Why finding the photographer matters
You found a beautiful image and want to use it — on your website, in a presentation, or in a publication. Or maybe you just want to give proper credit. Either way, you need to find the person who took it.
This is harder than it should be. Images get shared, re-shared, cropped, and reposted across the internet until the connection to the original photographer is completely lost. A photo might appear on dozens of websites with no attribution anywhere.
But there are practical steps you can take to trace an image back to its creator.
Method 1: Reverse image search
The most effective first step is running a reverse image search. Upload the image to FindSource.io and review the list of pages where it appears.
What to look for in the results:
- The earliest result. Sort or scan for the oldest publication date. The first page to publish the image is often the original source or close to it.
- Portfolio sites. If the image appears on a photography portfolio, personal website, or a photographer's social media profile, you've likely found the creator.
- Stock photo libraries. If the image shows up on a stock site (Shutterstock, Getty, Adobe Stock, Unsplash, etc.), the photographer is usually credited on the image's page.
- Wire services. News images often trace back to wire services like Associated Press, Reuters, or AFP, which credit the photographer in the caption.
Even if the photographer's name isn't immediately visible, finding the original or earliest source gives you a starting point for further research.
Method 2: Check the image metadata
Digital photos often contain embedded metadata called EXIF data. This can include the camera model, date and time the photo was taken, GPS coordinates, and sometimes the photographer's name and copyright information.
How to check EXIF data:
- On a Mac, open the image in Preview and go to Tools > Show Inspector > EXIF tab
- On Windows, right-click the file, select Properties, then the Details tab
- Online tools can also read EXIF data from uploaded images
The catch: Most social media platforms and many websites strip EXIF data when images are uploaded. If the image has been shared broadly on social platforms, the metadata is often gone. But if you find an image on a personal blog, a direct download, or a stock site, the metadata may still be intact.
Method 3: Look for watermarks and signatures
Photographers often embed watermarks — a name, logo, or URL overlaid on the image. These can be:
- Visible watermarks in a corner or across the center of the image
- Subtle signatures along the bottom edge, sometimes easy to miss
- Logos that can be searched separately if you don't recognize them
If the image has been cropped to remove a watermark, a reverse image search may turn up uncropped versions that still have it.
Method 4: Check the page context
When you find the image on a web page, look around it carefully:
- Image captions often include a photographer credit, especially on news sites
- Alt text — right-click the image and select "Inspect" in your browser to see the alt text, which sometimes contains the photographer's name
- Page footer or sidebar — some blogs credit all images at the bottom of the post
- Linked source — the image itself may be hyperlinked to the original source
Method 5: Search stock photo sites directly
If you suspect the image might be from a stock library, try searching the major stock sites directly:
- Shutterstock, Getty Images, and Adobe Stock all have reverse image search features or visual search tools
- Unsplash and Pexels are popular free stock sites worth checking
- Flickr still hosts an enormous library of Creative Commons and rights-managed photos
Even if the image doesn't appear on these sites, visually similar results might lead you to the photographer through related work.
Method 6: Ask the publisher
If you found the image on a specific blog, article, or social media post, sometimes the simplest approach is to contact the publisher directly. A brief email or message asking for the photographer's name often gets a helpful response.
Many publishers want to credit photographers properly and simply didn't have the information when they published the piece.
When you cannot find the photographer
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you won't be able to identify the original creator. The image may have circulated too widely, with no surviving link to its origin.
In these cases:
- Don't use it without permission. "I couldn't find the photographer" is not a legal defense for copyright infringement.
- Consider alternatives. Stock photo sites offer millions of images with clear licensing. Free options like Unsplash provide high-quality photos you can use legally.
- Keep a record. Document your search efforts in case a rights holder contacts you later. Showing you made a good-faith effort to find the creator matters.
Give credit when you find it
When you do identify the photographer, credit them properly:
- Use their name and link to their portfolio or profile
- Follow any licensing requirements (some licenses require specific attribution formats)
- If you want to use the image commercially, reach out to discuss licensing
Proper attribution costs nothing and supports the people who create the images we all benefit from. Start with a reverse image search, follow the trail, and give credit where it's due.