Publication of our photos on social media

We have to address an issue because we regularly notice it:

If you buy photos from us, or sometimes even get them for free, and use them on your own social media channels, then please also mention who took the photos. This should go without saying, but we usually find our photos on Instagram without any mention of who actually took the photos. Each photo set comes with a PDF that describes the conditions for publishing individual photos.

You also agree to the terms and conditions when you purchase each individual photo:

https://sportfotos-berlin.com/en/info/license/

This is linked to each photo under the licence by clicking on the info button.

This is a problem for us when we find hundreds of our photos on Instagram that the whole world can access free of charge. As photographers, we gain absolutely nothing from this. Of course, we can't buy anything from likes or ‘reach’, but the fact is that basically nobody even knows that we exist. No one can take notice of us if they don't know who took the photos.

If we then find a channel with a four or five-digit number of followers that benefits from our photos, among other things, then of course we are happy if we can support athletes, clubs etc. with our work. Unfortunately, however, we also have to realise that nothing ever sticks with us.

A few facts:

We have almost 20 years of experience in sports photography and have been taking photos in the field of artistic gymnastics for around 20 years, most recently also using mobile studio technology. In addition to our experience and knowledge, we use technology in which we have invested a five-figure sum over the years in order to achieve optimum image quality. This technology needs to be looked after, maintained and occasionally replaced. We have to travel to the events and usually pay all the costs ourselves. Added to this is the time we invest in preparing our work.

At the end of the day, we should be able to make a living from the work we do.

Unfortunately, the fact is that we have already cancelled events for this year because we are no longer able to cover these costs. If this continues, we will have to give up sooner or later.

We hope that something will change if we are supported more via Instagram through links. It's true that the ‘freebie mentality’ is too widespread these days, but in the end, the principle of hope remains.

Conclusion:

We do not want to and will not go to a lawyer and start ‘warning’ athletes about missing copyright labelling in order to generate profits. That is not our way and would certainly be unfair in some cases.

However, we would ask you to make sure that you link to us accordingly in future if you use our work on social media channels. This means no effort for you, but for us it may be a small form of support and also a form of recognition for what we do.

We are the ones who try to press the buttons at the right moment while you show your sporting excellence before, during and after the competitions. You are the ones with the reach. Let's try to ensure that both sides benefit.