How to Reference a Photograph

A referenced photograph enhances your paper's authority.

A photograph can add a visual description or provide support to an academic paper. If the photograph is not your own work, however, then you need to get permission from the photographer to use it and cite its source. Including a thorough, accurate reference of the photograph allows you to use another photographer's picture while adding credibility to your paper.

Instructions

1. Begin with the name of the photographer, who is the "author" for this source.

2. Write the title of the photograph, if provided, in italics. If a title is not provided, then specify that it is untitled and describe the content; e.g., "Untitled photograph of a 18th-century New England house."

3. Specify the medium by writing "Photograph." If you're following a specific formatting style, such as APA, you may need to place the description of the medium in brackets; otherwise, simply follow the statement with a period.

4. Provide publication or location information: the date of publication or creation, the location and title of the archive, and a retrieval statement if it was accessed from the Web.

References

• Purdue Online Writing Lab: MLA Works Cited: Electronic Sources (Web Publications)
• Landmark College: APA Citation Style, 6th Edition