Image usage
Buy the use, not the copyright.
When you commission photography, you are buying permission to use the images for a defined project, not the copyright itself. This page explains what that means in plain language, what is typically included, and what to ask for.
What you actually buy
Under the Canadian Copyright Act, the photographer is the first owner of copyright in commissioned work. What you pay for is a usage right, clear permission to use the images in defined ways, for a defined audience, on defined channels, for a defined duration. The photographer keeps the copyright; you get the certainty that your use is authorized.
You are not buying the copyright. You are defining how the images can be used.
Every usage right is shaped by five dimensions
Whatever the project, your usage right is defined by these five axes. They are agreed in writing in the quote or invoice, not negotiated again later.
Medium and context
Where the images appear: web, organic social, paid digital ads, print, out-of-home, editorial, internal corporate use.
A website carousel plus organic social posts is one common bundle; the same images on a billboard is another conversation.
Territory
Where in the world the images are used: local, national, North American, worldwide.
A Quebec event series usually only needs Canadian rights; a brand campaign aimed at the US market needs broader coverage.
Duration
How long the right runs: months, years, or in perpetuity.
A one-year right is the most common pattern for paid digital advertising. Editorial features often run on a single-use basis.
Exclusivity
Whether you are the only one allowed to use the images. The default is non-exclusive, the photographer can show the work in their portfolio and may license it to others in unrelated industries.
Sectoral exclusivity (no competitor in your industry can use the images) and full exclusivity are negotiable at additional cost.
Sublicensing
Whether you may pass the right onward to a partner agency, vendor, or syndication network. The default answer is no, unless the agreement explicitly grants it.
Most projects only need a quick written sublicense extension, easy to grant if asked up front.
Common usage scenarios
Most projects fit into one of these patterns. The actual scope and price are confirmed in writing for your specific project, these are starting points, not fixed packages.
Web and organic social
Most small businesses, professionals, and event organizers
Your own website, blog, organic social posts, newsletters, and standard digital channels.
Non-exclusive
Paid digital advertising
Brands running Meta, Google, or programmatic campaigns
Sponsored social, display ads, retargeting, programmatic placements, for a defined territory and duration.
Non-exclusive, sectoral exclusivity available
Corporate print
Annual reports, brochures, business cards, packaging, signage
Physical materials with a defined print run and distribution. Longer-lived than digital, so usually scoped accordingly.
Non-exclusive, limited by print run and region
Out-of-home (OOH)
Billboards, transit shelters, store windows, event venues
Public-facing large-format display with defined locations and dates. Often paired with sectoral or temporal exclusivity to protect message clarity.
Often sectoral or temporal
Editorial
Magazines, newspapers, blogs, news sites
Single-use editorial publication with photo credit. Editorial use is distinct from advertising, same image, different licence.
Non-exclusive (single-use editorial)
Exclusive use or buyout
Brands that need full control and competitive insulation
Exclusivity (sectoral or full) prevents the photographer from licensing the images elsewhere. A buyout extends that to a broad transfer of economic rights. Both are negotiable; both carry a higher fee.
Exclusive
Two common licensing models
You may have come across "royalty-free" stock images. Custom commissioned photography is usually licensed differently. Both models are laid out here so you know which one fits your project.
Royalty-free (RF)
- One fee, broad reuse within the licence’s stated scope
- Usually non-exclusive by default
- Common for stock libraries (Adobe Stock, Getty Stock, and similar)
- "Royalty-free" means no recurring royalties, it does not mean free of charge
Best when you need wide flexibility on a smaller budget and the image does not need to be unique to your brand.
Rights-managed (RM)
- Fee tailored to your specific use (medium, territory, duration, exclusivity)
- Standard for custom commissioned photography
- You pay only for the reach you actually need
- Easier to extend later as your project grows
The default for OLH Photographie commissions. Pay for what you actually use today; come back for a top-up if the project grows.
Why a clear usage right protects you, too
Brand safety
A documented usage right means everyone on your team, and any partner agency, knows what is allowed. No surprise letters from rights-enforcement networks.
Easier internal approvals
Legal, marketing, and procurement can sign off faster when the licence terms are clear and in writing up front, instead of being patched together months after the shoot.
Predictable scaling
If the campaign expands, a new region, a new channel, a new year, extending the right is straightforward. No starting from zero, no awkward licensing renegotiation.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
Do I own the photos once I pay?
Do I have to credit the photographer?
Can I crop or apply filters before posting on Instagram?
My usage right is ending. Do I have to delete every old post?
I want to run paid Meta ads with these photos, is that included?
Can my partner agency use the images on our behalf?
What about the people in the photos?
Can I buy the copyright outright?
Are photos I purchase from the website covered by the same rules?
Do you work in both French and English?
Tell us what you need, we will scope the right that fits.
Every project is different. Send a short note about where the images will appear, who will see them, and for how long. A clear quote follows within one business day.