How to Approach Someone Who's Using Your Photo Without Permission (Without Blowing It)

The moment you confirm that a business is using your image without a license, there's a very strong urge to fire off an angry email.

I understand that urge. I've felt it. You made something, they took it, and they've been profiting from it while you got nothing. That's genuinely infuriating.

But here's what I've learned from going through this process multiple times: the goal isn't to express your anger. The goal is to get paid. And calm, professional, well-documented outreach gets you paid far more reliably than anything that reads like an accusation.

Here's how I approach it.

Step 1: Document Everything Before You Make Contact

Before you send a single word, build your evidence file.

Take screenshots of:

• The page where your image appears (full page screenshot, not just the image)
• The URL clearly visible in the browser bar
• Any metadata or context that shows it's being used commercially

If possible, use a tool that timestamps your screenshots or adds some form of verifiable date — this matters if things ever escalate. Imalume does this automatically when you log a case.

Save copies of everything locally. Websites change. Pages get taken down. You want a record that doesn't depend on the infringing page still existing.

Step 2: Identify the Right Contact

Sending a copyright notice to a generic info@ email is the easiest way to have it ignored. Try to find:

• A specific person's name (the owner, if it's a small business; a legal or content contact for a media site)
• A direct email address if possible
• The company's registered address (useful for formal demand letters)

LinkedIn is useful here for small businesses. Most small operators list their contact info publicly.

Step 3: Calculate What You're Owed

Before you reach out, have a number in mind and be able to justify it.

Look up what your image - or a comparable image - would cost through a major stock library (Getty, Shutterstock, Adobe Stock) for the type of usage you've identified. This gives you a defensible, market-based number.

Consider:

• Usage type (website, print, advertising, editorial)
• Duration of use (if you can tell how long it's been up)
• Size/reach of the business

I typically start with the retroactive license fee - what they would have paid if they'd licensed it properly. Some photographers add a multiplier for unlicensed use; that's a legitimate approach, but I've found that leading with a straightforward retroactive fee resolves more cases faster, especially with small businesses.

Step 4: Send a Professional Demand Letter

This is the part most photographers stumble over. A demand letter needs to:

• State the facts clearly - you own the copyright to the image, they are using it without a license, here is where and how
• Reference your evidence - you have screenshots, dates, documentation
• State what you're requesting - a specific dollar amount, by a specific date
• Explain the consequences of non-response - not a threat, just a factual statement that continued unauthorized use may require escalation
• Keep a professional, non-accusatory tone - you're not attacking them, you're resolving a business matter

Here's roughly what my first contact looks like:

Subject: Unauthorized Use of Copyrighted Image — [Your Name]

Dear [Name],

My name is [Your Name] and I am a professional photographer based in [City]. I recently discovered that an image I created and hold full copyright to is currently being used on [website URL], specifically at [page URL].

I have attached documentation including screenshots with timestamps showing the unauthorized use.

I did not authorize this usage and no license exists for this image. The standard commercial license fee for an image of this type and usage would be approximately $[X], based on comparable licensing rates.

I'm writing to give you the opportunity to resolve this directly. I'm requesting payment of $[X] as a retroactive license fee, by [date; typically 14-21 days out].

I'm happy to discuss this and answer any questions. Please respond to this email or reach me at [contact].

Sincerely, [Your Name]

That's it. Clear, professional, factual. No threats on the first pass.

What Responses to Expect

In my experience, you'll get one of a few things:

They pay or offer to negotiate - great. Get payment before removing your case from active status.

They apologize and take the image down - this happens a lot with small businesses. Hold firm (politely) on payment; taking the image down doesn't undo the period of unauthorized use.

They ignore you - follow up once at the deadline. If they continue to ignore you, your options are escalation (a lawyer's letter, a DMCA takedown if the site is US-based, small claims court for smaller amounts) or moving on. Most cases don't require this.

They push back aggressively - rare, but it happens. This is when having thorough documentation really matters, and when it may be worth a consultation with an IP lawyer.

The Admin Is the Hard Part

Honestly, the legal and emotional stuff is manageable once you understand it. What burns photographers out is the admin — tracking which cases are open, following up on time, keeping evidence organized, generating invoices.

That's the specific problem Imalume is built to solve. You log the case, attach your evidence, and the tool handles the documentation, invoice generation, and demand letter drafting. So the process that should take an afternoon doesn't drag on for weeks.

Imalume is free to get started (no credit card is required). Start managing your copyright cases here.