Many photographers ardently attempt to prevent others from using their images. That is not my philosophy towards photography. I began taking photos with the purpose of sharing them with others, and my goal always has been to make as many people happy through my Disney photos as possible.
I welcome and encourage others to download my photos for their personal use, to share my photos on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+, or on their non-commercial blogs or websites. There is no charge for such usage and you do not need prior approval from me. In fact, I would like to thank you if you share my photos!
Most photos on the blog can be easily downloaded and used, but the easiest way to use my photos is go to my Flickr page and grab the HTML or download the full size images and upload them on your own blog or social media account. You may notice that not all of my photos are on Flickr–many of them are, but there are some that are only available to purchase as prints. Keeping some photos exclusive to SmugMug provides a way for those who enjoy it to support my photography while still leaving thousands of free photos for those who don’t want to spend money on prints. Fair enough?
With that said, I do have a couple of requirements and limitations:
Non-Commercial Usage
As hinted at above, free use of these photos is limited to non-commercial usage. Non-commercial can be a somewhat vague term online, but generally, if you’re not using the images to further a business purpose, I view your use as non-commercial. I don’t view having a personal blog with an ad or two to cover the costs of hosting as commercial, but if you’re a staff writer for a blog, major newspaper, or internet publication that has significant revenue, you’re commercial. If you’re a travel agency, you’re commercial. Make sense?
Requirements for non-commercial usage:
- Hyperlink to www.DisneyTouristBlog.com
- Give credit to Tom Bricker as photographer
In some cases, following these “requirements” isn’t practicable or possible. If not possible to fulfill these requirements (such as when sharing on social media sites), just do your best to comply with the spirit of the requirements. No one is going to “come after” you for sharing photos of mine with your friends.
Commercial Usage
Photography equipment is expensive. Photography knowledge and skills similarly require significant time and dedication to acquire and master. Given this, it only seems appropriate that if you’d like to use my images to promote your business or commercial endeavor, you will incur a licensing fee for such use. Licensing prices are determined by a myriad of factors, including type of media, distribution size, length of use, intended use, and prominence. Licensing fees are competitive and are used only as a way to offset some of the significant costs associated with creating the photos.
Along these same lines, if you have a subject you’d like photographed, I am available for commissioned shoots. Sorry, but I don’t do weddings.
For a price quote as to licensing fees or commissioned shoots, please leave a comment below with your email address.
Thanks!
Tom
Hi Tom,
First, I love your blog. You are my #1 resource for all things Disney and really helped me get through the pandemic. Thank you for all the time and energy you put into it.
I have the exact same 2 questions as Victoria below.
1) I am starting a personal blog (not up yet!) that I hope to one day monetize. Is it ok for me to use your photos? If it’s ok to use them for free now, I would love an idea of how much it would cost if/when I can monetize it.
2) Do I need to get permission from Disney to use your pictures for a commercial site? Or my own pictures of Disney?
Thank you!
Diane
[email protected]