Photo credit on Instagram

Being a professional portrait photographer, many clients have asked me if they could post the photos I took of them on social media and how to give photo credit on Instagram.

If you were wondering how to do it properly, it is very easy...

How to give photo credit on Instagram

If you want to give photo credit on Instagram, simply comment on their Instagram profile in the caption with “@username” or tag their Instagram profile within the image.

You can also do a combination of both! Here is an example of a client of mine giving me photo credit on Instagram:

When I first started in photography and started my photography Instagram, I was not sure what “giving photo credits” was. I also didn't know 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.

In this example, my model gave me photo credit as well as the boxing gym that allowed us inside to have a photoshoot:

“Giving credit where credit is due” is a common expression away from the digital world of social media.

It's also just as important to remember this expression on social media.

It’s okay to repost 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!

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.^[1]

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 even lead to people commenting nasty and negative remarks on your profile. For example, this could happen if followers of the original poster see that you have reposted something without giving credit.

It’s a nasty situation that can lead to users commenting mean remarks or DMing you unnecessary messages—even if you did not do it on purpose! To avoid this nasty situation altogether, it’s best just always to credit the original poster.

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.^[2]

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 someone planned, shot, edited, and most likely spent much time on that piece. Some could even say they poured their hearts into that creation.

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 on the name of the creator within the caption, and you tag them within the photo. A camera emoji can accompany the comment if they are a photographer and can be stylized within your caption as we've seen earlier:

The commenting within the caption allows users to see instantly who created the piece. The tagging within the photo is beneficial to the original creator because it will appear in the tagged section of their profile.

Here is an example of those photos showing in my tagged section on my Instagram profile:

If you have multiple people or companies you want to give credit to on Instagram, you can also credit all of them, just like in the other example we've seen earlier:

As you can see, it's very easy to give photo credit and there are many ways to incorporate your own aesthetic and style into the photo credits you give. You can even just outright comment on their name without any emojis or extra “fluff.”

It’s really easy, and when people or clients ask me how I would like to be credited, this is 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.^[3]

Here's the bottom line, 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 of a photograph taken by a photographer.

If 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 followers you may have never realized! It’s a win-win for all.

Instagram is a community.

Continue to add to the sense of community 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!