The following article was published in MBC Today Volume 28 Issue 5 on September 10, 2026 as part of the Ask Uncle Marty™ column:
Photo Permissions
If you've popped onto my socials any time in the past, oh, 15-20 years, you'll know that I'm a photo taker and a photo sharer. Heck, in my 20s I even had a photography business as a side hustle...but after a few wedding shoots, I quickly decided that the photographer-for-hire grind wasn't for me.
When I do store visits, or when we as a team of AYM High coaches do an in-store consult, I often snap pics and take videos. And we now have a videographer that travels with us, but I'm still snapping and shooting away, just because it's my jam. I want to remember things. I want to reference things. I want to take what I see as a lesson to bring to clients, for better or for worse.
For years, when teaching the AMBC certified packing course, I proselytized the value of sharing photos and videos of what you've packed and how you packed it on socials. The same concept applies to what you print. It even got so well known at my former business that print clients would come in to print with the request that I would promise to share an image of their flyer on the business socials because they knew it would get a lot of views and promote their business or event.
Sharing photos and videos is the best way to build visibility, which, as my colleague Fahim often says, leads to credibility, which then leads to profitability. But in all of those times teaching that AMBC course, which most of you by now have taken online and on-demand on AMBC-U, I always, always stressed that you should never share a photo of someone's item, pack job, or print job without their permission.
Why? Because it could be sensitive. It could be personal. It could be any number of things that they simply don't want posted all over the internet.
But what about people? Are they fair game to share without permission? Absolutely not. Especially in the case of minor team members and children who may be either in the foreground or background of a photo.
When I owned Uncle Marty's, as part of the application process for a new hire I'd get permission from the applicant to share their likeness (a.k.a. smiling face) on social media and in advertising. If they preferred not to, I would respect that. It was a discussion we always had and something I always got in writing before any photos ever got shared.
And if that new hire was under 18, written permission from their parent or guardian was required before any photos got posted on socials or in ads or in-store slideshows (which we ran on four different screens to engage guests and share our services through examples and smiles).
When my colleagues and I take on a new client and create a formal agreement to do an onsite visit, or for a client to come to us to do hands-on training at our training center, we make sure that they sign a media release so that we have full permission to share their likeness for our own social media and promotional endeavors.
Photo and video permissions are essential, especially in our litigious society and, I repeat, especially, especially, especially if any minors are in the background or foreground.
I was reminded of this last bit recently as I did two back-to-back store visits in a single day. At the first, Great-Uncle Marty got to hold his newborn great-nibling and also hang with her toddler cousin. So, as you can imagine, their parents and grandparents who were present took plenty of photos of me feeding the baby, burping her (successfully too, I may add), and rocking her to sleep in my arms (not quite as successfully).
Because I'm her honorary great-uncle, I got ahead of myself in posting photos, and there was one where her full face was showing. I was enamored and wanted to share that emotion with the world. Just after posting, I realized that that was sooo not cool and took the face photo down. I didn't have permission, even though her parents are my honorary nephew and niece-in-law. Did they want their baby's photo shared? I didn't ask. That wasn't my decision to make, so the face photo came down right away.
At the second store visit that day, there was a team member who was under 18. After discussions with the store owner, the permission form they had from his parents only allowed his image to be shared on that business's socials, not on mine. So, I was careful not to post any photos or videos where he was visible. Rather, I sent those photos and videos to the store owner so they could be shared properly and in line with protocol, if they so chose.
I hope you're all taking photos and videos like it's nobody's business, but not sharing them if it's indeed nobody's business. Social media is the best marketing tool we have at our fingertips. I want you to use it as much as possible to story-sell, but do so with a conscious effort to protect the privacy of your team, guests, clients, and their property. It's essential.
Onward!
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Marty Johnson is a Business & Leadership Coach at AYM High Consultants, a columnist, an editor, and Co-Host of the MoJo Motivation™ podcast. In 2023, he sold his popular shipping, storage, and printing business, Uncle Marty’s, and retired from shopkeeper life in order to focus on writing and coaching. Subscribe to his free newsletter and read more at askunclemarty.com; follow him on socials @askunclemarty.
