I’ve been a professional photographer for a few years now. Since leaving university and freelancing, I’ve noticed that photographers aren’t always credited for their work. I work with pet friendly businesses, creating blogposts, videos and photographs for their websites and social media. I love working with businesses across the UK and am grateful for their understanding when it comes to credit. It can be confusing at first, so I wanted to create this post to outline the ways to properly credit your photographer online.
Check You Have Permission
It’s important to check you have permission to use a photograph before you publish it online. By default, photographers retain the copyright for any work they create. They can then give permission for their images to be used elsewhere. This is usually agreed through image licensing, which can be a free or paid service, depending on the photographer.
I recently found a small business using one of my images without my permission. It was being used to promote a local workshop that had no connection with us. I was upset that my image was being used to promote a paid event without my permission or credit. The image had been passed on by a mutual contact and the issue was soon resolved. However it is important to double check with your photographer that it is okay to pass on their images to others first.
Hyperlink to Your Photographer’s Website
If you’re using a photographer’s work on your website or blog, be sure to hyperlink back to their website. You can either hyperlink the image itself, or use captions (like the ones I have included in this post) to credit your photographer.
Hyperlinking to a website helps improve SEO for both you and your photographer. It also helps your readers discover a photographer who’s work they’re bound to like. Photographers often hyperlink to their clients’ websites too, helping your business reach a larger audience in return.
Tag Your Photographer in the Social Media Post
Tagging images online is a great way to credit your photographer. When uploading photos onto social media, there is often an option to tag in other accounts. On Instagram this is just below the ‘Location’ geotag setting. Twitter asks ‘Who’s in this photo?’ once it has been uploaded and on Facebook you can tag in accounts after the image has been published.
Tagging your photographer in the photo is different to mentioning them in the caption (something I’ll come back to later.) When your photographer is tagged in a photo, they receive a notification. It also opens up more opportunities for your photographer to share your content on their feed. On Instagram profiles, there’s a ‘Tagged’ section. This works just like a live portfolio, displaying your photographs that have been uploaded by other accounts. Facebook pages are more likely to share your posts if they’re tagged in the photos and Twitter will send notifications about any interactions on the post.
Mention Them in the Caption
As I touched upon earlier, tagging your photographer in an image and mentioning them in the caption are two different things. To credit your photographer online in a caption, simply type in their username after an ‘@’ symbol.
Accounts are notified when they’re mentioned in a caption or comment. Whenever I’m mentioned, I try my best to reply. This is a great way to build engagement with your posts and build your professional network over time.
Use Business Accounts, Not Personal Accounts
One final thing to remember, be sure to use your photographer’s business account when crediting them. Business accounts tend to be more public than personal accounts on social media. It’s where photographers display their portfolios, provide contact details and interact with their audience regularly.
Are you looking for a photographer to create content for your business? I work with dog business across the country and would love to hear about your projects! You can email me at info@pawsandtors.com or fill out this contact form.
There we have it, my tips for crediting your photographer. If you have any questions about this post, please do get in touch. I know it can be tricky to get your head round it at first!
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