How to credit a photographer correctly

When a photo credit is required, when it is simply good practice, and the formats to use online, in print and on social media for Photofolio images.

A Photofolio licence does not require a visible credit for commercial use, but editorial use should carry one, and crediting is always good practice: it is the cheapest way to support the photographers whose work you rely on, and it protects you if provenance is ever questioned.

When a credit is required

For editorial use — news, features, books, education — include a credit unless the layout genuinely makes it impossible. Some publishers’ house styles insist on it; follow theirs. Where a photographer has asked for a credit as a condition of a specific image, it says so on the image page.

The format

Photographer name, then agency or source, separated by a slash: Photo: Jane Smith / Photofolio. Where the image page shows only the agency, credit that: Photo: Mint Images / Photofolio. The photographer’s name and copyright line are on every image page and in the file’s embedded metadata.

Where to put it

  • Web articles: a caption under the image or a small line at the end of the piece.
  • Print: beside the image, in the gutter, or in a picture-credits list at the front or back.
  • Social media: in the caption or first comment. Do not overlay it on the image unless the design calls for it.
  • Video: end credits are fine.

What not to do

Do not remove or alter the copyright metadata embedded in the file. Do not credit yourself or your agency as the photographer. Do not imply the photographer endorses your product — a credit is attribution, not testimony.

Reusing an image

Your licence covers repeated use, so a credit on the first use is not a substitute for licensing. If a colleague wants the same image for another project, it can be used under the same account’s licence; if it is a different company, they need their own.