In-N-Out Demands Photographer Remove Viral Images of High School Football Team
In-N-Out forced a high school football team to remove a series of viral images taken by a professional photographer that were shot at a local restaurant.
High school football teams across America doing photo shoots at their local hangout spot has become a photo trend recently.
Lincoln High School in Sacramento wanted to do a similar shoot at their local In-N-Out, the spot where the team unwinds after training and games.
They hired photographer Glenn Silva and together obtained permission from the local store manager there, who agreed to open the fast food joint early so they could do the shoot before opening hours.
The resulting photos of the team posing outside of In-N-Out and pretending to serve burgers in the drive-thru were a success on Instagram, where they received over 600,000 views and over 26,000 likes.
Takedown Request
SFGate reports that In-N-Out is infamously stingy with promotion and media access. Not long after the photos were posted, the beloved burger chain sent an email to the photographer and the high school demanding the photos be removed.
“In-N-Out Burger takes the protection of its brand, trademarks, and trade dress very seriously,” the email read, per SFGate. “The unauthorized use of our restaurant premises, signage, logos, or any other proprietary elements in your content may constitute a violation of our intellectual property rights.”
Silva tried to plead his case and obtain retroactive approval, noting that the store manager had consented to the shoot. However, In-N-Out requires approval from the corporate level, so the photographer was told the pictures had to go.
“I didn’t grow up with social media,” Silva tells SFGate, reflecting on the struggle that working photographers face in 2026.
“I’m trying to get better at it, but it kind of hurt — it just sucks because that could have been the start of something. Not to say that I still don’t have a chance, I just gotta get better at doing these types of shoots.”
It’s unfortunate for Silva and for the Lincoln High School football team. But permissions can be a thorny issue: in June, the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, the world’s oldest photography museum, introduced a hefty fee to shoot on the grounds.
Image creditsHeader photo licensed via Depositphotos.
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