Imagine you painted a picture. A picture that was so beautiful that it hung in the most famous museum in the world. BUT your signature was removed and no one would ever know who painted it. Now sure, I’m being super dramatic, but this is sort of what it’s like to share a professional photo taken of you or your family on social media without tagging or giving credit to the photographer. You see, I’m a pretty small business, a one-woman show if you will. I’m the photographer, the CEO, the CFO, the CMO. I wear ALL the hats. I’m still in the newborn stages of my business and have a limited budget to spend on marketing. I don’t pay for my website to appear in website searches, I don’t advertise in large-scale publications. In fact, almost all of my business comes from referrals. And guess what? Most of those referrals are made via social media. So every time a photo of mine appears on social media with a tag to my business, my website traffic goes up, my number of Facebook page “likes” increases and sometimes I’m even contacted by someone to schedule a session! HOORAY!
Currently, all of my photography packages include “digital photos with print release.” What exactly does that mean? Well, it means you get digital copies of all the photos and the rights to print and share them. If you’ve worked with me in the last month or two, you even signed a contract that states “…permission to share the digital images on social networking websites as long as textual credit is given to Desiree Ortman Photography.” I am not writing this post as a way to blast my past clients… I love you guys! You’re the reason why I am in business! I am writing this post to help provide some basic direction when it comes to giving credit to my business on social media when sharing photos. And this direction doesn’t just apply to me; it applies to all businesses! Do you regularly frequent a small business? Tag them when you wear what you bought! Trust me, a little tag, goes a long way!
So… here are the basics…
Rule #1, resist the urge to apply a filter! When sharing a photo taken by a professional photographer, please don’t use a filter or edit the photo to your own “taste.” Here’s your one exception… since this is Instagram, a platform built around square images, it is OK to crop an image to a square.
“Tag” the photographer in the actual photo. Just like you’d tag a friend in an image you post of them, tag the photographer who took the picture of you. Simply click on “Tag People” when composing your post, then tap the image and start typing the photographer’s name in the search bar. Make sure you select the photographer’s business account vs. their personal account if they have two (I do). If the photographer only has a personal account, it’s OK to tag that account.
Don’t just put the photographer’s name in a hashtag (i.e. #desireeortmanphotography) in your caption. Mention the photographer in your caption. Use the “@“ symbol and start typing their name – it will give you a drop-down list of options – just click the photographer’s business page and a link to their profile will show in your post! Check out the example below!
Facebook is a little trickier. Tagging or crediting a business page cannot be done from the Facebook app on your phone (insert sad face here). You’ll need to access Facebook from your desktop computer or laptop in order to credit a photographer’s business page appropriately.
Please don’t crop or edit professional photos. The only images that should ever be cropped are profile pictures and cover photos due to the restricted size of those images.
Just like Instagram, “tag” the photographer’s business page on each photo shared. After you upload an image to your post, simply click on the image and select “tag.”
Click anywhere on the photo and start typing the photographer’s name. A drop-down list of options will appear – just click on the photographer’s business page (not their personal page) and BOOM you just tagged your photo correctly!
Just like Instagram, don’t just put the photographer’s name in a hashtag (i.e. #desireeortmanphotography) in your caption. Mention the photographer in your caption. Use the “@“ symbol and start typing their name – it will give you a drop-down list of options – just click the photographer’s business page (not their personal page) and a link to their profile will show in your post! Check out the example below!
See... easy peezy!
If you create an album, make sure to tag the photographer in the Album Description and in the photos as well. Just start typing the photographer’s name and select their business page from the drop-down.
If ever you are unsure of how to properly give credit, contact your photographer directly! Trust me, you aren’t bugging them. You are an integral piece of their marketing puzzle and they’re grateful for your desire to get it right.
