For painters & artists

Create from the wild. Fairly.

You’re welcome to use my wildlife photography as artistic reference. The arrangement depends on whether your finished work is personal or may be sold.

Painterly interpretation of a female black-necked stork with wings raised
From field photograph to an artist’s interpretation
Female black-necked stork dancing in shallow wetland water, photographed by Paul Thomsen

The starting point

A photograph is part subject, part fieldcraft.

Each WILDFOTO image comes from time in the field: finding the place, understanding the wildlife, waiting for the light and being ready for a moment that may last only seconds.

I love seeing artists take that starting point somewhere new. This policy keeps that exchange straightforward and makes sure both creative practices are respected.

Which applies to you?

If there is any chance the finished work will be offered for sale, enter a prize, be reproduced commercially or otherwise earn income, please use the commercial arrangement.

Personal & non-profit

No licence fee

You may use an image found on my website or social media as reference for a personal artwork that will not be sold or used commercially.

Please credit the photograph “Reference photograph © Paul Thomsen / WILDFOTO”

For sale — or may be sold

$150 once + 10% per sale

The $150 reference licence is paid once for each photograph you use. If you create from that same photograph again, there is no second $150 fee.

A 10% royalty applies to the final sale price of every artwork sold. The prices and royalties described here include GST.

Credit is still required “Reference photograph © Paul Thomsen / WILDFOTO”

For every use: please include the photographer credit whenever the artwork is displayed, published, promoted or offered for sale, online or in person.

A quick example

One photograph. More than one painting.

$150paid once for the source photograph
10%of each finished piece’s sale price

Paint it once or return to the same reference many times: the initial fee stays a one-off. The royalty is only calculated when each finished work sells.

Why I believe this is fair

Photography is both my craft and how I make my living. When one of my photographs helps another artist create work that earns income, this arrangement lets us share in that value while keeping the upfront cost modest.

Your interpretation, skill and finished artwork are your own. The licence simply recognises the photograph and the fieldwork behind it as part of the creative foundation.

“A simple agreement that respects the work on both sides of the canvas.”

Ready to use an image?

Send me the image you’re interested in and tell me a little about what you plan to create.

  1. 1
    Choose the photograph

    Send a link, screenshot or image name so I can identify the exact reference.

  2. 2
    I’ll send a proper invoice

    For commercial use, I’ll confirm the arrangement and issue a tax invoice for the $150 licence.

  3. 3
    Receive the high-resolution file

    Once arranged, I can send the original high-resolution photograph so you have the detail you need to work from.

  4. 4
    Keep me posted on sales

    If a finished piece sells, let me know the final sale price and I’ll invoice the 10% royalty.

Found your reference?

Get in touch and we’ll make the paperwork easy, so you can get back to creating.

Email Paul about an image