Image rights

Your image belongs to you. The photo belongs to us.

Last updated: 17 June 2026

This English version is provided for convenience. In case of any difference, the French version prevails.

This page explains, simply and clearly, what happens to your image and to our photographs after an L21STUDIOS service. It is a contractual commitment and supplements our general terms and conditions of sale.

1. A fundamental distinction

In Cameroon, as elsewhere, two rights coexist in the same photograph:

  • The right to one's image belongs to the person photographed. It is an attribute of your private life, protected by Cameroonian case law and by Article 9 of the Civil Code of French tradition applied in Cameroon.
  • Copyright (droit d'auteur) belongs to the photographer who took the picture. It is protected by Law No. 2000/011 of 19 December 2000 relating to copyright and neighbouring rights in Cameroon.

In practice: you are in the photo, but L21STUDIOS is its author. Neither right can be exercised without taking the other into account.

2. What L21STUDIOS grants you

Upon full payment for the service, we grant you a private, free and perpetual licence of use for all the edited photos and videos delivered to you. This licence allows you to:

  • Keep the digital files for an unlimited period and on as many devices and media as you wish.
  • Print the photos in as many copies as you wish, with us or elsewhere.
  • Share the photos and videos with your family, loved ones and guests, by any means (USB stick, Drive link, private gallery).
  • Post them on your personal social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp Status, etc.), ideally crediting @l21studios.

What the licence does not cover: resale, transfer to a commercial third party, advertising use by a brand, substantial modification (third-party filters, aggressive cropping, graphic additions) without our consent, or removal of the signature or watermark where there is one.

3. What L21STUDIOS reserves

As the author of the photographs, L21STUDIOS retains the following rights:

  • Moral right: our name must remain associated with the works (credit “Photo L21STUDIOS”) whenever this is technically possible.
  • Right to use the photos for portfolio and marketing purposes: we reserve the option to publish a selection of the photos on our website, our Instagram, in our press materials, on our business cards and in our marketing materials.
  • Right to enter them in competitions and specialist photography publications.
  • Right to submit the photos to editorial image libraries specialising in Central Africa, excluding direct commercial use by a third-party brand.

4. How to object to publication by L21

Your privacy comes before our portfolio. If you want your photos never to be published by L21STUDIOS in its materials, you can exercise your right to object:

  • Before the event: say so in your booking form or tick the dedicated box in your quote. A full confidentiality clause will be included in the contract. No photo will be published by L21, whether in the portfolio, on social media, in competitions or in image libraries.
  • After the event: write to us at contact@l21studios.com or via WhatsApp. Any photo already published by L21 will be removed within 7 working days.

This right to object is free of charge and you do not need to give any reason.

5. The special case of minors

When we cover events involving minors (weddings, christenings, school celebrations), we always ask for the written authorisation of the parents or guardians before any publication. Without explicit authorisation, the faces of minors are not published in our materials.

6. Photos of people who are not clients

At an event (wedding, conference, concert), we also photograph guests and participants who are not direct clients. In accordance with Cameroonian case law:

  • Photos taken at public events or events of general interest may be published in a journalistic or portfolio context, provided they do not undermine the dignity of the person.
  • Individual close-up portraits require consent (verbal or written, depending on the context).
  • Anyone photographed may ask for a photo of them to be removed by contacting L21STUDIOS. It will be removed within 7 working days, with no questions asked.

7. Keeping originals and duplicates

L21STUDIOS keeps a copy of the delivered photos (edited JPEG files) for 3 months after delivery. After that, they may be permanently deleted.

Raw files (RAW) are not kept long term: we may delete them at any time after delivery, depending on the storage space available. If you would like a new edit or another size, ask for it as soon as you receive your photos.

Unpaid balance: if the rest of the payment is not made after the service, we keep its files for 6 months after the date of the service. After that, L21STUDIOS is no longer responsible for keeping them.

We strongly encourage you to keep your own backups following the 3-2-1 rule: at least 3 copies, on 2 different media (an external hard drive and Google Drive, for example), including 1 offline.

8. In the event of a dispute

We always prefer to talk things through. For any question about the rights to your photos, contact Leinad personally:

Failing an amicable agreement, the competent courts of Yaoundé shall have sole jurisdiction, in accordance with Cameroonian law.

9. A mutual commitment

By booking with L21STUDIOS, you accept these terms. By respecting them together, you protect your privacy and our craft. It is a balanced agreement between your right to your image and our copyright, and it is what makes the quality photography you are looking for possible.