05/26/2026
*SOAP BOX*
Let's talk about screenshotting images. With the advancements in AI lately, you can remove watermarks, sharpen photos, put your kid in front of the Taj Mahal, and do just about anything you want with a screenshotted image.
So it comes down to knowledge and integrity.
If you're not already aware, screenshotting a professional photographer's photo (that you haven't paid for) and sharing that photo with *anyone* is illegal. Unless you have the photographer's consent or buy the digital copy of that photo with its associated rights, you do not have the right to use and share that image.
This is a huge problem, and many photographers are choosing to leave the industry in response to it. We can't police all of our clients. I have no idea what 99.9% of the families who view their photos are doing with those images. Are some of them screenshotting them, having AI remove the watermarks, and proudly sharing those photos with friends and family? Yep, absolutely. Do photographers have the resources to find all those people and initiate copyright infringement cases? Nope.
I'll say this in my official "Mom" voice: Just becuase you *can* do something doesn't mean that you should. If you and your loved ones deserve to get paid for whatever work you do, then photographers deserve it as well. Professional photography (like many industries right now) is being seriously threatened by AI. If you'd like a real human to be taking your family's photos in the future, please don't add to that threat, and make the choice to respect your photographer. ❤
