Photo-sharing service Flickr, has been bought by image-hosting firm SmugMug. In a blog post, SmugMug’s Andrew Tower said: “For 15 years, SmugMug has built products that reflect exactly what we believe: that photography is the global language of storytelling. Flickr is the other side of the same coin. Since 2004, they’ve established themselves as a home where photographers can go to inspire and be inspired, to share, learn, meet new friends, and share a piece of the soul that unites us all: storytelling.”

The post links to an FAQ document concerning the deal, in which SmugMug said that the opportunity to join together two communities and businesses that share the same values was one it couldn’t pass up, but that Flickr would continue to operate independently.

The other answers to the questions in the FAQ document suggest that it’s business as usual for both companies going forward, though all Flickr accounts will be moved to SmugMug’s Terms of service and Privacy Policy.

In an interview with USA Today, SmugMug CEO Don MacAskill said: “Flickr is an amazing community, full of some of the worlds most passionate photographers. It’s a fantastic product and a beloved brand, supplying tens of billions of photos to hundreds of millions of people around the world. Flickr has survived through thick-and-thin and is core to the entire fabric of the Internet.”

SmugMug was founded in 2002 and has never taken outside investment, earning revenues from tiered subscription layers. Flickr claims more than 100m unique users posting billions of photos.