Why You Can’t Use Other Photographers’ Images (Even With Disclaimers)

Important Reminder for Photographers Who Charge for Services (even if you are not calling yourself a professional photographer)

Let’s address the elephant in the room: using another photographer’s images to promote your photography business is never okay. Not with a disclaimer. Not with credit. Not with “inspiration only” tags.

NEVER.

We photographers see it frequently enough to warrant a discussion on the topic: photographers lifting images from other professionals’ portfolios, websites, or social media to advertise their own services. Sometimes they add a small disclaimer: “Not my images” or “Included for inspiration only.” But they’re ADVERTISING THEIR SERVICES under the illusion that they will be able to reproduce what the original photo represented.

“Perhaps,” you may be thinking “Photographer from across the country won’t KNOW that I’m borrowing his/her image (of a baby in a tea pot planter/women dressed as witches in front of a smoke screen/couple in laundromat canoodling amongst the washers and dryer) on this local townspeople Facebook group and it’s no harm to anyone that I do it. It’s harmless. No one will know. I love the way this image looks/feels. It’s perfect. It’s my entire vision.“

Here’s the truth: that belief that this is the way you want your images to stylistically represent doesn’t matter and even if you add a disclaimer “not my photo” it also doesn’t make it ok. Or legal. Or ethical. And these beliefs and feelings and disclaimers will not protect you from consequences.

Countless photographers before you have built successful businesses by embracing their own journey and creating images that align with their own creative vision. They allowed their skills to develop naturally and authentically. The photography community generally embraces photographers who are transparent about their growth and committed to improving their craft.

But there’s a non-negotiable line: you cannot use someone else’s work to sell your services.

This includes “borrowed” images, copied website language, stolen pricing structures, and replicated session concepts. Especially when used without the creator’s permission or knowledge!

Just because you’ve acknowledged you didn’t create the image doesn’t give you a free pass to use someone else’s hard-earned work to promote your own business.

It’s still theft. Plain and simple.

…use of another photographer’s imagery to promote your business or advertise a session concept is always bad form.

Using someone else’s images is a professional minefield that touches on multiple issues, including

• Copyright Violation: You’re literally stealing intellectual property. This isn’t just uncool (and unethical) it’s potentially legally actionable which will likely result in an expensive lesson for you.
• Ethical Bankruptcy: You’re publicly demonstrating a fundamental lack of professional respect for fellow creators which reflects on your overall professionalism to other photographers AS WELL as a more discerning clientele (which may very well be your actual target market).
• Skill Misrepresentation: These images you “borrow” are not your vision. These images are not executed with your techniques or do they reflect your creative journey. Essentially you’re lying about what you can actually do behind the camera by creating a false impression of your own photographic capabilities.
• Legal Landmines: No model releases, no permissions. You risk serious legal complications by using images you don’t own. You open yourself up to liability that could be legally disputed by the subjects as well as the creator of images.
• Reputation Destruction: In a tight-knit community such as professional photography you’ll quickly become known, through various channels like social media or other photography networks, as a photographer who takes from others without consideration. This is a label that will stick with you way longer than just during your “newbie phase”. It will haunt you for far longer than you could ever imagine.

Building your portfolio is the foundational cornerstone for all creatives. Your goals should not include just collecting pretty pictures, your goal should include crafting genuine representations of your evolving photography skill set, your originality and creative vision and most importantly: your professional integrity.

Your photographic portfolio tells a story, not just of what you can do now, but of the photographer you’re becoming.

 Representation of your professional photography imagery with honesty reflecting the creative you are now (and are becoming) is the only way to build a sustainable clientele. When your authentic skills are showcased by your work – with no inflation or pretense – you create a solid foundation that allows genuine building upon skills and ultimately growth as a professional photographer. Using this honest approach doesn’t just protect your reputation, it will attract clients who appreciate your integrity and are willing to grow alongside your developing image creating craft.



The path to professional photography has been carefully paved by a multitude of professionals that have prioritized authenticity and a technical skill set. Those professional photographers who came before you carved out a professional landscape built on integrity, hard work, and genuine creative growth. Your goal should always be to aim to be more than just a photographer: it is to be a true professional who creates, learns, and evolves with each image you capture.

Bottom line: Your professional reputation and integrity are worth more much more than a borrowed (or several borrowed) image(s).

Each shortcut you take now drives another nail into the coffin of your future professional credibility, not to just other photographers but also to your potential clients. In a tight-knit community like professional photography trust is your most valuable currency…far too easy to destroy than to build anew.