Digital images, like text, must be cited when used in papers, articles, books, etc. Don't forget that citing a digitized version of an image is different than citing the original object.
A Short Guide to Writing about Art by 
A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations by Consult citation style guides (typically Chicago Manual of Style or MLA Handbook) and note the components below while you are collecting and managing your images—this will save time later when you cite your images. Citation style guides will detail specific formatting, but these are the major parts:
Here is an example of a proper citation for a photograph in Chicago Style. The image is from the Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division online catalog.
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| Footnote or Endnote |
| Ann Rosener, "Don't let pretty labels on cans mislead you," 1942, Photograph, Washington D.C., Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, FSA – OWI Collection, http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8e10753. |
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| Bibliography |
| Rosener, Ann. "Don't let pretty labels on cans mislead you," 1942. Photograph. Washington D.C., Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, FSA – OWI Collection. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8e10753 (accessed June 10, 2008). |
Additional citation guidelines:
A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations by Kate L. Turabian is available at numerous Yale Libraries has ample information in a section called Visual Sources. Turabian style indicates paintings, sculptures, photographs, and other artworks should only be cited in notes, not bibliographies. Titles of paintings are italicized while titles of photographs are set in quotation marks.
Examples:
Georgia O'Keefe, The Cliff Chimneys, 1938, Milwaukee Art Museum.
Ann Rosener, "Don't let pretty labels on cans mislead you," 1942. Photograph, Washington D.C., Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, FSA – OWI Collection, http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8e10753.
Provided by Ian McDermott, formerly Assistant Librarian at the Yale Center for British Art
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