I have been getting a lot of slack lately about watermarking my photos! People actually tell me I like your photo but remove the watermark, I find this happens on 500px mostly but other places too.
I am not really understanding how a small watermark in the lower corner that is out of the way really “takes away” from the image you are liking unless you want to “borrow” it for your desktop or other use.
On my Photography SmugMug Page Nicholas Pappagallo.com I also watermark my photos with my logo, copyright them in the metadata, right click protect them & make the viewable size small, to make it not as “steal-able” as a full size original. Do I not have the right to protect my intellectual property, that is out there in the open? Is this any different than a New Yorker Locking their bike up or you taking your keys out of your car when you go to the mall?
This is my feeling on the subject: Artists have forever watermarked their sculptures, paintings, photos, etc. Everything IS watermarked!! Go outside how many times is your car watermarked? – the steering wheel, the hood, the rear, the licence plate holder, the keys, the radio, the seats, the engine .. it goes on .. but you get the point .. you dont tell the dealer this is an awesome Ferrari but please remove your logos from it??
Every TV, Appliance, radio, etc is watermarked, some you love to show off such as your brand new iPhone 5, gloat about how you have a Harley or a BMW or your Canon or Nikon Camera … so why should I get short changed in this world of corporate branding?
Not only does it protect me ( A Little) but it brands the work to me so if they want to find more they can!
I say Watermark everything all the time! Argue if you want but if a small translucent signature is too much for you to handle, then you should have scratched the glowing Apple off your $2500 brand new Macbook Pro a long time ago, and painted over the signature of Monet, or took a crowbar to your Landrovers hood to get their logo off then come give me a hard time.
Rant over feel free to comment below and tell me how you really feel.
Nicholas Pappagallo
Nothing wrong with a watermark as long as it’s not offensive and distracting too much from the photo. I agree with securing your photos and I’ve gotten comments too about “I should remove the watermark”. Think of it like locking up your car, bout the time you decide you don’t need to lock it is when someone will steal it. I’ve been a graphic designer for over 13+ years and had to explain to co-workers that they can’t “borrow” an image off the interent even if it’s just for a PPT presentation. I made sure to send them a link to iStock and let me know what image they want to purchase. I think most of the time when an image is stolen it’s ignorance, not out to steal money from photographers.
If you are trying to make a life out of photography or get discovered for your work, yes, by all means go ahead and watermark your photos, after all, they are your “sculptures” and every artist does that. I personally am only getting the satisfaction that I can share with the world what I see through my eyes and capture in the lens and the adventures that I take so, only certain pics get watermarked and I don’t usually share those online.
I agree on watermarking. I feel it sets me apart from OPWC. I am a Professional and have the rights to all my images, If a client wants an image without my brand on it, Then they can pay the price.
I agree and do everything you listed in the article. One of the primary reasons I use SmugMug!
-Dave
I think everything is ok to be watermarked. From ancient times people have been signing their works. If a client or buyer of an artwork desires a nonwatermarked copy, they can simply request one from the artist who they can find out from the watermark! It’s so simple for someone to steal an image, even if artists take everymeans for their work to be protected. Anyone can “Printscreen” from their computer or “Screenshot” from their phone now. Physical items are the same way. Watermark like crazy !!
Watermark! Till they pay me to take it off so they can use it 😉
I agree with Karen in that if I want to protect only certain images that could possibly be used as sellable images, I will watermark as well as downsize the image. Otherwise, I usually don’t mind sharing my images on FB or over email without a watermark, though I will still downsize the image to a roughly 5×7 print. Great topic and insight Nick!
I always watermark and downsize before sharing online…. my watermark is very faint and doesn’t distract I don’t feel…. I do it simply for the fact of I don’t want people to be able to do whatever they want with my images…. without me getting some sort of credit for it… if they want to copy and share it.. that’s great!! My watermark will put my name out there in the public… share away!! I agree that the people who complain about the watermark are the people who are looking to do something with it… whatever it might be… and the watermark is in their way… Great post Nick!! 🙂
I agree totally. I seldom share pics online without a watermark , but I always adjust the opacity to make it mostly transparent. I like it to be there for protection and recognition, but also do not want it to really take away from the picture. As someone stated above, if someone wants a copy without the watermark, they can feel free to pay me for it.!
I watermark every picture that I post online, anywhere!… Unless they’re just family snapshots or of no possible business importance. I also never post high resolution images online and as Nicholas said in his blog post, I also update the metadata for each image. This helps protecting my work as well as getting my name out there!… There are a couple of apps for iPhone and iPad that you can use to watermark images: I have used both Phonto (for text watermarks only) and iWatermark (that lets you include graphical/logo watermarks) and they both do a decent job. Otherwise I use Lightroom4 and a plug-in called LR/Mogrify2 to watermark my Canon images. Now that I’ve upgraded my iPhone 3GS to the new iPhone5, I plan to watermark my iPhone images even more than before!
I totally agree with your comments and almost always watermark my images with my logo and appreciate the features for watermarking and protection that I get using SmugMug! Great topic Nick…well written and appreciated!
Watermarking for “protection” is laughable. You should watermark subtly and tastefully, for branding purposes.
For protection, you should register your images with the copyright office. That is real protection with teeth. Watermarking should be like a painter signing his painting in the corner.
I’ve shared many photos on various sites without adding watermarks. That changed when I saw some of my photos used on Facebook WITHOUT ATTRIBUTION and WITHOUT METADATA (Facebook). All I expect is be acknowledged for my work.
As Evy mentioned…until I’m paid to remove it…the watermark stays. And the sizing is suitable for web viewing. It’s the people without enough imagination to see past the watermark who are complaining about them being there. And they are probably the people “borrowing” the photos in the first place!
Watermarks are hardly perfect. We all know why we don’t want to watermark, and we all know that someone with Photoshop skills can clone it out. But it seriously sucks when you don’t watermark and suddenly find your image all over the internet with people claiming that they took it.
If people wouldn’t copy photos and pass them off as their own, I would stop watermarking. I’ve gone from no watermark, to a small one in the lower right, to a watermark that is translucent across the center of the photo. I resisted doing that for a long time. However, I came to the view that if people are looking at your work then they shouldn’t care about the watermark because they will visualize the work with out it. There have been cases of people copying other people’s work and passing it off as their own. This is like the old film days when a photograph wanted to protect his or her photo session proof were given in printout paper which would fade with sunlight. Professional studio photographers use to and still may emboss their work to prevent copying. The agencies I work with watermark the photos until sold. However, it’s up to each individual and their comfort level.
Watermarking~Branding~Signing ones creative art is an IMPORTANT action.What you see and how you react upon viewing your subject or image through your cameras lens, displays your unique creativity and art. You invest in equipment, time to keep your photography business in positive drive and do your best to be ethical and to understand the rules to sharing and to selling. When it comes to pirating another photo without permission then there has to be a simple rule that all can abide by. Back up a copy and keep the original. I am learning about photography. There is much to learn and the Photography Adventure Club, founded by Nicholas Pappagallo has taught me so much. The PAC members are strong and they assist by sharing their experiences and provide basic suggestions through the shares of images, training and blog such as this wonderful one. Unless there is a tangible law that would protect photographers from having their photo’s stolen, watermarking should not be an issue. Like most of you have eluded to, you work hard for your business to succeed and unless it goes on sale, your photo is not for free. I know I’ve given permission to share a photo or two of mine but I make sure my original is saved. I have not put my name out yet, but who knows, like all of you, one day I will. Peace 🙂
I think we all agree that a watermark can’t truly “protect” an image, only deter unauthorized use. The same can be said for copyrights.
Some photographers feel strongly about creating and sharing photos as art, without any branding or reference back to them as the artist. Others consider watermarking a necessity for business purposes. Personally, I have benefitted from having my website watermarked unobtrusively on online photos, and also from having my contact information on printed event posters. I used to do a lot of live performance photography, and when my photos got shared, people would contact me with work.
In my opinion, both schools of thought are valid – It just depends on what you’re doing with your photography, and how well established your brand is.
About an hour ago I found three of my photographs that were stolen by my web designer. I’ve had my site hosted by him since 2005. There are watermarks on most of my photos, but a select few were uploaded without my name on them. These images were used on a website he owns, to promote our resort city. Three weeks ago, I began building my own WordPress site and decided not to use watermarks. There are over 300 photos (960 pixels wide) already posted. On Monday, I’m starting over! My photos have been stolen by millionaires, city governments, book publishers and now my own web guy. They all know creative works are copyrighted, but they steal to avoid the minor cost of compensating photographers.
I am so sorry to hear this has happened to you have you sent Letters asking them to be removed? We have a Lawyer @Ruth Carter who helps with getting you compensated