How To Credit A Photo Correctly: The Significance Of Photo Credit (2024)

When it comes to using photos in your blogs or social media posts, learning how to credit is key. Imagine how you’d feel if someone else got credit for your creative work! Just as you value your own recognition, it’s important to acknowledge the photographers behind the images you use. However, there’s a specific way to credit the people who own the rights to the picture.

In this blog, we’ve covered all the basics of photo credits and how you can easily credit photographers when using their photos for your branding process.

Image Credits 101.

What is Photo Credit?

Photo credit is when the image user gives attribution to the owner of the image. Using someone else’s images without giving them credit is illegal, even if the photos or images have been altered or edited by you. In other words, if you need to utilize an image that you didn’t capture yourself and belongs to a third person, it’s your need to credit and recognize that you have used their photo. Also, make sure to identify the source from where you obtained the photo.

What Photos Can You Use?

You can find and use countless photos available on the internet that come with attached licenses specifying the correct way to give photo credit. Different licenses accompany these images, dictating how they can be used for your business purposes.

If the specific image has a Creative Commons license, It’s free to use.

However, It is important to know that the Creative Commons license doesn’t cover all images, photos, or videos. To copy an image from a website, you must obtain the photographer’s permission.

You can easily download a specific image for free from third-party websites like Flickr that showcase images and grant you access, but it’s crucial to ensure you give proper credit to the photographer.

Photo credits are an essential gesture to appreciate the photographer’s work.

It’s important to give Photo Credits.

Providing credit is our genuine way of showing appreciation for the work they’ve made convenient for us. The benefits of crediting encompass both legal and human aspects.

From a legal perspective, using a photo without permission from the owner can lead to copyright issues. Image owners have the legal right to be attributed or file cases against your business. It’s crucial to avoid such cases by seeking permission before using others’ work. Businesses and individuals aim to steer clear of copyright disputes, especially when the chances of winning are slim. If customers discover such copyright disputes, it can damage their trust in your business brand, affecting its overall image. You must give photo credit to the image owner or the photographer to prevent getting entangled in copyright disputes.

From a human perspective, giving a photographer credit reflects your appreciation for the efforts and dedication of others, specifically the creator. If the creator gives permission to use the image, It makes the creator or photographer feel valued for their work, potentially motivating them to upload more images and continue their creative endeavors. Additionally, it serves as a form of advertisem*nt for their business.

Giving Proper CreditTo Photographer.

Utilizing an image taken by someone else and not giving any credit is unacceptable under any circ*mstances. That’s unequivocally plagiarism, even if you’ve made alterations to the original photo. In such cases, the photos they take still do not belong to you.

If you’re a photographer, you own all the images captured outside of your work hours, provided they were taken using personal equipment and not company resources.

One common mistake is merely tagging a person by including their name in the photo caption without any additional information.

For instance, writing, “Photo Courtesy of Larry The Photographer.”

Photo Credit Line

The sentence giving credit to the photographer is called the “Image or Photo Credit Line”

A photographer citation appears under pictures in publications or on websites, providing essential details about the photographer, illustrator, or right holder. A proper photo credit can be found in the caption or another part of the page, but it’s often near the picture, either underneath or along one of its borders. If multiple images by the same photographer are used, one credit is enough.

Photo credits usually follow a specific order according to the publication’s style guide. If there isn’t a particular style to be followed, you can use a small sans-serif font along the left or right side of the image.

Photographers and rights holders may ask for appropriate credit when you use their images. They might also suggest linking to their website or another source when the images are used for online publications.

How To Give Photo Credits

1. Check Image Permissions First: Sometimes, the author doesn’t permit the use of their work on any platform. In other instances, you might need clarification about image credits or ownership.
2. Know Usage Rules: Understand where and how you can actually use the image. Some photographers or image owners allow online use of the photos but not in print. Be clear about the guidelines they have set.
3. Place Photo Credit Near the Photo: The Photo Credit should be close to the image, either below it or along one edge.
4. Ensure the Photo Credit is Noticeable: Use a readable font style and size to ensure the image credit is clear and legible.
5. Use a Credit Line Template:There’s usually a specific way in which the credit line should be added, but the following template can be used and modified according to the copyright holders.

[The photo owner’s name] [Title of work] [Year/Date of taking the photo] [Link to the source]

Example: Mr. Samuel Lei, “New Year’s Day,” 2023, via www.samuelleiphotos.com

Photo Credit Rules on Popular Sites

By now, you likely understand the importance of giving credit where credit is due. A recent court ruling holds websites accountable for Copyright Infringement if they use content without the author’s permission. Credit is important for each platform, whether social media or a website and each has its own way of crediting other people’s content.

Let’s explore how to credit a photo on social media sites and other platforms.

1. Facebook and Instagram

Facebook and Instagram share identical copyright policies, as they are both owned by Facebook. The fundamental rules on these social media sites to prevent copyright infringement involve posting or sharing content that doesn’t violate anyone’s intellectual property rights. It is advisable to share only original works or images on social media to avoid potential copyright issues that can arise with other types of images or videos.

Even though both social media giants involve sharing media, they aren’t like stock image websites, where collections of images are specifically meant for sale. Because of this, it’s a good practice on social media to give credit to the person, just like anywhere else.

On Facebook, giving credit to the photographer is simple – just use the “@” symbol. After adding their name following the @ symbol, they will be tagged in your photo. When you select the tag, it directly leads to the artist’s Facebook. If you’re sharing an Instagram post, you can make sure to include a link from where you got the picture and paste it into your Facebook post.

It works similarly for photos on Instagram accounts, where you can mention or tag the picture owner. You can attribute the rights holder in the caption or description. When posting a photo, just use the @ symbol and write the account name you want to tag after it.

For instance, you can give credit in your caption like this: “Photo credit: @[Instagram ID].“

There’s also an option to tag people in the photo. You can click on “tag people,” search for the photo owner’s Instagram ID, and select it before posting.

2. WordPress

WordPress is a popular blogging platform that allows users to publish their own text and provides quick access to photos for social media posts. While WordPress does not require permission from the copyright holders to use their content or images, they recommend obtaining it.

It’s also suggested to include the photographer’s name and a link to their website or other online portfolios if available. The picture credit should be placed directly under the image. However, be sure to comply with the original image source’s license requirements when adding the attribution.

Now, the WordPress editor explicitly prompts blog writers to include picture attribution. The ideal spot for image credits within is the “write a photo caption” label beneath a picture.

3. Google Or Pinterest Images

When using an image from Google or Pinterest, it’s important to understand that you can’t simply refer to them as the source. Google is a search engine, and Pinterest is a social media site, but they share similar functions. Not all photos from these sites have licensed Creative Commons images.

It’s important to know neither of these platforms can be considered the original source of an image. You have to track down the actual creator and ask for their permission or follow their source’s license requirements when adding attributions.

• Image from News Agency: When using an image from a News Agency like AFP, you can credit them as follows:

Photo: AFP – [The link where the image appeared]

• Images from Government Institutions: For images from Government institutions, simply mention the government or department you took the picture from.

For example, Photo: US Health Department

• Images from Commercial Companies: When using photos from commercial companies such as ABC, CNN, or Fox News, credit the picture like the example below:

Photo: CNN Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

Conclusion

Using a picture without permission and neglecting to credit the creator, business, blog, or website is akin to stealing the image. Without credit, it’s illegal and can lead to serious copyright issues. Each image has a place and purpose on a website. Before reposting without giving credit, consider your fellow creatives. Be considerate, share with permission, and provide acknowledgment – that’s the ethical way to do it.

Appreciating others’ work encourages them to create more. The most respectful thing you can do is give credit to the author. Now that you know how to credit a photo properly, go that extra mile to ask for permission and be kind to artists on all platforms.

Appropriate acknowledgment isn’t just the right thing to do; it benefits everyone. It helps you avoid copyright problems, and these credits assist future generations in recognizing the image’s source. Think of it as evidence of the artwork; lacking such attribution can cause confusion about the image’s origin. To put it simply, respecting others’ work also shows respect for your own business. Always remember to credit a photo when using it.

FAQ

1. How do you write a brief photo credit?

Picture credit can be given briefly by simply mentioning “P.C.,” which stands for picture courtesy. This abbreviation is commonly used on social media and blogging platforms to credit the photographer who owns the image rights. You can include the photographer’s name along with the source link for proper acknowledgment.

2. Who gets Photo Credit?

Photo Credit means tagging people who were involved in the creative process of taking a picture. The simple rule is to properly credit the right owners and mention the source from where you found the photo. This is a way of respecting their work and avoiding legal issues.

3. What is a Photo Credit on Instagram?

Photo credit would simply mean acknowledging the person behind the camera who took the photos. On Facebook or Instagram, you can easily tag the photographer by adding their account to the description of the post, allowing viewers to visit their profile directly.