Picture this…
You have worked so hard to prepare for the upcoming show season. Your horse is listening to your aids like a rockstar, he/she is looking in top condition, and you are at your first schooling show of the season. You enter the ring, and things go so much better than you could have hoped for. You are feeling on top of the world. The day comes to an end, and you head home dreaming about your next ride together.
The next morning you wake up, and one of your barn friends follows a photographer that captured your moment of perfection and has tagged you in the photo.
You are pumped. You screenshot the photo and share it with your own social media accounts. Life is great until two months later, and you wake up to a message from the photographer explaining how copyright works and a hefty invoice for the photo.
How do you avoid a situation like this?
By understanding Copyright and how it affects you.
It is important to understand that Copyright belongs to the creator of the image. It does not matter if you are the subject. This is important. By taking an image, you are essentially stealing that photographer’s work.
How do you avoid a messy situation?
- The easiest way is to purchase a copy of any photos you see that you like enough to share with your social media. Most photographers have various levels of purchase options.
- Reach out to the photographer and see if they are willing to provide you with a web-sized copy. If they provide you with a watermarked image, Do Not Remove their watermark or intentionally crop it out.
- Share the photographer’s original post so that your viewers can visit the photographer’s social media accounts.
- Always give photo credit when it is due. I know for myself that if I post an image to social media, I expect it to be shared. Getting credit from clients is their way of publically telling their friends they are happy with my work. Chances are, the next time we work together, I will reward them with extra images in their gallery.
And Remember
- Purchasing an image from a photographer does not transfer Copyright to you. You can print it for your own personal use, give a copy of the print to your grandma to hang on her fridge and use it as your screensaver.
- If you intend to use the image for business purposes, make sure you have purchased the photo’s commercial usage in question.
- Purchasing a web-sized file will not allow you to print the image. The quality will be limited, making the image not suitable for print.
- No matter how you purchase or share an image, it does not give you the right to allow another business to use your copy. Always send them to the original photographer.
