We’ve all been there.  A photo pops up on Instagram… it’s a really beautiful photo… that you took… and there’s nothing that even says that you did!

 

At that moment, thoughts of the “good ole days” (insert sarcasm here), when watermarking every photo you delivered was a thing, return to mind.  And then you remember that watermarking every image is 1) exhausting and 2) never worth it.  But alas, you still feel this internal tension… do I approach them? Do I ignore it? … but it will help grow my business if they share my name with their friends and families.

And that moment, friends, is when you need to hit pause and ask why!

Why do you care if there’s credit linked to you? If it’s genuinely because you’ve built a referral based business then sure, that makes sense!  Is it because that client hasn’t been super cooperative, and this is just the final straw? … Maybe it’s time to rethink your approach.  Is it just because you feel like you’re owed the credit? … Again, if this was a magic eight ball, it would probably say “try again.”

 

Because the truth is, at the end of the day, the images we create were meant to be enjoyed by our clients… not as something to hold hostage over their heads.

 

Are these photos your wedding images? No.  Do you create them? Yes!  So of course you deserve a little credit, but if you don’t, it’s not the end of the world.  Instead, you have a few ways that you can approach the situation with your clients:

Educate them from the start…

I think we forget a lot of times we forget, that people outside of the industry really don’t understand our industry. It’s not because your client is unappreciative of you that they forget to credit you directly, it’s probably just because they were too wrapped up in the moment of whatever they were posting? You know, the same way that you and I can overanalyze our post over and over again!  So instead? Why not try educating them from the start?

Whenever you send a gallery to your clients, you can encourage them in the section you write on “sharing” and ask that they would give credit to you whenever they can as a way of supporting your small business and helping it grow!  People don’t mind… they want to cheer you on :)

Try leaving a sweet comment…

…not one that says “Hey, you didn’t credit my work,” but more along the lines of “You two are just the sweetest… every time you repost images from this special day, I can’t help but feel a little bit of nostalgia! Hope y’all are enjoying newlywed life!”  See? Much sweeter, and the real win… Even if they still don’t credit you, there’s an opportunity for their friends and family to still see it in the comment section!

But what if those things don’t work?

 

My motto? Move on! Because at the end of the day, do you really want to spend your time policing image credits online, or do you want to create something else beautiful, that people can’t help but rave about?

 

PS. A huge thank you to the friends that sent this question in! It must have been pressing because 5 of you reached out with this question specifically! If you want some more of your questions answered, feel free to reach out at lauren@laurenrswann.com! I can’t wait to hear from you!