This is not a grey area. This was a photograph taken from this site, how I understand it: https://www.kasiawojcik.com/bizuteria/srebrna/kolczyk-bold-01-silver,119

A friend of mine is a photographer. I know how much energy and time it takes to make a good picture. At least, you are dealing with living humans, you invite them to a real location, you use your physical effort to get to the place where you shoot. Afterwards you rework the pictures digitally on the computer, alter them until you are satisfied with your own standard and try to sell them for customers, websites, artist-magazines, fares etc. etc.

Now you come and say to the photographer something about a "grey area".