If you’ve seen the photos I post on Instagram and Facebook, you know that I heavily watermark my photos. The watermark designates who the creator of the image is. 

Most people aren’t familiar with copyright laws. I’m no expert either but did you know that if you repost a photo that you didn’t take or didn’t purchase, you are probably in violation of copyright infringement.  

All of my photos are stamped with my BARKography watermark and a lot of times with the phrase: “repost with credit” or “Do not copy or print. Contact for usage.”  

Photos can easily be stolen especially on social media. Right click and save or screenshooting is so easy. Any photo that is ever reposted without the photographer’s permission, technically the photo has been stolen. Screenshooting a photo that hasn’t been purchased is technically stealing. 

Most people have no idea that’s what they’re doing. Most people don’t mean any harm…. they just want to repost a photo they like. But for a photographer who earns a living from his/her photos, reposting them when they’re not supposed to be is a problem. 

That’s why I watermark mine so heavily. 

The photos are mine. I own them. I own the copyright. I want to discourage people from reposting them and using them without my permission.

A copyright is actually a group of rights: the right to display an image or photo, the right to make, sell or distribute copies of it and the right to create adaptations or derivative works based upon the image or photo. Really simplified, it’s the right to copy. 

Even when I provide digital files to my clients, I still own the copyright to those photos. I give my clients permission to repost the photos. I ask my clients to always tag me on the posts or mention me as the photographer. 

Here’s the other thing about copyrighted photos. They aren’t supposed to be altered in any way. Filters aren’t supposed to be added to the photos. The watermark shouldn’t be cropped out of the photo. These things happen all the time though and again, most people have no idea.  

I have all of my clients sign an agreement that states how they can and can’t use any digitals I provide to them. I’m sure most people don’t read the agreement but I have the documentation for this purpose. 

I recently learned that one of my commercial clients was allowing a client of theirs to repost my photos. I had to explain to my client that the digital photos I provide to them are only for their use, not for other companies. That other company should contact me and purchase any photos from me that they want to use.  

As a photographer, do you know what really drives me crazy? Instagram accounts that repost photos and comment: DM or contact us if this is your photo. WTF? If they’ve taken the time to screenshoot the photo, they can take the time to make a note of what page they’re taking the photo from and give them credit. It’s stealing otherwise. It drives me insane.

Many photographers don’t post a lot of their photos on social media and certainly not their best photos for this reason. What do you think?

One more thing with Instagram that drives me nuts: Photos that get reposted multiple times and the original post isn’t tagged. Many times one of the accounts that has reposted the photo is the one that’s tagged. GIVE THE ORIGINAL POST the credit!

Any photo, even the ones you take are copyrighted. Photos are protected by copyright from the moment of creation.

#copyright #copyrightinfrigement #rant #soapbox