To Watermark or Not To Watermark?

That is the question…

There is a lot of controversy out in the world of photography about whether or not to watermark. Many people feel that it is a distraction to the image, while others are afraid their hard work will be stolen to go on someone else’s marketing campaign, or just outright ripped off with someone giving credit to themselves or taking credit from others.

Although some watermarks are ugly and distracting, and actually do distract from the image, a small watermark should be used, and here’s why:

Many of us want our images out in the blogosphere, and others to SHARE our work – that is, after all, how we get our names and our work out there, and get to be known. Here is the problem: after one or two shares, the original artist is no longer attached to the photo, and exif data (explained here) is stripped by many websites. Once this happens, our name or business is no longer associated with our photos.

The Fix: Make a small, opaque, but CLEAR watermark with your name or company name in the corner of the photo. Yes, it can be cropped, and yes, if someone is really out to steal work, they can do it. However, MOST people are out to share beauty, humor, or originality with others, and don’t know how to preserve the integrity of the original artist.

When I see a photo I want to share, I always look for the original artist so I can attribute the work and direct it to THEIR website. I am the one posting, and simply by clicking on my profile or my name, they can find my info. It is also really frustrating to wonder if the person posting the photo is an artist, or just likes to share pretty pictures.

So – I say Watermark – but tastefully!

What do you think? Should you watermark? Do you hate it/love it when others do? Leave a comment below!

One other piece of advice: Place your name/biz name as part of the photo name in the file as part of the name.

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~Capturing The Moment~

     ~Phaedra~

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