Protecting our art, our clients, and our creative rights
The photography world is full of inspiration, creativity, and community
but it’s also full of traps disguised as opportunities. Over the past few years, online magazines (especially Facebook-based “feature mags”) have exploded in popularity. Many photographers submit their work hoping for exposure, publication credits, and a boost of credibility.
But here’s the truth that isn’t talked about enough:
Many of these online magazines are not legitimate publications.
And worse they often require photographers to give up full rights to their images simply by submitting.
Recently, I dug deeper into these “online magazines” and discovered practices that go directly against my values and the trust I build with every client I photograph. So today, I want to be fully transparent about why GamerGurl Photography will not be submitting images to online magazines until further notice.
Submitting Often Means Giving Away Your Copyright
Most online feature magazines have submission guidelines buried in the fine print where they claim:
Full usage rights
Commercial rights
Or even exclusive rights to your photo
This means:
They can sell your photos.
They can print or distribute them however they want.
They owe the photographer nothing not even credit.
YOU (the artist) lose the right to use your own image on your website, social media, or portfolio.
That’s not just unfair it’s theft with permission you didn’t realize you gave.
No Contracts. No Compensation. No Protection.
Legitimate magazines operate with contracts, licensing agreements, and set terms outlining how your work will be used.
These Facebook-based “mags” often:
Offer no legal agreements
Provide no compensation for published work
Take your images and then profit from them through sales, ads, or pay-to-view platforms
Do not notify photographers when their images are used commercially
This model preys on new or unaware photographers who think they are gaining exposure while actually losing their rights entirely.
My Number One Priority: Protecting My Clients
Many of my sessions contain:
Fantasy portraits
Cosplay transformations
Boudoir photography
INTIMATE storytelling moments
Private weddings and family memories
Your images are yours.
You paid for them.
You trusted me to safeguard your privacy and your story.
If I submitted your photo to a magazine that then claimed full rights, I could no longer legally protect or control where your image appears. They could sell it. They could repost it. They could archive it forever.
That is absolutely unacceptable and goes directly against the foundation of trust I’ve built with my community.
“Exposure” Is Not a Fair Exchange for Ownership
Good publications pay photographers.
They respect copyright.
They credit properly.
They compensate for usage.
The FB magazines taking over social media are doing none of this.
Instead, they rely on photographers being excited to see their work “published” while quietly stripping away all rights to that work.
I refuse to participate in a system that exploits artists.
Until Magazines Treat Photographers Ethically, I’m Out
Unless a publication:
✔️ Provides a clear, legal licensing agreement
✔️ Pays for rights or usage
✔️ Respects photographer ownership
✔️ Does NOT require the transfer of copyright
…I will not be supporting or submitting to them.
My responsibility is to my clients and my craft, not to a random Facebook page making money off stolen art.
❤️ To My Clients & Community
I know this may disappoint some who hoped to see their images in editorial features but please know this decision is made out of respect, protection, and loyalty.
Your photos will always remain yours, and mine.
No strangers. No shady contracts.
No one profiting from your memories or your artistry.
Trust and transparency are the core of GamerGurl Photography, and I intend to protect both fiercely.
If a truly legitimate magazine ever approaches with a fair agreement, I will always check with you first and only proceed with full consent and clarity.
Thank you for understanding, and thank you for trusting me with your story.
We create art together and no one gets to take that away.
