Version 2026-11-08. Effective November 8, 2026.
Thanks for wanting to share your Harpers Ferry. These guidelines explain what I'm looking for, how I review what you send, and the permission you give me to publish it. They're written in plain English on purpose. When you tick "I agree to the contributor terms" on the contribute form, you're agreeing to this page.
"I", "we" and "Harpers Ferry Guide" mean the website harpersferryguide.com and its editor, Daniel Hemmerich. "You" means the person sending the contribution.
What I'm looking for
- First-hand experience. Things you saw, did, photographed or learned on a real visit.
- Specific, useful detail. Dates, times, distances, parking, what was open, what you'd tell a friend.
- Corrections with a source. If something on the site is out of date, a link to an official source (such as an NPS alert) helps me fix it quickly.
I don't publish advertising, paid or sponsored content, affiliate links, AI-generated text or images, or anything copied from another website, book or guide. If you own, work for or were paid by a business you mention, please say so in your submission.
Photo rules
- Only photos you took yourself, or photos you own all the rights to. Please don't send photos taken by friends or family unless they've agreed and you tell me their name for the credit.
- People: nobody should be the main subject of a photo without their permission, and please don't send photos of other people's children. Crowds in the background are fine.
- No drone photos from inside the national park. The National Park Service bans launching, landing and flying drones in park units, and most of Harpers Ferry, Maryland Heights and Loudoun Heights is park land.
- Keep it real. Normal edits are fine (cropping, exposure, color, straightening). No adding or removing things, no sky swaps, no AI-generated images.
- Size and format: JPEG, PNG, WebP or HEIC, up to 15 MB each, up to eight per submission. Larger is better: I'll resize them.
When your photos arrive, they're re-encoded, which removes location (GPS) and camera data. They're stored privately and only become public if I approve and publish them.
How I review submissions
- I read everything myself, usually within a week.
- I may edit text for length, clarity, accuracy and house style, and I may crop, resize or color-correct photos. I won't change the meaning of what you wrote or add things to your photos.
- I check facts against official sources before anything goes up, the same way I check the rest of the guide.
- I may decide not to publish a contribution, for any reason. Most of the time it's about fit or about being able to confirm photo rights, not quality.
- Published contributions are credited to the name you give me. Photos are credited "Photo: [your name]". Stories and trip reports appear in Community with your name as the author and me as the reviewer. If you give me a link, I may show it next to your name.
The license you give me
You keep your copyright. Sending something doesn't transfer ownership. You can keep using your photos and words anywhere else, including selling or licensing them to others.
By sending a contribution, you give Harpers Ferry Guide a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to:
- publish, display and store it on harpersferryguide.com, including on pages that carry advertising or affiliate links;
- edit, crop, resize and adapt it as described above, and make the copies needed to run the website (for example thumbnails, backups and the copies kept by search engines and content delivery networks);
- share it in the guide's own newsletter and social media posts that promote the website;
always with credit to the name you gave, where credit can reasonably be shown. I won't sell your contribution or license it to anyone else.
This license continues after publication, but you can ask me to take a contribution down at any time by emailing hello@harpersferryguide.com. I'll remove it from the website within 30 days, usually much sooner. Copies that have already been shared, cached or archived by others may not be recalled.
What you confirm when you send something
- You took the photos and wrote the words yourself, or you own all the rights needed to give this license.
- Your contribution doesn't copy anyone else's work, and publishing it won't break any law or anyone's rights (including privacy).
- Any identifiable person who is the main subject of a photo agreed to it being shared.
- You're 18 or older, or a parent or guardian has given you permission to send it.
No payment
Contributions aren't paid at the moment. Credit and, if you like, a link to your website or Instagram are how I say thank you.
Your information
I collect your name (for the credit), your email (only to contact you about your submission) and what you send. Your email is never published. See the privacy policy for how long submissions are kept and how to ask for them to be deleted.
Changes
If I change these terms, I'll post the new version here with a new date. Contributions are covered by the version that was in effect when you sent them.
Questions
Email hello@harpersferryguide.com.
