Giving proper credit to photos used

1. 83

   Titiaposted 7 years ago

   Strolling through the vertical sites I see so many photos that are either not credited at all or there's only the mention of a name. Is it not a rule anymore to give proper credit to photos that are not your own even if you get them from free sites?

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      promisemposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Writers should always credit photos. Writers who don't credit photos risk violating copyright laws and face the possibility of a lawsuit.

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         theraggededgeposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         There's no need to credit photos that belong to you or those that have a commercial CC license, such as those found on Pixabay. Having said that, it's good practice to mention somewhere on the hub where the photos are sourced from.
         
         New hubbers, I think, should credit their photos in order to show they know how to use images correctly.

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            promisemposted 7 years agoin reply to this

            Credting your own photos (especially with a copyright) protects them from being stolen.
            
            A Pixabay credit with the Creative Commons license is necessary because there are no guarantees that the photos on Pixabay are original. Pixabay simply assumes it and puts the legal responsibility back on the uploader:
            
            "You are solely responsible for the Content you upload. You warrant that you own all proprietary rights regarding the Content, and you are obliged to obtain a non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, and royalty-free Model and/or Property Release, and/or any other permission necessary concerning the use of this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law."
            
            By crediting Pixabay and adding the license, you are telling the original source that you got the photo from Pixabay and not from his or her website.
            
            I have worked full time in media all of my career and dealt with this issue many times. Photo theft is very common.

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         promisemposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         Some writers learn the hard way when they get a cease-and-decist letter from a lawyer, which the companies where I worked have sent quite a few times before.
         
         They also learn the hard way when they get a bill for unauthorized use.
         
         Not crediting photos is one of the differences between an amateur and a professional writer.

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2. 66

   psycheskinnerposted 7 years ago

   It's a recommendation rather than a rule.  Not all pictures legally require attribution.

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3. 86

   Marisa Wrightposted 7 years ago

   It is necessary to credit photos if it's legally required by the owner of the photo, or by the website hosting the photo.  So, for instance, you will usually have to credit a photo you've found on Flickr.   However, if you use a photo from Pixabay, they clearly say no attribution is required.  Ditto if you're using your own photos.  HubPages does not have any additional requirements.
   
   However as Raggededge says, I think it's always a good idea to mention your source somewhere on the Hub (e.g. have a line at the end saying, "all photos are author's own", or "all photos from Pixabay", to avoid confusion.

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      Jean Bakulaposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      I have a lot of trouble with photos of famous people. If you go on Wikipedia, or Wikimedia Commons, click twice on the picture. It takes you to different sizes, and also tells you that most of them have a creative commons license, and you can use them. But some photographers just ask you to give their name. That's not too much to ask. There's a line you can copy and paste that shows you are allowed to use it. You can paste that in the area on the photo hub.

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      promisemposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      The Pixabay "attribution" refers to the original author, which Pixabay can't guarantee.

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         Marisa Wrightposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         Interesting.  I was aware of this issue with Photobucket, which is almost entirely stolen images.  I always believed that Pixabay did due diligence.  Oh dear.

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4. 60

   HoneyBBposted 7 years ago

   Some sites such as Pexels, I think, say you don't have to credit the source. However, If I didn't then I'm wishing I would have anyhow just so I know in case of any question about it.

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      Marisa Wrightposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Me too, I always put "Pexels" or "Pixabay" in the Source box and leave the URL blank. That way there's no link, but if someone is doubting my right to use the photo, they can click and see it's OK.

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5. 84

   EricDockettposted 7 years ago

   When I use a public domain CC image or something like that, I'll still link to the source even though it isn't technically necessary. This is something I started doing when HP changed the way links appear under the image, in case the image is ever removed due to a copyright violation. I'm alerted when the HP link checker catches the dead link.
   
   Although Wikimedia is pretty good, images can be removed for copyright issues on occasion. Unless you have some method of rechecking you'll never know it.

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   MizBejabbersposted 7 years ago

   Sometimes when I credit a photo, the credit doesn't always show up, but it is in my file when I go back to check it. It may not be the fault of the author.

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   jennzieposted 7 years ago

   I always credit a photo that is not mine, just to be safe.

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      Jean Bakulaposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      I get a lot of blurry pictures from Pexels. Pixabay is better.

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