Photo licensing
Every photo on albeross.com was taken by me, Alberto Maria Rossini. I publish my work as Albeross. If you found one of my photos here or in Google Images and you'd like to use it, this page tells you how. It's short, and it's in plain English.
The short version
All photos on this site are © Alberto Maria Rossini (Albeross). All rights reserved.
You can't use, copy or edit them without a written license from me.
Licensing is simple: tell me which photo and how you want to use it, and I'll send you a quote within two working days.
Write to hello@albeross.com or use the contact form.
Who licenses my photos
Tourism boards, tour operators, DMCs, hotels and ryokans, travel magazines and NGOs. Most of my archive comes from Japan, where I live, and from years of living and traveling across Southeast Asia, India and Latin America.
Editorial or commercial?
Every license starts with one question: will the photo tell a story, or will it sell something?
Editorial means the photo illustrates a story: a magazine feature, a news article, a book, a documentary, a blog post, educational material.
Commercial means the photo helps sell something: an ad, a brochure, a hotel or tour website, a social media campaign, a sales deck. A simple test: if the page or post exists to sell a trip, a room or a product, the use is commercial.
People, temples and private places
People. Most of my street and travel work shows real people going about their day. In Japan, portrait rights (肖像権, shōzōken) protect people from having their likeness published or used commercially without their consent, and many other countries have similar rules. So a photo with a recognizable person is licensed for editorial use only, unless I hold a signed model release. I'll tell you which is which before you pay.
Places. Some temples, shrines and private streets in Japan restrict commercial photography, and some Kyoto neighbourhoods restrict photography altogether. If a photo was taken somewhere with rules like these, I'll say so in the quote, so your legal team isn't surprised later.
What sets the price
I quote every license individually. The price depends on:
Type of use: editorial or commercial
Where it appears: print, website, social media, advertising, or a mix
Reach: print run, ad spend, number of markets
Duration: one campaign, one year, or longer
Territory: one country, a region, or worldwide
Exclusivity: by default I can license the same photo to others. If you need it to be yours alone in your market, that's possible, and priced accordingly
Need a whole series, or photos for a full season of campaigns? Ask about a package rate.
What you get
The full resolution file, edited and ready to use, in the format you need
A written license that spells out what you can do with the photo, where, and for how long
An invoice for your accounts
I keep the copyright. A license gives you the right to use the photo, not to own it. If your plans change, extending a license is easy: just ask.
Credit
For editorial use, please credit the photo as Photo: Albeross. For commercial use, credit is welcome but not required.
What a license never includes
Reselling, sublicensing or giving the photo to anyone else
Using it in a logo or trademark
Using it to train or fine tune AI models, or as an input or reference for AI generated images
Editing it in a way that changes what really happened in the frame
Showing the people in it in a false or embarrassing light
Removing the copyright information embedded in the file
Free use with credit?
Credit is not payment, so the answer is usually no. That said, I've worked with grassroots organizations and I care about the stories they tell. If you're an NGO, a non profit or a student, write to me anyway and tell me about your project.
Sharing on social media
You're welcome to share my photos on your personal Instagram, as long as you tag @albeross and don't crop, filter or edit them. A repost on a business account (a hotel, a tour operator, a brand) is commercial use, so ask me first.
Already using one of my photos?
It happens. A photo travels further than its license, or someone grabs it from Google without checking. Write to me and we'll sort out a license after the fact. I'd much rather send you a license than a lawyer's letter.
Need photos that don't exist yet?
I shoot assignments across Japan and beyond for travel, hospitality and F&B brands. Have a look at my photo services.
How to ask for a license
Email hello@albeross.com or use the contact form, and include:
The photo: a link to the page or the filename
Your name and company
How and where you'll use it
For how long, and in which countries
When you need it
I reply within two working days, Japan time.
This page is a plain language summary of how I license my work. The written license you receive is the document that applies. Last updated October 2026.