This post is aimed at volunteer website maintainers without an IT background and is no substitute for legal advice — the legal notes are guidance; when in doubt, ask a qualified professional.
Three questions before every image
Before a photo goes on the club website, run three quick checks — they save you most of the trouble:
- Am I allowed to use the image? (copyright)
- Do the recognizable people consent? (right to one's own image)
- Is it prepared for the web? (size, load time)
Question 1: Am I allowed to use the image?
- Your own photos (taken by the club or its members): unproblematic, as long as the people pictured agree (question 2).
- Other people's photos from the internet: don't just copy them — that's the classic infringement-claim scenario. Only with permission or under a license that allows the use.
- Free stock images: there are portals with freely usable images; still read the individual license (attribution? commercial use?).
Question 2: Do the people consent?
Recognizable people have a right to their own image. For the club, that means: portraits and deliberate individual shots require consent — for children, the parents'. Wide shots of events (the festival as a whole, the audience) are usually less critical. The detailed, hands-on explanation with a game plan for your next event is in the post Publishing photos from events. Offering a removal option ("Don't want to appear in a photo? Just send an email.") is simply good manners — and should also be acted on promptly.
Question 3: Preparing for the web — no prior knowledge needed
The most common technical mistake on small websites: uploading 5–10 MB phone originals directly. That makes the site painfully slow — especially on a phone with a weak connection. But the preparation is dead simple and requires no software installation:
- Crop (if needed) with the crop tool — choose the part of the image that matters.
- Resize to 1600–2000 px on the longest edge with the resize tool — a website almost never needs more.
- Compress down to a few hundred kilobytes with the compression tool.
Everything works via drag-and-drop, browser-local — the images never leave your computer, there's no sign-up and no limits. For WordPress-based club websites, there's also the post Images for WordPress.
Small extras with a big impact
- Descriptive file names and alt texts — help discoverability and accessibility.
- Check metadata — use the metadata editor to remove GPS and device data before images go online.
- Consistent sizes for gallery tiles — looks much tidier.
- A good logo/favicon gives the site a recognizable identity — with the favicon generator.
Frequently asked questions
Which images may I use on the club website?
Your own photos, no problem; other people's only with permission or under a suitable license. Recognizable people — especially members and children — require consent, except for wide shots of events. Free stock photos are available under open licenses whose terms you need to respect.
How large should images on a website be?
For the web, 1600–2000 px on the long edge is usually enough, compressed down to a few hundred kilobytes. Huge phone originals (5–10 MB) slow the site down and are unnecessary. Resizing before uploading is the single most important performance step for small websites.
Do I need technical knowledge to prepare club photos?
No. Resizing, cropping, and compressing all work with simple browser tools via drag-and-drop, with no installation and no prior knowledge. The only thing that matters is the order: crop/resize first, then compress, then upload.
Do I need to think about privacy with club photos?
Yes. Recognizable people have a right to their own image; for children, the parents decide. Special rules apply to event photos. And you should check metadata (location) before uploading. Offering a removal option on the website is simply good manners.
Sources
KunstUrhG § 22 — right to one's own image (Germany) · European Data Protection Board (EDPB).