In today’s digital age, photos and images are widely shared and are easily accessible everywhere on the internet, from websites and blogs to social media platforms like Instagram, FaceBook, Gab, Twitter, and many other platforms. For photographers that are sharing their photographs, they need to understand the concept of photo licensing.
Photo licensing is a legal framework that governs the use and distribution of images, having the intent of ensuring the rights of its creators. This means photographers are protected and their creative work respected.
What Exactly Is Photo Licensing?
Photo licensing is the act of granting others permission to use the creator’s photograph or images under certain conditions and for specific purposes. It is a legal agreement between the creator, either the photographer or the legal owner of those photographs, and the licensee, which is the individual or organization that is wanting to use the photograph.
The photo license outlines the terms and conditions under which the image can be used, such as duration, geographic limitations, and media usage.
Types of Photo Licenses
A royalty-free license allows the licensee to use the image without paying royalties or additional fees each time it is used. Once the license is purchased, the photo can be used multiple times by the licensee, usually for commercial purposes, without any ongoing payments, however, you may still have to pay a one-time fee.
Unlike royalty-free licenses, rights-managed licenses are more restrictive and require the licensee to pay a fee each time that the image is used. The fee is based on factors such as usage, duration, and exclusivity.
Right-Managed licenses offer more control to the owner of the image over the distribution and use of the image. Rights-Managed licenses are usually reserved for more exclusive images.
Creative Commons Licenses allow photographers to retain copyrights of an image while granting others certain usage rights. There are different types of Creative Commons licenses, each with specific and different levels of permissions, such as non-commercial, attribution requirements, and others.
The Importance of Photo Licensing
Photo licensing serves multiple purposes, benefiting both the photographer and the licensee. Some of these benefits are listed below.
By licensing their photos, photographers can safeguard their creative work from unauthorized use and copyright infringement. It provides legal recourse in case someone uses their images without their permission.
Photo licenses establish transparent guidelines on how and when the image can be used, helping to prevent misunderstandings and disputes.
Licensing allows photographers to be fairly compensated for their creative efforts and encourages them to create more images.
Licensing enables photographers to control where and how their images are used, ensuring that they are associated with a reputable context and associated with approved brands.
For businesses and individuals seeking to use images for commercial purposes, proper photo licensing ensures compliance with copyright laws and minimizes the risk of legal action.
Best Practices For Using Licensed Photos
It is a good practice to consider the following when using licensed photos.
You should familiarize yourself with the specific terms and restrictions of the photo license that you intend to use to ensure that the license covers your intended purpose and usage.
Check the license to see if an image requires any kind of attribution to the photographer or source of the image when using the image.
You should avoid using the photo outside of the scope of the license or without proper authorization from the photographer. You should also be mindful of any usage limitations or geographic restrictions.
Free Photo Websites
This is a list of websites that offer free photos.
Unsplash
Unsplash (unsplash.com) is one of the most popular platforms for high-quality, royalty-free images. It boasts a vast collection of photos that are contributed by photographers worldwide. The site’s search functionality and categories make it easy to find images for various purposes. Regarding licensing, the photos are usually exceptional in quality and can be used for both personal and commercial purposes.
Pixabay
Pixabay (pixabay.com) offers a vast collection of free images, vectors, illustrations, and videos. The website’s search feature is user-friendly and allows for filtering by image type and orientation. The images are usually of exceptional quality and are available under a Creative Commons CC0 license, allowing for unrestricted use.
Pexels
Pexels (pexels.com) is one more popular platform for free photos. It has a diverse collection of high-resolution photos and videos. The curates its content from various sources, other users’ submissions, and other free image websites. The images are licensed under the Creative Commons CC0 license.
Burst
Burst by Shopify (burst.shopify.com) is a stock photo platform created by Shopify, which is primarily aimed at entrepreneurs and business owners. It offers a wide range of free images that are suitable for e-commerce, marketing, and other commercial purposes. The photos are high-quality and available under Shopify’s own licensing terms.
FreeImages
FreeImages (freeimages.com), previously known as stock.xchng, has a collection of images that vary in quality. Some of the photo licenses will vary, with some that may require attribution.
Free Icons Websites
This is a list of websites that offer free icons. The photo licenses of each website will vary.
FlatIcon
Flaticon (flaticon.com) is one of the largest platforms for free vector icons. They offer a vast collection of icons in various formats like SVG, PNG, EPS, and PSD. Their website allows you to download icons for free, however, some icons may require attribution. Their search and filtering options make it easy to find the icon that you are looking for.
IconFinder
Iconfinder (iconfinder.com) provides a mix of free and premium icons. They provide a large collection of icons, however, their free icons are often limited in size and usage. You will want to check the license of each icon. The website’s user-interface is clean and easy to use.
Freepik
Freepik (freepik.com) offers icons and also stock photos. They have a good-sized selection of free icons available for personal and commercial use with proper attribution. It is a great resource for free icons and stock photos.
Icons8
Icons8 (icons8.com) provides a large library of free icons with a consistent style. Their icons can be downloaded in multiple formats and sizes. They also offer an app that lets you customize icons and export them as you like.
BestWebDesignFreebies
BestWebDesignFreebies (bestwebdesignfreebies.com) offers all of its icons in SVG and PNG formats without the need to give attribution. The website has a clean interface and a nice search and filter option.
DownloadFreeSVGIcons
DownloadFreeSVGIcons (downloadfreesvgicons.com) is another great resource for free vector icons that do not require attribution. You can easily search for icons by category and all of their icons are free to use under a Creative Commons license.
Conclusion: What You Need to Know About Icon and Photo Licensing
Photo licensing plays a crucial role in protecting the rights of photographers and image creators while enabling businesses and individuals to access and utilize high-quality images for their various needs, many times without having to pay a fee. Understanding the different types of licenses is important so that there is no risk of legal action down the road as well as fostering a collaborative and respectful environment in the creative community where the work of content creators is valued accordingly. Also, remember to know the licenses that the photos that you use are under to avoid any issues down the road.
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For more digital marketing suggestions, take a look at the articles How to Make Your Website More Engaging With Visual Content, How to Add a Business to Google Maps, and How to Optimize Your Image Alt Text for SEO.
