Every day, 1.8 billion images are uploaded to social media. While some of these are just pictures of the various meals you’ve thrown together, others have a lot of meaning. Pictures with family and snapshots of places you’ve gone are irreplaceable, memories that you want to cherish for a lifetime.
For this reason, you may be interested in how to copyright photos. We’ve all considered doing it before, but when’s the right time to make this happen? How do you go about obtaining legal protection for your works?
Luckily, it’s a lot easier than you may have imagined. Read on to learn how to keep safe all the pictures you take on a daily basis and keep your most precious moments your own.
How to Copyright Photos
You may not know this, but copyright protection on your photographs begins the moment you snap the shutter. You don’t need to put a trademark symbol of a little © on them. The image already belongs to you legally no matter how you take it. Whether you used a Smartphone or a traditional camera, the photos you take are your own.
Though once the photo is saved to your device it does belong to you, there are ways of ensuring copyright protection that make your personal photos even safer. You can register it with the US copyright office if you so choose.
While doing this for every photo you post would be insane, it’s definitely an avenue to look down for those that mean the most to you.
Register Your Photos
While it isn’t necessary, there are times when you may choose to register your photographs with the US copyright agency. This is a surefire legal way to ensure that your images remain yours and aren’t stolen by others.
To register, you’ll need to submit a completed application form along with a copy of your work online. You can also do this by snail mail, though it’s much less common or efficient. You’ll need to pay a fee along with this application, too.
For written works like novels or screenplays, registration is a necessity. However, there are better alternatives to this when it comes to photos. Read on to learn what they are!
Use the ©
Using the copyright symbol is a great way to protect your work. It’s free and fast, unlike sending a copy of your work to the copyright agency. Using this symbol educates those who see your image that they aren’t free to download and repost just because you chose to post them online.
If you decide to sell the photographs you take on Flicker, Redbubble, or Etsy, including the copyright symbol is even more important than ever. You don’t want people stealing and profiting off your work, especially when you’re trying to make a job out of your hobby.
On pages where you sell your photos as well as on any social media that you just choose to post them on, you should include a copyright page. Explain what the © symbol actually means and discuss the legality of its use. This will show followers that you mean business when it comes to protecting your images.
A Full Copyright Notice
While the © symbol is part of a copyright notice, it isn’t the only thing that can protect your work.
You’re also going to want to add your name and the year in which you’re copyrighting your photograph. Doing this will ensure that the copyright is actually traceable back to you; no one will be able to contest that you’re lying about who the symbol is protecting.
Make sure that you display this notice visibly on your work. While you don’t want it to obstruct the image, you want it to be prominent that it can’t be cropped out without excruciating effort. A good place for this notice may be written in a small font near an essential part of the photo.
If you prefer, you can also turn this copyright notice into a watermark. Watermarks are similar to logos, except that your work is what’s being branded rather than a company. This is an artistic way to incorporate your copyright notice into your work, make it blend in with the art, and build an artistic brand for yourself.
Screenshot Your Work
Taking a screenshot or deciding to take a print screen isn’t a legal avenue that you can go down in protecting your work. Still, it can go a long way to proving that your photographs are your own in many situations.
If you’re able to create a duplicate image that has a timestamp from when the picture was taken, you’ll be able to place yourself in the vicinity that the picture was taken at the time. While this may not sound useful in the more general sense, it’s a good way to start proving in a court of law that the image is yours.
If someone steals your work, you have a greater case in any lawsuit that you open up. Make sure to put these items away in an accessible file folder to ensure that no future issues arise if you’re unable to find them.
Keep Your Photos Safe
While having to worry about your work and online security is stressful, there are ways you can make it a lot easier on yourself.
Now that you know how to copyright photos and keep them safe, you can indulge in taking tons of pictures, completely worry-free. Check out the ‘photography’ tab on our home page to get some tips and tricks for experimenting with lighting, filters, and more.
Say cheese!
