[header] How to legally combat private photo publication [title] Confirm your eligibility. [step] Generally, if you want to register a copyright in the photos you must have created the photos yourself. [substeps] You can't register a copyright in photos if you are the subject and not the creator-except if the photo can be categorized as a " work for hire " that you commissioned a photographer to create for you. 
However, you do have copyright ownership in any photos you create-even selfies-from the moment you create them. This means you have the exclusive right to publish or distribute those photos.