What You’re Allowed to Do With Your Photos — And What’s Off-Limits: A Simple Guide for Every Client

When you receive your final images from a session with me, I want you to enjoy them fully. After all, these photos are more than files on a screen — they are tiny pieces of your family’s story, moments frozen in time that you’ll look back on for years to come.

But I also know that many clients are unsure about how they can use their photographs once they receive them. Can you print them? Share them? Can you edit them? Use them in other ways?

To make everything clear and simple, I’ve created this guide to explain exactly what you can do with your images and what you cannot do. These guidelines protect both my artistic work and your precious memories, ensuring that your photos stay beautiful, timeless, and true to the style you chose when booking your session.

Below, you’ll find everything you need to know.

✅ When you purchase your digital photos from me, you receive personal usage rights. This means you are welcome to:

1. Print Your Images

You can print your photographs as many times as you like for personal use.Create albums, frame them for your home, gift prints to family—however you wish to enjoy them, you are free to do so.

2. Share Them Online

You are welcome to share the images you have purchased on:

• Your personal Facebook or Instagram

• Stories and posts

• Your private accounts

• Family group chats

• Cloud services for safe storage

I love when clients share their photos, and it makes me so happy to see your joy.

3. Save Your Photos Anywhere

You can store your images on:

• Phones

• Computers

• Hard drives

• Cloud storage

Backing up your photos is always a good idea so they stay safe for years to come.

❌ What You Cannot Do With Your Images

Even though the photos are of you or your child, the copyright always belongs to me as the photographer. This is standard for all professional photography. For this reason, there are several actions that are not allowed:

1. No Editing or Altering the Images

This includes:

• Adding filters (Instagram, Snapchat, Lightroom presets, etc.)

• Changing colours or tones

• Removing or adding anything

• Converting to black & white

• Cropping the image

• Removing my watermark from previews

Editing is part of my artistic process. Any additional edits can change the final look and misrepresent my work.

2. No Commercial Use

You cannot use the images:

• To promote a business

• On business websites

• For advertisements

• For products

• For any activity that earns money

If you ever need an image for business use, a separate commercial licence is required.

3. No Selling, Reselling, or Distributing

You cannot:

• Sell your images to third parties

• Give them to magazines or brands

• Upload them to stock photo websites

• Submit them to competitions

Only I, as the copyright holder, can approve such uses.

4. No Copying or Screenshotting Non-Purchased Images

Any images that appear in your online proofing gallery but haven’t been purchased cannot be:

• Saved

• Screenshot

• Printed

• Shared

These preview files still belong entirely to me.

Why These Rules Matter

These guidelines aren’t here to limit your enjoyment—they protect:

• My artistic style

• The quality of my brand

• Your memories, ensuring they look as beautiful as intended

Just as you wouldn’t repaint someone else’s artwork or rewrite an author’s book, photography deserves the same respect.

If You Need Something More

If you ever require:

• Additional edits

• A commercial licence

• Permission for a unique use

Just reach out! I am always happy to help and guide you.

Final Thoughts

Your photographs are created with care, passion, and many hours of hard work—from planning to editing to delivery. When you follow these usage rules, you help protect the integrity of the art we create together.

If you have any questions at all about how you may use your images, I’m always here to support you.