Cite a Photograph

The use of a photograph in a publication, a website, or any work you create should always be cited to protect the photographer's ownership of the image and allow your readers to access the image for further reference. You're likely to use one of three citation styles, depending on what sort of work you're creating. American Psychological Association, or APA, style is appropriate for work dealing with the social sciences; Modern Language Association, or MLA, style is more commonly used within the humanities and liberal arts; and the Chicago Manual of Style, or CMS, is used to cite photographs in published books.

Steps

Requesting Permission to Use a Photograph

  1. Determine whether you need permission to publish the photograph. In many cases you will have to obtain permission from the photographer or publisher before publishing a photograph in a magazine, a book or on a website.[1]
    • If you are using the photograph in a paper you are writing that you don't plan to distribute widely or sell, you most likely don't need permission.
    • Most photographs created before 1922 are permission free, regardless of how they are used.
  2. Determine the perimeters of the publishing rights you will need. How widely your publication will be circulated will determine the type of rights you need. It will also determine the amount you'll have to pay.
    • In most cases, the wider the publication circulation and the more prominently the photograph is featured, the more expensive the rights are to obtain.
    • Again, you likely won't need to pay for permission if you're using the photograph in a paper that won't be circulated.
  3. Contact the photographer or publisher of the work to obtain permission to use it. Make sure you have written permission stating that you are allowed to use the work within the perimeters you have specified. If payment is required, you should receive a high resolution copy of the photograph to use in your work.
  4. Cite the photograph, making sure to to credit the proper sources. Obtaining permission and citing the photograph properly will help you avoid a legal dispute down the line.

Citing a Photograph Using APA Style

  1. Create a caption. APA style requires placing a caption directly beneath the image, which should be embedded in the text. Include the following information in the APA citation:
    • A figure number. All photographs in the paper should be numbered consecutively. Write the word "Figure," followed by a number, followed by a period. This should appear in italics. Example: Figure 1.
    • The title of the photograph in italics. Include the full title of the photograph, followed by a period. Example: Walking Through the Woods.
    • A description. Write a brief explanation of why the photograph is being used. Alternatively, you may simply include the photograph's date of publication.
  2. Create a citation. Include a complete citation in the References section at the end of the paper. The full citation should be written as follows:
    • Begin with the author's name (in this case the author is the creator of the image, or the photographer). Write the last name, followed by a comma, followed by the initial of the first name, followed by a period. Example: Parks, G. If the author's name is unavailable, leave it out.
    • Write the word "Photographer" in parenthesis. Make sure the word is capitalized, and follow it with a period on the outside of the parenthesis. Example: (Photographer).
    • Write the year the image was created.
    • Write the title of the work in italics. Follow it with a period. Example: American Gothic, Washington, DC.
    • Write the word "Photograph" in parenthesis. Make sure the word is capitalized, and follow it with a period on the outside of the parenthesis. Example: (Photograph).
    • If you found the image online, write the date the image was retrieved in this format: Month Day, Year. Example: February 28, 2013.
    • Write the word "from" followed by the URL. Example: from: http://www.parkspictures.com
  3. Use as much information as you can find. Do your best to track down the name of the photographer, the name of the photograph, and the date it was created. If there's a piece of information you are unable to find, leave it out.

Citing a Photograph Using MLA Style

  1. Create a caption. [2] Include the following information in the MLA style caption:
    • A figure number. The figure number should be referenced both within the text (as in, "see Figure 1) and beneath the photograph. The word "Figure" may be abbreviated as "Fig."
    • The title of the photograph in italics.
    • A brief description of the work.
    • A partial or full citation of the work. If you provide a full citation beneath the photo, it is not necessary to duplicate it on the Works Cited page at the end of the paper. Either way, the citation details outlined in the next step must appear in full in the paper.
  2. Create a citation. Include the citation either as part of the photo caption or in the Works Cited section. The citation should include the following components:
    • The photographer's last name, followed by a comma, followed by the first name, followed by a period. Example: Parks, Gordon.
    • The title of the photograph in italics, followed by a period. Example: American Gothic, Washington, DC.
    • The year the photograph was created.
    • The name of the institution or collection from which the photograph came. Example: Parks Collection.
    • If you're citing a photo you found in a book, include this additional information in the following format: Title of book. Author/editor’s first name last name. Publication city: Publisher, year. Page/plate number. Medium of reproduction. Example: The Best of Parks. New York: Random House, 1999. Plate 88. Print.[3]
    • If you're citing a photo you found online, include this additional information in the following format: Title of database or website. Publisher/sponsor of database or website. Medium consulted. Date of access. <URL (optional)>. Example: Parks Online. University of Parks. Web. February 18, 2013. <http://www.parks.com>.
  3. Use as much information as you can find. Do your best to track down the name of the photographer, the name of the photograph, and the date it was created. If there's a piece of information you are unable to find, leave it out.

Citing a Photograph Using CMS

  1. Create a caption. Each photograph should have a caption directly beneath it including the following information:
    • A figure number. Write "Figure" or "Fig." followed by the number.
    • The photographer's full name, followed by a period.
    • The name of the photograph in italics, followed by a period.
    • The date the photograph was created, followed by a period.
    • If available, the city where the photograph is located, followed by a comma, followed by the name of the museum or collection in which the photograph resides, followed by a period.
  2. Create a citation. If you found the photograph in a book or on a website, a full citation should be included in the bibliography at the end of your work.[4] Include the following information in the full citation:
    • The figure number. Write "Figure" or "Fig." followed by the number.
    • The photographer's full name, followed by a period.
    • The name of the photograph in italics, followed by a period.
    • The date the photograph was created, followed by a period.
    • If available, the city where the photograph is located, followed by a comma, followed by the name of the museum or collection in which the photograph resides, followed by a period.
    • The word "Source" followed by a colon.
    • If you found the photograph in a book, include this additional information in the following format: Author's first name last name. Title of the book. City of publication: Publisher, date of publication. Plate number. Example: Chris O'Brien. The Best of Parks. New York: Random House, 1999. Plate 88.
    • If you found the photograph online, include this additional information in the following format: The Name of the Website, the url (access date). Example: University of Parks Online, http://parksonline.org (February 9, 2013).
  3. Use as much information as you can find. Do your best to track down the name of the photographer, the name of the photograph, and the date it was created. If there's a piece of information you are unable to find, leave it out.

Tips

  • Use the style preferred by your professor, academic institution, publisher or employer.
  • Many corporations and institutions have their own style guides customized to present their brand consistently in a manner approved by their communications department.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter1/1-b.html
  2. ↑ http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/14/
  3. ↑ http://elmo.academyart.edu/reference-help/mla_citation_guide.html#printimage
  4. ↑ https://sites.google.com/a/colgate.edu/colgatevr/citing-images/citing-images-chicago

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