Frequently asked

Your receipt email is sent within seconds of checkout and includes a one-click download link. You can also re-download any time from your account page — downloads never expire. Each order also ships with a license certificate (PDF) documenting the tier you bought and the specific rights it grants.

Charlestock images are licensed at five tiers: Web (digital-only), Standard (digital + limited print), Extended (broader print and merchandise), Editorial + Commercial (advertising and paid placements), and Exclusive (any tier at 2× the price, with the image removed from the catalog so no one else can license it). Full plain-language summary on the License Agreement page; the certificate you receive with each order is the authoritative document for that specific purchase.

Yes — if you license the Editorial + Commercial tier or higher. Web, Standard, and Extended licenses cover most marketing needs but exclude paid placements like Meta Ads, Google Ads, billboards, or sponsored content. A handful of images are flagged Editorial only because they show recognizable people or private property without releases — those cannot be used for advertising at any tier and are clearly labeled at purchase.

Stock photo licenses are delivered immediately, so as a default all sales are final. We do refund (or re-deliver) in three cases: technical failure on our end, accidental purchase within seven days (case-by-case, before the image has been used), and any download issue at all — we'll either resolve it or refund. Full details on the Refund Policy page.

When an image is purchased exclusively, we immediately remove it from the catalog so no one else can license it — ever. You hold permanent rights at the tier you bought. The price is 2× the standard tier price (so an Exclusive Web is 2× Web, Exclusive Standard is 2× Standard, etc.). Useful when you need a Charleston image no competitor will ever be able to use.

Most are. We aim to capture Charleston without identifying individuals or private property unless we've cleared it — meaning the majority of our catalog is safe for commercial advertising. Images that show recognizable faces or private property without releases are flagged Editorial only in the catalog and on the certificate. Those images are still licensable for news, journalism, commentary, and education, just not for advertising or product endorsement.

Bundled licenses of all the amenity images we have for a specific Charleston-area community — pools, clubhouses, walking trails, marshes, gates — sold as a single ZIP at one price. Built for realtors marketing properties in those communities. Two tiers: Small (smaller amenity sets, $79) and Standard ($99). Browse the Communities page to see what's available.

Most of the time, yes. Custom commissions are how the catalog grows. Email library@charlestock.com with what you're looking for — subject, location, mood, deadline — and we'll respond with a quote. Custom shots are licensed to you under the same tier system as the catalog images.

Credit isn't required for licensed use, but it's always appreciated in editorial contexts. The credit line is “Photo: Charlestock” — or “Photo: [Photographer Name] / Charlestock” if you'd like to name the photographer. Photographer attribution metadata is preserved in the file itself.

We'd love to talk. Charlestock launched curator-led with a single photographer, but the architecture is built for multiple contributors and we're actively building out the onboarding workflow. If you shoot Charleston, the Lowcountry, or the South Carolina coast and want to talk about contributing, email library@charlestock.com with a portfolio link.