Copyright
Credit: By Horia Varlan on Flickr. Some rights reserved.

For photographers who post their pictures online, protecting copyright is always an important consideration.

While post-processing tools such as Adobe Lightroom can bake copyright information into a photograph's metadata, there are a few other tools around to reduce the risk of people using your photos without your permission.

And if you do find that someone has used your photos without your consent, you can get advice on how to handle it over on The Copyright Hub.

Don't forget too that you still have to pay tax on any photographs you sell through third-party platforms.

Meanwhile, these three sites are worth checking out for hassle-free copyrighting and licensing, leaving you free to focus on the photography.

Picfair

Launched in 2013 by former journalist Benji Lanyado, Picfair aims to simplify the licensing process between snappers and those who want to purchase photographs.

Users can set whatever price they choose for the images they upload to the site, with the average cost being around £8. Picfair then adds a 20 per cent commission on top of the price, plus a "small processing fee".

For comparison, EyeEm and Alamy, two other popular photo licensing sites, take a 50 per cent cut of any images you sell.

One of the best things about Picfair is the way it presents its License Agreement – the easy-to-navigate format and clear language mean it's not at all daunting, even for newbie photographers.

It's especially good for landscape and travel photography.

Screenshot from PicFair.com

Scoopshot

More news-orientated than PicFair, Scoopshot allows photographers to create a portfolio as well as receive assignments from media outlets.

The platform also has a mobile app, enabling users to submit photos from the field, while news outlets can search for photographers based on their location, and request a quote before offering a commission.

Like Picfair, Scoopshot is free for photographers to join. It charges a 25 per cent commission on sales.

Screenshot from pro.scoopshot.com

Marksta

This fast and simple iOS app allows you to watermark your photography, making it a useful tool for mobile photographers or anyone who regularly shares images to social media.

Users can also add metadata to their images using the app, such as the photographer's name, copyright owner, the date the photo was taken, and location information.

Created by photojournalist John D. McHugh, the app costs £1.49 from the App Store.

Would you like to recommend any other apps or tools for journalists and photographers? Tweet us at @journalismnews.

Free daily newsletter

If you like our news and feature articles, you can sign up to receive our free daily (Mon-Fri) email newsletter (mobile friendly).