Photo Usage Policy
I receive many requests for free photos. While this is not my primary occupation, nature photography is the primary occupation of a talented group of photographers. Allowing commercial use without payment devalues the work of all nature photographers and directly threatens the livelihood of some photographer friends.
I do not allow my photography to be used for any commercial purpose, including publication, print sales, posters, advertisements, websites, or similar uses, without payment. This includes artists who wish to use my photographs as source material, if the created work is for eventual sale.
I am also extremely diligent about registering all of my images with the U.S. Copyright Office.
Allowed Personal and Educational Uses
I do allow limited usage of my photos for educational or research purposes, or for limited personal usage. For the uses below, you may use photos from my website without personally contacting me. I cannot provide higher-resolution photos than what is already on my website, and photos used for these purposes should not be distributed to a third party or used for any other purpose.
- Kids’ school projects — I welcome use of my photos for school projects.
- Teachers, K through 12 — Teachers may use a photo in classroom presentations. A photo credit is appreciated.
- Computer background — Feel free to use a photo as a computer background image. Note I do have a page of higher-resolution images suitable for computer wallpaper and multiple different sizes.
- Undergraduate or graduate students — College students may use photos for class reports, PowerPoint presentations, and similar classroom uses, with a photo credit such as “Photo provided by Terry Sohl.” This does not apply to published materials or online publication. Please contact me if you need a photo for a peer-reviewed journal publication, a published thesis or dissertation, or other published use where my photo(s) will be featured.
- Professors and higher education — College professors and educators may use photos in classroom presentations, with a photo credit. Again this does not apply to published materials or online publication.
Uses That Are Not Free
Generally, I deny free photo usage for two reasons.
- It is a commercial venture. If there is any money involved in your use of a photo, I will not provide it for free. This includes ad or printing agencies working for nonprofits, artists using photos as source material for work they sell, or any other profit-related use.
- It is too much work on my end. I receive many free photo requests, and even when I support a cause, I cannot manage every request personally.
Commercial Licensing and Print Sales
If you wish to license a photo for commercial use, please visit the commercial sale page. If you wish to purchase a fine art print of a photo, please visit the print sales page.
Contact Me