Throughout the site we talk about buying images, but it is important to clarify, that from legal point of view this expression is not a correct one and we use it only for convenience. In fact, when we speak about images (and other copyright objects), it is more correct to talk about licensing usage rights for a certain period and under certain conditions. According to Bulgarian (and other states) Copyright Act, copyrights cannot be sold or transferred by their author to others entities, but only certain aspects of these rights can be leased/ licensed under certain conditions and for certain periods of time. Photobeluga operates fully in accordance with legal requirements, which means that when the client pays for an image in Photobeluga , she/he actually pays for the right to use this image for a certain period in a certain way described in the Clients Agreement. Each activity performed in Photobeluga is described in this Agreement, that is why it is necessary for the Buyer to express her/his consent with the Agreement, when she/he purchases Credits, which latter can be used for obtaining usage rights for individual images.
According to usage right the images in Photobeluga are 2 types:
The buyer can extend licensing many times, unless the photographer who has the copyright for this particualr image has withdrawn it from Photobeluga in the meanwhile. In this case the buyer can use the image till the end of the initially paid exclusivity license or the last extension paid before the withdrawal of the image by the licensing photographer. In other words this is a kind of "image leasing" in 12 periods installments if the buyer wishes to exclusively use the image without paying the whole amount at once.
An exampe of such "image leasing" could be a book reprint, for which papercover is used an exclusively licensed image, which license expires before the reprint. For more questions on this service please contact us at admin@Photobeluga.bg
In Photobeluga each photo is offered in only one size because of the specific business model - more power in the hands of the buyers. The operation of the site is focused on the Projects service, through which avery buyer can configure exactly the image she/ he needs (resolution, image size, content, background, colors, close-up etc.) Provided that the buyers have all this configuration options it seems unnecessary to resize the originally uploaded image in different sizes as other stock image platforms do, especially having in mind that each up- or downscaling of the image file affects the image quality
One of the methods is a keyword/ keywords driven search initiated by the user. If you search with more than one keywords you need to separate them by space. You can also search by phrase i.e. "winter forest"
At each serach result the system offers you a set of additional keywords. Choosing each of them will narrow the result and make it more specific.
The user may use also the Index service. In the Index section all keywords in Photobeluga are ranked according to their popularity. The Index is an equivalent of a list with the major cathegories, by which the images in Photobeluga are organized.
Each photographer who has uploaded photos in Photobeluga has a profile, so by choosing the option "Other images from this photographer" you can check the rest of his work in and outside Photobeluga. If you like an image of a photographer which is stored outside Photobeluga, and want to buy license for using it, please contact us and we will negotiaite it with the photographer for you.
The main restriction in Photobeluga, which the photographers need to follow when they upload images, concerns the copyright. Photographers SHOULD NOT upload images, which are not copyrighted by them.In both Agreements for photographers this requirement is described in full details, but here we will mention the main criteria. The image not only needs to be shot by the photographer, but also needs :
When the photographer uploads recognizable images of people or architecture, which is not part of the public architecture, it is necessary to provide model release from the person on the image (or from a parent if the person is under 18 years of age) or property release from the owner of the architectural object. You can download such releases from here:
Model Release
Property Release
The images uploaded by the photographer shouldn't disrespect the any person's rights, shoudn't be pornographic, discriminating, against common moral principles, shouldn't show the persons in humiliating or embarassing way.
In collages and digital experiments the photographer should use only images or parts of images, for which the photographer has copyrights and they aren't in contradiction with the other requirements, listed here.
The criteria listed here doesn't pretend to be complete and do not override terms from the Agreement for photographers.
See more details about these requirements and advices how you can avoid or correct such problems
The administrators of Photobeluga have the right to reject images by "Other" reasons without further explanation.
For rejected images the Agreement for photographers is no longer in force and the uploaded images are being erased from Photobeluga servers every 10 days.
When the photographer uploads an image there are several fields, which are obligatory and their omission may lead to rejection of the image. They are as follows:
Title - several words which can serve as title of you image
Keywords - words which will ease the search of potential buyers. The need to be separated by space when filled in the field.
Additional details - details such as: "this image is available also in higher resolution" or "this image contains artwork and is recommended for travel guides only"
Photobeluga has the right to change, add, remove keywords, titles or descriptions by its sole discretion and without prior notice to the photographer.
Projects, which could benefit from the images in Photobeluga (but not only) are:
For images which contain well known architectural objects Photobeluga recommends their usage mostly for travel guides and websites, without being digitally manipulated.
These are only part of the projects which can benefit from Photobeluga services. For restrictions on the usage of images from Photobeluga please read the Agreement for clients, as well as Terms of use
