The Modern Rules of How To Credit Photos

Image copyright is one of the most commonly misunderstood legal areas in digital agency work. Agencies routinely publish blog posts, social media content, and website copy containing images that were improperly licensed or incorrectly credited — creating liability for both the agency and the client.

The consequences range from takedown notices and client embarrassment to five-figure legal settlements for commercial image use without proper licensing. Understanding how to credit photos correctly is a basic professional competency for any agency producing content.

Why image credits matter for agencies

When your agency produces content for a client, that content is published under the client's name. If the images used are improperly licensed or attributed, the legal exposure falls on the client — not just on your agency. This is a client relationship problem as much as a legal one.

The good news: proper image crediting and licensing is straightforward once you understand the three licence categories your team will encounter most often.

The three image licence types agencies work with

1. Royalty-free commercial licences

Tools like Shutterstock, Getty Images, and Adobe Stock offer royalty-free licences — a one-time or subscription fee that covers unlimited commercial use across client projects. These images don't require attribution, but they do require an active licence. If a client's subscription lapses after content is published, the images become unlicensed retroactively.

• Best practice: Keep a record of image licence purchase dates and the specific content each image was used in. This protects you if a licence dispute arises later.

2. Creative Commons licences

Creative Commons (CC) covers free images from platforms like Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay, as well as some Wikipedia media. The licence type determines what attribution is required:

• CC0 (No rights reserved): No attribution required. Free for any commercial use.
• CC BY (Attribution required): Must credit the creator. Format: Photo by [Name] via [Platform].
• CC BY-SA / CC BY-NC: Attribution required plus additional restrictions. Check before using commercially.

Note: Unsplash and Pexels both offer CC0-equivalent licences for most content — attribution is not legally required but is considered good practice and builds goodwill with photographers.

3. Fair use (rarely applicable for agencies)

Fair use allows limited use of copyrighted images for commentary, criticism, or education. This almost never applies to agency work producing commercial content for clients. If your team is tempted to use a copyrighted image under a 'fair use' justification, the correct answer is to licence a proper alternative instead.

The correct attribution format

When attribution is required, the standard format is:

Attribution format:  Photo by [Creator Name] on [Platform] / Licensed under [Licence type]

For example: Photo by Jonas Jacobsson on Unsplash. For Getty or Shutterstock images with a commercial licence, no public attribution is needed — the licence covers usage.

Building an image sourcing policy for your agency

Standardising image sourcing across your team protects clients and prevents ad hoc decisions that create liability. A simple agency image policy covers:

• Approved image sources (e.g., Shutterstock subscription for commercial work, Unsplash for editorial)
• Prohibited sources (Google Images search results, Pinterest, random web searches)
• Documentation requirements (save licence confirmations, record image-to-content mapping)
• Attribution standards (when required, standard format to use)
• Review process (who checks image compliance before content goes live?)

ClientVenue keeps all client deliverables — including image assets and licences — in one organised portal: File sharing, approvals, and project tracking in one white-labeled platform. Try free — no credit card required.

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Do You Also Need to Credit Photos Properly on Instagram?

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When you find yourself at the center of a copyright infringement, it can be a difficult situation. If this is not handled correctly, it may result in serious legal consequences. The first question I am frequently asked is how I ensure that I give credit for my photos on Instagram and how I avoid getting into trouble with the original photographer of a photo. It doesn't have to feel like a struggle. From start to finish, there are simple steps you can take if you follow these guidelines.

You must keep the watermark intact and visible. Include text beneath the watermark that explains how they obtained permission or if they took the photo themselves (e.g., "photo credit: me."). Credit the original photographer in the caption or at the end of a written post, as desired. These are just some general guidelines for properly attributing your Instagram photos.

Many people will steal your images without giving you credit; not only online, but also offline, especially if they are valuable. When I have time, the first thing I do is go through my Instagram account and search 'not authorised', which shows every single person who has used my photos without permission. This means that even if someone appears to be giving credit, it may not be true.

The most important thing to remember is how much your hard-earned money can really affect people when you use their image without permission, as well as how much it hurts the person who took the original picture.

Taking pictures, editing them in Picsart or Lightroom, putting together YouTube videos, and even writing blog posts is a lot of work. It takes time for someone to consider all of these factors before posting something online, so please keep in mind how frequently this occurs: if you're using an image taken from somewhere else, give them credit by crediting the creator on social media."

What exactly is proper credit?
These three things are a good way to think about credits. The photographer should be given the most credit. This includes any photographers who were involved in photographing the event, as well as any styling, props, and so on. If applicable, the venue name follows. For example, if you shot at my house, I'd probably get credit next to the hashtag #myhouse. Then come the names of anyone else who helped make the event look good.

The most important thing is how you want your credit to read and how it will affect how people perceive your work, so make sure this reflects what you want in a caption or tagline!

Credit: Photography by Jenn
Jenn's House, Jen, the Bride, and Jessica provided the styling and props.
Tonya did the makeup. Merissa did the hair. Jenny Yang is the wedding planner/coordinator. Joe, the florist (Weddings in Bloom). Erica of The Green Fork Catering Company designed the cake.

Make sure to credit people in the way they want their name to appear, not how you want it to appear. Don't, for example, list someone as "Photographer: Jenn" if that person is a friend who just happened to shoot some photos for the day and doesn't believe he or she requires his or her own title! This may be different if the photographer is a professional.

How to present your A Credits?
I recommend developing your own "crediting style" that corresponds to your brand and having fun with it. When each of your posts follows the same format, your followers will become accustomed to and appreciate the information being shared and ultimately you will get more followers on Instagram.
Name of the photographer, Smith, Paul
Photographer John Smith provided the image for Jane Doe Photography.
Remember that you want people who read these credits in future articles (to learn more about how a photograph was taken) or for editorial features to be able to learn how this person took their outstanding photograph. If I can't identify the original source, I'll say something like "Image from Google Images." Photographed by Paul Smith."

Benefits of Crediting
Photographers' names are spread throughout the world through crediting. Before sharing our photos on Instagram, Facebook, and other social media platforms, we should all be aware of the many advantages of crediting. The most significant advantage of tagging as many people as possible is networking. Crediting is extremely important in networking. You tag them, they tag you, your followers see them, their followers see you, and so on.

Another advantage of crediting is how much more successful we can be at our craft by getting our work in front of as many people as possible. When someone sees a photo they like in someone's feed and knows how to credit the photographer, they are more likely to visit that person's profile and see what else that person does.

The final advantage of crediting is that it allows us to assist others who are just starting out in photography by making those connections for them with all of our followers. It's always a good feeling when someone shares your work because they're enthusiastic about it and want to spread the love.
It is stealing if you do not give credit.

Have you ever seen someone on Instagram post a photo of one of my posts from Something Turquoise with no attribution (or even mentioning our brand)?
This happens far too frequently, particularly with the "regram" and "repost" features. Instagram users believe that using those apps allows them to take images from other profiles and share them as their own without giving the creator any credit, but these images exist somewhere.

All of these photos were taken for a reason, usually to be shared (hence the reason for this blog post)! So, before you post, think about your fellow creatives.
If the content is yours or someone has given you permission to share it, please be courteous and credit the creator with a mention (even if just tagging them in the comments). Images are not available for free! They were created by real people who have real lives and would love to be included in your post.
It's stealing if you don't have permission! And stealing from someone else without giving them credit for what they've created means you're destroying their livelihood and potential income sources.

What exactly is copyright infringement?
It is theft! It is still considered theft if you do not own the rights to an image and do not credit the person or brand who created it. Worse, if your intention is to make money off of someone else's hard work (for example, by selling the image on Etsy or incorporating it into a book cover or calendar app), you're definitely stealing.

What is the distinction between infringement of intellectual property and plagiarism?
Plagiarism can be intentional (i.e., copying someone else's words), but many times people are unaware that they are violating copyrights. It can be difficult to tell what is and isn't plagiarism when you ignore attributions or don't know where the images came from.
Copyright infringement, on the other hand, always involves theft - the intentional appropriation of another person's work without permission or attribution.

What causes this to happen?
UGHHH! We have no idea! But I believe it is because people are unaware of the consequences of their actions. They see an image and want to share it, but they forget that it was created by someone else for a reason other than income or job security.

What is the significance of this?
Theft harms both the creative community and the economy. When people share without permission or attribution, it harms the creators' and other creatives' livelihoods. We all have to work hard for our money, even if it means doing something we enjoy!

What are your options?
Be considerate, share with permission, and give credit to your fellow creators. If someone created a piece of content for a specific reason, consider contacting them before posting. If you can't find the creator, simply mention the website or blog where they found it, such as @somethingturquoise on Instagram (saying "I'm sorry but this is not my photo" and giving credit).
"We hope these suggestions help to clarify how to credit photographers or how to style your photography credits." We recommend taking screenshots as part of your workflow because it adds no extra work to using just one image."