Traditional copyright law does not grant these freedoms, and unless noted otherwise, everything you find on the web (including book covers, screenshots, logos, promotional photos, and so on) is copyrighted and not permitted here. Please only upload files that are in the public domain (author died more than 70 years ago), or those which are explicitly covered by a license which grants the Four Freedoms. See the list of acceptable licenses.
The word license is frequently used when discussing images on Wikimedia projects. See Commons:FAQ/Licenses for more information about what licenses are and why we need them.
If the subject is a public figure, or the photo is taken at a public event, upload the photo. If not, the photo may be problematic. Use good judgment.
You have photographed a work of art:
The original artist still owns the copyright, and you can not upload it. Such photos will be deleted. You may only upload it if the artist has been dead for 70 years, or if your country has freedom of panorama.
The author has been dead for 70 years, and a reliable source can confirm it:
Upload the work and choose the option “author died 70 years ago - public domain.” If you are uploading a reproduction of a public domain painting, use the option “reproduction of a painting that is in the public domain because of its age.”
You do not know who the author is, but the photo is old:
You want to upload a work that you have been granted permission to use
Please note that permissions that are granted for Wikipedia only, or that do not explicitly mention commercial use and derivative works are not accepted.
You have received permission by e-mail for a free license:
Upload the work, and use exactly the same license as the permission states. Write that “the permission is forwarded to OTRS” at the description page, and forward the e-mail to permissions-commons@wikimedia.org. You can find email templates you can use when asking for permissions at Commons:Email templates.
The source says that the photo can be “freely used,” “used by media,” “reproduced if the source is cited” etc:
Do not upload the photo, as the license is not free. Such images will be deleted!