions such as limitations on size, placement, duration of use and geographic distribution. The buyer must specify, each time, the intended use, and pricing is based on these parameters.

Royalty-Free licensing

This is the simplest form of licensing and the price is governed by the actual image file size to be provided. As a client you will pay a one-off fee and can use the image(s) as many times as you like, subject to certain terms and conditions. You are not required to pay royalties to the Photographer on a use-by-use basis. However, the rights granted are non-transferable and are personal to you.

What it actually means

As a client, you may use the image(s) for your own website or marketing, but you may NOT "Give", "Transfer" or "Lend" them to any other party. For example, if you are a private property owner and you choose to list your property with a Real Estate Agent. The image(s) will then need to be re-Licensed by the Real Estate Agent as it is a new Use from a new party or company.

Similarly, as a Real Estate Agent you may use the images in your own marketing but you may NOT "Give", "Transfer" or "Lend" them to any other party or Real Estate Agent. For example, if you lose the listing or share the listing. Again, the image(s) need to be re-Licensed by the new listing Real Estate Agent. Photographs do NOT "come with" a listing.

Terms and conditions

Whichever type of licence you require, all usage of our images is subject to our standard Terms and Conditions. Click this link to view a copy of our current Licence Agreement/Terms and Conditions. (70kb pdf, opens in new tab or window.)