This is a helpful guide discussing giving photo credit on Instagram and other social media platforms.
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How to Give Photo Credit on Instagram
Being a portrait photographer, many clients have asked me if they could post the photos I took of them to social media and how to give photo credit on Instagram. In case you were wondering how to properly do it, it is very easy:
If you want to give photo credit on Instagram, simply comment their Instagram profile in the caption with “@username” or tag their Instagram profile within the image. You can also do a combination of both!
When I first started out in photography and started my photography Instagram, I was not sure what “giving photo credits” was or the importance of giving photo credit on Instagram.
I have been able to gain followers and find more photography gigs thanks to photo credits.
What is Giving Photo Credit on Instagram
Giving photo credit is simply mentioning the photographer, hair and makeup artist, model, or anybody else who helped create the image a quick little shout out or a sign of acknowledgment.
“Giving credit where credit is due” is a common expression away from the digital world of social media, but it is also just as important to remember this expression on social media.
It’s okay if you have reposted a photo on social media before without giving proper credit to the original poster.
I’m sure everyone has done this at least one point in their life.
The important part is that we start crediting from now on! And if you aren’t the one they took the photo of, then it’s best to ask for permission if you can repost or “regram” their photo with a quick DM or comment on their post.
Why It is Important to Give Photo Credit on Instagram
Based on personal experience and from what I have seen, there are 2 reasons why it’s important to give photo credit on Instagram.
1. To Avoid Being Reported
If you repost a photo or post a photo without permission, you can actually be reported.
While you may not have had intentions of “stealing” someone’s work, it can still be seen as “stealing” to some users and within the community of artists/creators.
This can result in numerous people reporting your post and could even lead to people commenting nasty and negative remarks on your profile if followers of the original poster see that you have reposted something without giving credit.
It’s a nasty situation and can lead to users even commenting mean remarks or DM’ing you unnecessary messages — even if you did not do it on purpose!
In order to avoid this nasty situation altogether, it’s best to just always credit the original poster.
If you don’t know their Instagram profile, at least comment their name or tag their name in the photo.
2. It’s an Unsung Rule
The second reason why it’s important to give photo credits on Instagram is that it is an unsung rule.
What do I mean by this?
Within the community of creators/artists, we love sharing each other’s work.
We share each other’s work either because we enjoyed it or because it inspired us so much that we felt the need to hopefully share that feeling of inspiration with others who have not yet seen it.
When we share each other’s work, however, we always make it a point to ensure that our audience knows that it is not our work that we are sharing.
Why is this?
Because that photo/piece of art/creation is not ours. We know that someone planned, shot, edited and most likely spent a great amount of time towards that piece.
Some could even say they poured their hearts into that creation.
A lot of work and time goes into creating content, a photograph, a drawing, etc., and those responsible for its creation should be credited — it’s the unsung rule among creators.
What a Proper Photo Credit on Instagram Could Look Like
There is no one, right way to give proper photo credits on Instagram.
Here is the way I like to give proper photo credit and how I see most of my followers give credit as well.
You simply comment the name of the creator within the caption and you tag them within the photo.
The comment can be accompanied by a camera emoji if they are a photographer and can be stylized within your caption:
The commenting within the caption allows users to see instantly who created the piece, and the tagging within the photo is beneficial to the original creator because it will show up in the tagged section of their profile:
If you used multiple artists or creators within the image, you can also credit all of them just like in this example by Elizabeth Anne Designs:
As you can see, there are many ways you can incorporate your own aesthetic and style into the photo credits that you give.
You can create separate paragraphs such as in the example above or you can continue to keep it simple with just a simple line and an emoji:
You can even just outright comment their name without any emojis or extra “fluff.”
As long as you are giving credit either through commenting their IG profile or name within the caption or tagging them within the photo, then you have properly given photo credit on Instagram!
It’s really easy and when people or clients ask me how I would like to be credited, this is now what I tell them.
Benefits of Giving Photo Credit on Instagram
One of the biggest benefits of giving photo credit on Instagram is because of networking.
Instagram is a platform built for sharing and a sense of community.
With all the cat videos and memes that have flooded our feeds, I believe it is easy to forget this! (don’t get me wrong I love those cat videos)
This is especially true if you were the subject in a photograph taken by a photographer.
You tag them, the photographer will tag you back and maybe even give you a shout out on their Instagram story.
Your followers will see the photographer and the photographer’s followers will see you.
This could open up new connections and new followers that you may have never realized! It’s a win-win for all.
Instagram is a community.
Continue to add to that sense of community that you fell in love with — the one that made you download Instagram in the first place.
I hope all these tips and reasons behind why it’s important and how to give photo credit on Instagram helped you!
Nate Torres is a portrait photographer based in Southern California. Outside of photography, Nate specializes in SEO, content marketing, and entrepreneurship. He is also the founder of Imaginated.com, a platform for creator education.
