Don’t Tag Us!
These filters are out of control. Out of control.
Let me just tell you — out of control.
It's a war zone out here for creatives, because people genuinely don't know when to tag us and when to leave us out of it. And the funny part? We're the ones who built half the tools they're using to mess it up. Let me explain, because there's a right way and a wrong way to do this.
The Tagging War Zone
Here's what happens constantly. A business or an individual hires a photographer or videographer, gets great work back, and then... doesn't tag the creative at all. Meanwhile the biggest musicians on the planet — the multi-billion-dollar ones — always credit the people who made their work, and so do NFL, NHL, and MLB stars. They tag their creatives every single time. That's the difference.
And trust me, we notice. Creatives clock who tags us and who doesn't the same way a bartender knows exactly which regulars tip well. It sticks. So let me actually tell you when to tag your creative — and when not to.
Video: Change the Song, Lose the Tag
Let's start in the videography world, because there's a specific way people accidentally wreck the digital assets we hand them. If we give you a reel cut to music and you go into CapCut or the Instagram editor and swap the song — do NOT tag us. Especially if we delivered it within the last 90 days to a year. If you change ANY part of the asset we gave you, don't tag the creative. Period. I don't care if everything else is identical. If you changed the song, leave the tag off.
Here's why that one stings. When you hire a videographer or a production company, the work goes through a real process — filming, editing, and then sound design, where we're engineering the music, the effects, and the timing so the whole thing flows. A huge share of editors build the entire edit around that song. So when you strip it out and drop in whatever track you felt like using, you've quietly undone the part of the job you couldn't see. You can absolutely post it your way — just don't tag us on it, because we'll untag it, fast.
Photography: Filters Are Out of Control
Now through the photography lens — and I'll say it again, these filters are out of control. If you put a filter on the photo, or push the highlights, or crank the contrast because in the moment you feel like the professional photographer, then don't tag us on that one either.
But here's the flip side, and this is the part people miss: if you keep the photo exactly the way we delivered it, please, TAG us. Just do it. Because five times out of ten we've already posted that photo ourselves, and if we haven't yet, the original is going up later regardless. Good, quality work ends up on the internet one way or another, because every creative wants their work seen. Tagging an untouched photo doesn't cost you a thing — it just makes the whole thing easier for both of us.
So Tag Us — Just Don't Touch It First
It really comes down to this. If a multi-billion-dollar artist like Taylor Swift — and every NFL, NHL, and MLB star — can credit the creatives behind their content, so can you. Tagging isn't the problem. Tagging our work after you've filtered it, recolored it, or swapped the song is the problem.
So keep it simple: post it the way we gave it to you, tag the photographer or videographer who made it, and everybody wins. Mess with it first? Then leave us out of it. That's the whole rule.
