When you’re hired as a photographer and nothing else, day rates are still common, especially in agency work. This means you are given the creative and asked to show up with your camera to bring the concept to life. A day rate typically includes your cost of doing business and travel expenses, but these are becoming less common as licensing has become the standard way to value your work.

Photo licensing can feel confusing if you let it, but keeping it simple is key. At its core, licensing is about understanding three things: usage, duration, and exclusivity.

Usage: Where will the images live? Will they be online, in print, or both?
Duration: How long does the client want to use the images? Weeks, months, or years?
Exclusivity: Can you sell the images to anyone else, or are they exclusive to that client?

Some of the most common licensing asks include:

Full digital: This covers every digital marketing use, including newsletters, ebooks, social media, websites, blogs, and internal communications.
Organic and paid social: Restricted to social media use only, including both paid ads and organic posts.
Print: For magazine ads, expo banners, in-store signage, and other physical placements.
One-time use: For example, the cover of a magazine.
Time-limited usage: Common durations are 6, 12, or 24 months. Most companies will not use an image two years later.

A key rule of thumb: avoid granting rights “in perpetuity.” This term means the client can use the images forever, which prevents you from earning passive income from the same images in the future. Setting clear boundaries on usage ensures your work retains value and protects your ability to monetize it further.

Understanding licensing is a crucial part of running a sustainable photography business. Structuring your licenses clearly, in combination with your creative and production fees, ensures clients know exactly what they are paying for and that you get paid fairly for your work.

This lesson comes from The Adventure Photographer’s Playbook.

This lesson comes from my ebook "The Adventure Photographer's Playbook" and it costs $10. Why so cheap? The goal is to help as many new to mid level photographers as possible go from nothing to getting booked in 18 months: