Usage Policy & Terms of Service

1. Public Licence & Image Rights

By uploading any photograph or image ("Content") to StockPhotosSA, you irrevocably grant a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive, perpetual licence to the general public to use, reproduce, distribute, display, and create derivative works from the Content for any lawful purpose, whether personal, commercial, editorial, or otherwise, without attribution requirements.

You acknowledge and agree that you relinquish any exclusive right of ownership over the uploaded Content. The Content becomes freely available for use by any person accessing the StockPhotosSA platform under the licence above. You retain the right to be identified as the original photographer on your profile page. StockPhotosSA does not pay for Content uploaded during this free launch period, and does not sell Content or charge downloaders. If we introduce a paid service later (for example licensed packs for agencies, or contributor payouts), it will apply only to new arrangements you separately opt into. It will not change the public licence you have already granted for Content uploaded under these terms.

Users seeking higher-resolution or original-quality versions of images may contact the photographer directly via their profile page or in-platform messaging to negotiate a private arrangement. StockPhotosSA does not facilitate, mediate, or take any commission from such private transactions.

2. Content Standards

All Content uploaded to StockPhotosSA must comply with the following standards:

• No sexual or explicit content. Images containing nudity, sexual acts, sexually suggestive poses, or any content of a sexual nature are strictly prohibited.
• No violent or graphic content. Images depicting violence, gore, self-harm, cruelty to animals, or any form of graphic or disturbing imagery are not permitted.
• No identifiable minors as the subject. Photographs where a person under 18 is the primary or clearly identifiable subject are not permitted, because we do not collect parental consent or model releases. Minors who are incidental and not identifiable in a wider scene (a crowd, a street, a festival) are permitted.
• No watermarks, logos, or text overlays. All uploaded images must be free of watermarks, branding, logos, copyright notices, social media handles, and any form of text overlay or advertising embedded within the image.
• No advertising or promotional content. Images must not contain product placements, brand names, promotional material, or any content that constitutes advertising.
• Clean and unedited images only. Images must be presented in their natural photographic state. Minor colour corrections, exposure adjustments, and cropping are permitted. Heavy digital manipulation, compositing, artificial overlays, HDR over-processing, AI-generated content, and excessive filtering are not permitted. The platform provides built-in colour correction and cropping tools to assist photographers in meeting this standard.

3. South African Relevance

StockPhotosSA is a platform dedicated exclusively to South African photography. All Content must depict subjects that are South African in nature, origin, or cultural significance.

Acceptable Content includes, but is not limited to:

• Wildlife: Animals native to or commonly found in South Africa, including the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo), springbok, kudu, wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, African penguin, Cape fur seal, various bird species, marine life found in South African waters, and other species commonly associated with the Southern African region.
• Flora: Indigenous South African plants such as proteas, fynbos, aloes, strelitzias, baobabs, yellowwood trees, and other species native to the Cape Floral Kingdom and broader Southern African biomes. Common non-indigenous plants that are widely established in South Africa (such as jacarandas, bougainvillea, or lavender) are also acceptable.
• Landscapes & Locations: Any geographical location within the borders of the Republic of South Africa, including Table Mountain, the Drakensberg, the Garden Route, the Karoo, Kruger National Park, the Wild Coast, the Winelands, city skylines of Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria, and all other South African towns, cities, rural areas, and natural landmarks.
• Culture & Lifestyle: Scenes depicting South African culture, traditions, and everyday life, including braais, potjiekos, biltong, rooibos tea, rugby, cricket, surfing, township life, market scenes, heritage sites, festivals, and cultural celebrations. Traditional arts, crafts, and architecture are encouraged.
• People & Portraits: Portraits and lifestyle photography of adults (18+) taken within South Africa, provided the subjects have given consent where identifiable.

Unacceptable Content includes, but is not limited to:

• Foreign flags (e.g. the American flag, Union Jack, etc.)
• Animals not found in South Africa (e.g. koalas, kangaroos, polar bears, pandas, moose)
• Non-South African city skylines and landmarks (e.g. New York, Paris, Sydney, Tokyo)
• Foreign cultural imagery with no connection to South Africa
• Generic stock photography that could have been taken anywhere and has no identifiable South African element

The platform employs automated analysis to assess South African relevance. Established photographers with strong reputation scores may receive greater leniency for borderline content. New users and those with low scores are subject to stricter evaluation.

4. Ownership & Originality

By uploading Content, you represent and warrant that you are the sole original creator and copyright owner of the image, or that you have obtained all necessary rights, licences, and permissions to upload and licence the Content on these terms.

Uploading images that are the intellectual property of another person without authorisation constitutes a serious violation. Upon identification, such images will be removed immediately and the offending account will be subject to suspension or permanent ban.

If you believe that an image on StockPhotosSA has been uploaded without your authorisation, infringes your intellectual property rights, or shows an identifiable person without their consent, please use the Report button on the photo's detail page, or see our takedown process for a formal notice.

5. Community Guidelines

StockPhotosSA is a community built on mutual respect and a shared love for South African photography. All interactions on the platform, including comments and direct messages, must adhere to the following standards:

• Be friendly, helpful, constructive, and well-mannered at all times.
• No advertising, self-promotion, or solicitation of any kind is permitted in comments or public discussions. Photographers wishing to promote their services may do so exclusively through their profile page.
• No harassment, hate speech, personal attacks, or discriminatory language.
• No spam, repetitive posting, or off-topic content.
• Constructive criticism of photography is welcome; personal attacks on photographers are not.

All comments submitted to the platform are automatically reviewed by artificial intelligence moderation systems. Comments that violate these guidelines will be rejected and will not be published. Repeated violations may result in restriction of commenting privileges or account suspension.

6. Reputation System & Consequences

StockPhotosSA operates a reputation scoring system to reward quality contributions and discourage policy violations. Your reputation score is publicly visible on your profile and is determined by:

• Quality scores assigned by automated image analysis upon approval.
• Community engagement (stars and comments received on your photographs).
• Achievement badges for notable contributions.
• Penalties for policy violations.

Uploading Content that violates these terms will result in a significant deduction from your reputation score. The offending Content will be removed and a violation record will be associated with your account. Repeated or severe violations may result in temporary suspension or permanent termination of your account, at the sole discretion of StockPhotosSA.

Photographers with established positive reputations may receive greater leniency in borderline moderation decisions. This leniency does not extend to clear violations of content safety standards.

7. Image Processing & Distribution

All images uploaded to StockPhotosSA are resized to a maximum of 2000 pixels on the long edge before storage. This is large enough for most web and small-print use, but is not a full-resolution original.

Users requiring the original, full-resolution file for large-format print or commercial purposes are encouraged to contact the photographer directly via their profile page to arrange a private transaction.

Upon upload, images are processed through automated systems that generate thumbnails, perform quality assessment, content moderation, categorisation, and South African relevance evaluation. This processing is performed by artificial intelligence and is subject to the limitations inherent in such technology.

8. Photographer Promotion

Photographers are encouraged to promote their professional services, portfolios, and social media presence through their StockPhotosSA profile page. The platform provides fields for:

• Personal website URL
• LinkedIn profile
• X (formerly Twitter) handle
• About Me section describing your photography background and services

This profile information is displayed alongside your photographs, enabling potential clients and collaborators to find and contact you. Promotional content is permitted only within your profile and must not appear in comments, messages to other users, or within uploaded images.

9. Platform Mission & Funding

StockPhotosSA is currently free for everyone, operated to find out whether there is enough interest in South African stock photography to build a full product.

The platform does not currently charge fees, take revenue cuts, or display advertising. We may introduce optional paid services in future, such as licensed packs for agencies or payouts for contributors. If we do, we will announce it clearly and it will not change the terms of Content already uploaded under Section 1.

StockPhotosSA exists to celebrate and showcase the beauty, diversity, and cultural richness of South Africa through the lens of its photographers.

10. Intellectual Property

The StockPhotosSA name, logo, website design, and platform software are the intellectual property of StockPhotosSA and may not be reproduced, distributed, or used without prior written consent. User-uploaded Content is governed by the public licence set out in Section 1 above.

11. Limitation of Liability

StockPhotosSA is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, StockPhotosSA disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

StockPhotosSA shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of or in connection with the use of the platform, including but not limited to loss of data, loss of revenue, or loss of business opportunity, whether based on contract, tort, strict liability, or any other legal theory.

StockPhotosSA does not guarantee the accuracy of automated moderation, quality assessment, or content categorisation. Decisions made by artificial intelligence systems are subject to error and may be appealed by contacting support.

12. Account Termination

StockPhotosSA reserves the right to suspend or terminate any user account, at any time, with or without notice, for any reason, including but not limited to violation of these terms, fraudulent activity, or conduct that is harmful to the platform or its community.

Upon termination, your profile information will be removed. Content previously uploaded and made available under the public licence may remain accessible in accordance with the terms of that licence.

13. Modifications to Terms

StockPhotosSA reserves the right to modify, amend, or update these terms at any time. Users will be notified of material changes via the platform. Continued use of the platform after such modifications constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.

14. Governing Law

These terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Africa. Any disputes arising out of or in connection with these terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Republic of South Africa.

15. Privacy & Data Protection

StockPhotosSA collects and processes personal data in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) of South Africa. See our full Privacy Notice for what we collect, why, who we share it with, and how to exercise your rights.

16. Contact

For enquiries, appeals, copyright claims, or support, use our contact form, or email:

StockPhotosSA, managed by RunOS
Email: [email protected]