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, just wanted to follow up again about the licensing quote request for some photos.
If you can zip me an email at [email protected] I’d appreciate it!
Thank you!
Katie
Hi! I’m interested in getting some info about licensing fees. Would you mind zipping me an email to discuss?
Thanks!
Hi Tom,
I recently rearranged my work schedule giving me more days off and the freedom to do something I enjoy, plan Disney vacations. However, after years of using a Nikon D90 I switched to a Sony mirrorless camera and then sold even that and just take my iPhone on trips. Unfortunately, I also started taking photos for “story” posts and gave up using landscape mode. Now as I am setting up my Facebook business page I have no recent photos that still look good once Facebook has zoomed in on them. I would like information on purchasing a license to use Walt Disney World icon photos from each of the four parks and possible a Disney Cruise Line photo, please. They would be the feature cover photos on my business Facebook page. I was hoping to get some good photos on the trip we just got back from but the weather was pretty terrible for that purpose. However, your wisdom on the park crowd level on the 4:30 PM early close Magic Kingdom day was spot on and was even enhanced by the rainy weather.
I have an agency email address I would be happy to share with you privately (since I have not finished training quite yet) but my personal email address is [email protected].
Disney Tourist Blog is my go to daily for Disney news and up to date email notifications for Disney happenings and explanations/commentary of those events. Your photos are simply stunning and often times have me pausing my blog reading for a moment to fall into the magic.
Thank you for your consideration,
Cheryl
Hi Tom! I am OBESSED with your photography, specifically to Disney. I’ve used your photos as backgrounds on my computer for years and been an avid reader of your newsletters for just as long. I recently decided to take the plunge and become a travel agent. While I work under a host, my business name is Grape Soda Travel Co. I would love to know more about obtaining a commercial license to use your photos in social media posts and on my website with attribution. Your photos truly inspire my love for travel and I really want to express that love on my social media channels. Unfortunately, I cannot get to the parks as often as you do and I spend hours just looking at all of your photos, wishing I could be there and capturing the same scenes that you do. Looking forward to hearing from you! [email protected]
Hi Tom. First off, I just want to say that you are awesome for allowing others to use your photos! Most photographers aren’t that nice lol.
I know this post is super old but I do have a couple of questions. First, I’ve just started writing a Disney blog. I’m planning on monetizing it later, when it gets bigger, so I was wondering if it would still be okay for me to use your photos.
Second, I don’t completely understand Disney’s photo policy. Am I still allowed to use my own photos on my blog? Or do I have to get special permission?
Any help would be fantastic!
Hi Tom, just wanted to tell you how awesome you are. I have been following your blog for years and truly appreciate all your content, reviews, and coverage. Your site is so reliable and I am always recommending you to others. And now reading how you are so cool about sharing your beautiful photos…just adds to how awesome you already are lol. During this covid quarantine I am finally attempting to write my own little hobby disney blog..since I have always wanted to do it but there was never time. And your posts on blogging has been incredibly helpful. So I just wanted to thank you for all that you do for your Disney fans! You are the best 🙂
My name is Ellen and I am the owner of a small, domestic manufacturing company. I saw a photo you posted here of an empty round table with a round leather bench from the Bon Voyage breakfast. My company custom made the brown stand sitting in the center of the table for the restaurant and, prior to them leaving our factory, we did not take pictures. Would you give me permission to use this photo on our website? We are trying to create a new section for custom projects and would be happy to provide photo credit.
I appreciate your help and look forward to receiving your reply.
Tom,
In my last message to you, I just realized I forgot to include my email address. Please reply to: [email protected] to let me know if I have permission to use the photo which I am requesting. Thank you. I look forward to hearing from you.
Hi Tom,
Your pictures are beautiful. I have a question. I am an Independent Travel Agent, trying to create my own website. I guess I can’t use my own Photo Pass pictures because of Disney’s PhotoPass licensing is only for personal use. However, I have had a hard time deciphering if I can use my own personal photos I take at Disney on my site. I figured you have your photos a lot on your blog. Is there anything specific I need to watch for or how I should label them? Thanks
I am in exactly the same situation, did you ever get an answer? Seems bizarre that I can’t use my own photos on my website!
Thank you so much for being willing to share your pictures. I’ve been searching for a creative commons/licensed for reuse photo of Dole Whip that didn’t have a lot of stuff in the background to use in the header for my website, and I’m so thankful that I finally found one that looks great that I can use!
I just wanted to thank you for sharing your pictures. Just found the flicker link today. I teach first grade and I needed new pictures to discuss and write about with my students. I teach the pre-production esl kids. That means they do not speak much English. Everyday we discuss a picture and write about it. The kids LOVED your pictures. They are excited about discussing a new one tomorrow!
Hi Tom,
Great photos of Disneyland. I have use some of your photos from Flickr and posted in my travel website. I have give you the credit at the bottom of my blog. Hope you don’t mind
You may go checkout my website as below:
http://easyvacationpackages.com/2014/09/20/disneylands-for-your-next-vacation/
Do let me know if you want me to remove your photos from my website.
Great photos and do keep it up. Thanks and look forward to hear from you soon!!!
hi there Tom, thanks for the super awesome photos you’d take from the super awesome place on earth!
I want to ask you, that, i would like to take one to three of your photos for educational purpose on my thesis, may I?
I’m from Indonesia, and I’m currently taking Interior Architecture degree on Universitas Indonesia, fyi 🙂
Thanks btw, sorry for bad english…
You’re more than welcome to use any of my photos for any educational purposes. Good luck with your thesis! 🙂
thankyou so much for your kindness!! 😀
Well said, Tom! Not only is it neat how you’re putting your images out there with such love, but you explained the whole situation very eloquently.
See you around the parks one day! 🙂
Thanks! I’ve been a fan of your and Jensey’s wedding photography for a while–it would be great to meet you two!
Thank you so much for being so willing to share your talent! I love following your blog and adore your photographs. We will be going to Disney World this summer but our kid-less Disney days ended long ago. We love taking our kids to Disney but it sure makes photography more challenging 🙂
(Some vacations-okay every vacation-I shoot out the window while the car is still driving. Because stopping really would be that bad.)
Any who, I’m excited that I’ll be able to use your pics for any details of the park I miss. It’s a stress relief to know that I can focus on my over-tired, sugar-high, running on adrenaline seven year old and not worry about getting a shot that you probably already have. And probably have done better than I would 🙂
I’d like a cute purse for our next Disney vacation and I found someone on Etsy who will make custom purses with photos on them. I’m not sure which one but I’d love to be able to use one of your photos. I’d be paying her for the purse so it’s doesn’t entirely feel non-commercial but I’m not sure it’s commercial either. How do you feel about this?
From your perspective, I don’t consider that commercial. Feel free to use them! (Thanks for asking, by the way.)
If the Etsy seller had pre-made purses with my photos already on them, that would be a different story.
Thank you so much! Now I just have to pick one which will be hard.
What about for something like a phone case?? Seems similar to the custom purse but I wanted to double check as well 🙂
Thank you for clarifying your policy and for making so many of these photos freely available. Your photos are the highest quality Disney photos I have found anywhere on the Internet. Thanks again!
Thank you so much for the contributions you have made to the Disney fan community, and for allowing us to share many of those contributions to our own friends (and hopefully someday) readers. I recently started my own blog (because that’s what the Disney Parks community needs, another blog) and in an attempt to show that I have no idea how to run a successful blog, I used my second post to recommend the Disney Tourist Blog along with an awesome picture of Splash.
I don’t understand. The photos on this website are restricted, but I can purchase them. Is there some place I can get your photos for free?
The only photos you have to pay to download are high-res ones suitable for printing. The rest you should be able to right click and save. You can also download the photos from Flickr: http://flickr.com/tombricker
Let me know if you have any other questions!
Good to know! I would love to share some of your pictures on my blog!
Thank you for letting us use your photos! Many I use for my personal FB Coverpage. Your photos allow me to change my Coverpage frequently, showing my love of Disney to other.
Thanks!
Tammy
Thank you for using and sharing them! 🙂