Sales and permission to use my photographs

I'm sometimes asked for permission to use my photographs on other web sites or in publications such as annual reports. I have to say that in almost all cases the request has been to use my photographs free of charge. I have to admit to being most reluctant to allow free of charge use of any of my photographs. The reasons for this are many but I guess the key ones are:

1) There is an expense incurred in obtaining these pictures and I don't want to set a precedent for always giving them away, as in future I may need to recover those costs if I want to continue taking pictures.

2) It's unfair to people who are currently making a living out of wildlife photography, even if their pictures are way better than mine. Besides, when I retire (hopefully in a few years time) and can devote more time to photography I might want to make a modest living out of it myself and I am not likely to do that if every one else gives their pictures away for free. So I won't do it either.

Does that mean that I'll never let a picture be used free of charge under any circumstances? Well no. There are some situations where may be some other benefit, such as access to bird watching facilities that would otherwise be unavailable, is accepted instead.

So, if you would like to purchase any of my photographs for use in electronic media, publications or as prints, use the 'Contact Me' tab above to enquire about prices or to make an offer. Please give as much detail as you can, such as purpose, size, media and, most importantly, the photograph reference number(s) that interest you. Remember the photographs are owned by AEBS Limited, a VAT registered company and so all prices will be subject to the addition of VAT at 17.5%.

If you do want to use any of my pictures, please remember that they are copyright protected and must not be used without permission for any purpose, either as they are on this web site or electronically modified in any way. You can make copies of them using artist mediums such as paint or crayons without seeking my explicit permission.