Content Standards

Unpinched is a curated, edition-based home for photography. These standards describe what we publish, what we don't, and what we expect from every photographer who submits work. They are written in plain English. They are not a legal contract — our Terms do that work — but breaking them has real consequences, which we set out at the end.

At a glance

Unpinched is curated and user-moderated. We publish photographs made with a camera by a real person — no AI-generated imagery, no nudity, no violence. We expect photographers to own the copyright in everything they submit and to have the basis to publish identifiable people, minors, and sensitive locations. False declarations result in image removal, account deletion, and notification to the relevant authorities.

What we publish

We publish photographs made by people, for people. Every accepted image becomes a limited edition of one hundred individually-numbered licences, registered on a public licence registry. Our editorial taste is curated; our standards are also enforced by the wider Unpinched community. We are not a stock library, and we are not a feed. If your image is not right for us, we will not accept it — and a decline is not a judgement on the work, only on the fit.

Photographs, not AI

Everything we publish must be a photograph that you took with a camera. We do not accept diffusion-model output, text-to-image renders, or composite works whose underlying imagery was generated by AI. Routine editing — exposure, colour, dust spotting, cropping, sensible retouching — is part of photography and is fine. Replacing a sky with a generated sky, or letting a model invent a face or a scene, is not. If you are unsure where your edit sits, ask us before you submit.

No nudity, no violence

We do not publish nudity and we do not publish violent imagery. This is a deliberately simple line, and it is the same baseline used by Unsplash. It is not a verdict on whether such work is art — much of it is — only that this platform is not the right venue for it.

People in your photographs

If a person is identifiable in your photograph, you are responsible for the basis on which you photographed them. For ordinary public-place photography we do not require a paper release for every frame, but the subject must not be shown in a way that is degrading, defamatory, or that could reasonably be expected to cause them harm. For images that depend on the subject — portraits, environmental portraits, anything posed — we expect a clear model release, or a clear photographer-subject relationship that stands in for one. Private settings require explicit permission. If you would not be comfortable showing the image to the person in it, do not submit it.

Minors

Photographs of children are held to a stricter standard than photographs of adults. Identifiable minors require the written consent of a parent or guardian, and we will ask for it. We will decline any image of a minor that is in any way sexualised, that places the child in distress, or that we judge unsafe to publish — and we will report material that crosses into illegality to the relevant authorities.

Sensitive locations

Some places carry obligations beyond ordinary photography. Private property, restricted sites, places of worship, sites of cultural or indigenous significance, hospitals, schools, courts, and military installations all need either permission or a clear lawful basis to photograph and publish. If your image was made somewhere that asks visitors not to photograph, or where photography is allowed but publishing for licence is not, it is not for Unpinched.

Copyright and authorship

You took it, you own it. To submit work to Unpinched you must be the photographer, and the copyright must be yours and yours alone. We do not accept scraped imagery, re-licensed third-party work, archival material you do not own, or photographs of other photographers' photographs. Trademarks, recognisable brand assets, and copyrighted artworks inside the frame are your responsibility to clear where the use requires it.

What we'll do if standards are breached

If an image fails our standards after acceptance, we will remove it. Depending on the breach we may also pause or close the account, refund or revoke outstanding licences, and notify the public registry. For any false declaration — most seriously, fraudulently claiming copyright in work that is not yours — we will remove the images, delete the account, and notify the relevant authorities. Buyers are not at fault for a fraudulent submission, and we will make them whole.

Standards can change

Unpinched is a young platform and our standards will evolve. If we raise or change them, accepted images that no longer meet the new bar may be removed. We will not do this lightly, and we will tell affected photographers directly when it happens. By submitting work you accept that the standards in force at the time of review may not be the standards in force forever.

For any material change to these standards — anything that alters what we publish or that could affect already-accepted images — we will notify registered users at least 14 days before the change takes effect. Minor or clarifying edits may be made without prior notice. The version of these standards in force at the time you accepted them is recorded against your account.

If anything on this page is unclear, write to us before you submit. We would rather have the conversation than decline the work.