Follow these rules when reposting other photographers’ work on Instagram

If you use Instagram, I bet there are some common behaviors on the social network that annoy you. A pet peeve for many of us is seeing our own work reposted without following proper etiquette. Triggered by these “Instagram pet peeves,” Chelsea Northrup came up with three rules users should follow when reposting someone else’s work.

1. Ask permission

Don’t just take someone else’s work and post it to your feed without permission. Aside from being rude, it could also put you in trouble and end in a lawsuit. If you want to share someone’s photo: just ask them. There’s a big chance they’ll say yes, and you have nothing to lose even if they reject.

2. Give credit

You asked the photographer for permission and they said yes. Hooray! You can now post the photo to your feed – but don’t forget to give credit where credit is due. Chelsea notes that it would be fair to credit the photographer at the beginning of the post, not just “slip it” at the end. And I tend to agree: make the credit visible.

3. Don’t edit

I think this is something that this makes all photographers mad: you take a great photo, you spend time giving it the perfect finish, and then someone slaps an Instagram filter onto it. Just don’t do it. If you are reposting someone else’s image, repost it as is and don’t apply any filters. The edit is one of the integral parts of the image, it’s there with the photographer’s intention, so don’t change it.

I personally also get a bit annoyed when I see images reposted without credits, or with credits all the way at the end of the post. Not to mention applying crappy Instagram filters to someone else’s work. So, I agree with all the “rules” Chelsea came up with. What about you? Would you add anything to this list? What are your Instagram pet peeves?

[Instagram pet peeves | Tony & Chelsea Northrup]