Pro advice
Fashion photographer ELLE MARTIN shares her experiences of having her images stolen
WHAT DO YOU DO?
I am a London-based fashion and portrait photographer. My work focuses on natural beauty and unretouched images. I am very passionate about diversity and inclusivity in the fashion industry.
I am also the owner of Ctrl Creative, a company supporting other creatives and supplying affordable creative workspace.
HAVE YOU EVER HAD YOUR IMAGES TAKEN WITHOUT YOUR CONSENT?
Throughout my career, I have had my images used by several well-known fashion brands and publications. It’s always frustrating when it happens. As a fashion photographer, I spend a lot of time and energy trying to get noticed by these brands and publications. So, it’s a bit of a double-edged sword as there’s that feeling of ‘great, I’ve been noticed’. But then, if they haven’t credited me or paid for the usage rights, it can be quite disappointing.
WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO GET THE COMPANY OR COMPANIES TO REMOVE YOUR IMAGES OR PAY FOR THEM? IS IT EASY TO GET LEGAL HELP OR ADVICE?
My first actions are usually to get in touch with either a PR contact or, if the image was posted online, someone who deals with their online content. However, the bigger the company, the harder it is to either find the contact details for the right person or to get a response at all. It is also difficult to get advice as copyright issues can sometimes be quite complex.
There is also the attitude where people think you should be happy to have had your work published. I remember one incident where my work was used in a well-known fashion magazine in south-east Asia. The consensus from other creatives was that I should be grateful that my work had been noticed by them at all.
DO YOU TAKE ANY EXTRA PRECAUTIONS TO STOP PEOPLE AND COMPANIES TAKING YOUR WORK?
Unfortunately, I feel that the most obvious options to try and discourage this type of behaviour, such as posting low-resolution images or using a watermark, only serve to lower the quality of my work. They also don’t act as much of a deterrent as watermarks can easily be cropped out.
DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR OUR READERS ON HOW TO KEEP YOUR IMAGES SAFE?
My best advice would be to include copyright information into the metadata of your images. The metadata is like your image’s digital fingerprint, it’s easy to add in postproduction and is your best defence against unauthorised use of your images.
It is very useful if you were to bring a copyright case against a company, as it shows who created the images. Metadata is difficult for anyone to remove, unlike watermarks. This way, it isn’t overtly obvious that your images are protected, but is something that can be used in the future should you ever need to fight your case.
Find out more at WWW.ELLEMARTIN.CO.UK and follow on Instagram @OFFICIALELLEMARTIN