Can you provide free photos for me or my organization?
This is the most frequently asked question! Unfortunately, we cannot provide free photos to anyone. We are truly sorry, but legally-binding usage and representation contracts with agents, agencies and clients specifically prohibit free distribution of our photographs.
We are a worthy cause and believe you would support us. How about it?
Your cause may be very worthwhile, and our desire to help quite sincere, but copyright control issues and our contractual obligations to agents, agencies and paying clients are blind to this situation. Therefore, we cannot grant free usage based on organizational status.
I can't afford professional photography. Can you give me a break?
Consider the following analogy: Some people can afford lobster, while others cannot afford peanut butter. You cannot buy lobster at peanut butter prices, and we cannot buy either if we do not sell our photos. Lobster costs more than peanut butter for a reason, and the same can be said when comparing quality professional photos to cheap clip art.
Permission is easy! Why not provide a simple "okay" to my email request?
Requests for free usage of our photos typically come as email messages containing very ambiguous and broad usage descriptions, and the requestor generally assumes that a simple "okay" response is all that's required from us. Unfortunately, beyond offering our Evaluation Usage License at no charge, we cannot respond to an ambiguous email request with a simple "okay" and expect to maintain full copyright control of our images. Therefore, we must take the time to write a specific and legally-binding license.
Why is maintaining copyright control so important?
Our livelihood depends on selling fresh and unique images to creative professionals. Simply-put, free and unauthorized usage devalues our images. With such usage, we are unable to offer images to paying clients on an exclusive or first-rights basis. Many clients also hesitate to pay industry rates or use photos for a major project when they are widely used elsewhere, especially when usage was provided for free or at a fraction of market value.
When is it okay to use a photo without written permission?
Never! You may download and use our photos according to the specific written permissions contained in the terms and conditions of Permitted Usage and our free Evaluation Usage License, but specific written permission and payment are required for any other use.
Am I at risk when using a photo without your written permission?
Yes! We digitally track photo usage and suggest that you avoid even what you might consider a small copyright infringement, because the consequences of a seemingly small copyright infringement can be very expensive. Infringement may result in penalties to $150,000 per image, plus payment of both legal and usage fees.
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