How do you watermark your photos?

[Chompy]

So I'm not the best and dont consider myself to be in the world of photography, I am currently doing a course and hope to get as much experience on my breaks as possible. How does everyone protect their photo's from 'being used' by other people? watermark just a corner or the whole lot?

I played around on the computer yesterday morning and come up with something which has my name on it and also a photo so chicks can be mirin and stuff when they see it.
(btw mine is only for a laugh)

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm71/ChompyR8/d1a3a0c4.jpg

[Rhys]

http://cameras.about.com/od/photoeditingtips/a/How-To-Watermark-Your-Photos.htm

[Tocchi]

Todd you do it by pouring water on your PC

[Chompy]

hmm i see.
the theory i have been going on the last 6 months:
1. buy camera - done
2. get logo/watermark with my sexy face in it - done
3. ????????
4. be rolling round with the sexiest girls taken lingerie/naked photos - yet to be done

[TJ]

Dont start marking pics until they are decent.

Otherwise your just another one of those guys.

[Crispymk2]

Dont start marking pics until they are decent.

Otherwise your just another one of those guys.

Lol. Buy DSLR
Take average photos of a few flowers, babies etc
Watermark photos
Make Facebook page about your new photography business
Because pro photographer

[Chompy]

Haha hence why none of them have a watermark on them yet

[RK 86 WA]

Lol. Buy DSLR
Take average photos of a few flowers, babies etc
Watermark photos
Make Facebook page about your new photography business
Because pro photographer

THIS!! pingpingpingpingS LIKE THIS ARE WORSE THAN pingpingpingpingS WITH INSTApingpingpingping PRETENDING LIKE THEY ARE SOME PHOTO GURU pingpingpingping!

Really grinds my gears. YOU ARE FUCKING SHIT

[TJ]

I am yet to meet ANYONE who uses instagram and claims to be a photographer...

[Chompy]

When I done this one I just put my name at the bottom, like I said Im not a photographer as Im learning but is this acceptable for putting my name down the bottom?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7131/6965409552_29f6499eba_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/66029350@N03/6965409552/)
Kings Park ANZAC Day 2012 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/66029350@N03/6965409552/) by Todd Arnold (http://www.flickr.com/people/66029350@N03/), on Flickr

[RK 86 WA]

If you use any medium to take photos, you are already a photographer.

Granted that there are leaps and bounds between what is a novice, amateur, professional.

Let me reword TJ.

If you use Instagram 'because it gives you awesome retro effects and shit' thinking that it makes your shit house photo subject suddenly develop depth and meaning, then you can go eat a bag of dicks.

[RK 86 WA]

When I done this one I just put my name at the bottom, like I said Im not a photographer as Im learning but is this acceptable for putting my name down the bottom?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7131/6965409552_29f6499eba_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/66029350@N03/6965409552/)
Kings Park ANZAC Day 2012 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/66029350@N03/6965409552/) by Todd Arnold (http://www.flickr.com/people/66029350@N03/), on Flickr

Name like that is fine I guess, im talking about those massive water marks through the whole photo

[Brodsta]

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom has awesome watermark abilities.

[WRCjosh]

facepalm

ill reference my post in the other thread.

can someone explain to me the need for a watermark?

http://www.nickbrandt.com/
http://www.morgannorman.com/
http://www.lynseyaddario.com/
http://www.artcoup.com/

some of the best in the world, and not a hint of wanky branding anywhere?


people arent going to steal your photos and steal potential earnings from you. this whole watermark bullshit is wank and it angers me

not to mention they are distracting as fuck, and in my opinion, detract from the aesthetic we/you as photographers are attempting to achieve by taking the fucking image in the first place!!!

less worrying about branding, more taking fucking photos.


discuss.

[Crispymk2]

Have had shots used for promotional material/adverts etc without permission in the past. I was working full-time as a photographer at the time so it did equal lost potential income imo.

A big dirty watermark would have stopped it, I do try and keep mine small and non-distracting and just make sure I post in low enough res that an image is unusable for anything serious.

The examples above, with the exception of Norman, all use the low-res samples on their sites or flash-based sites which make it harder to nab images. Plus they have the resources to pursue copyright violations.

[Skitzo]

Also, i do beleive Jan had an issue with some bloke stealing his photos.

[WRCjosh]

so why not do that? you dont need to post images all over the internet at print quality - not to mention, the small watermark in the bottom of an image can be easily cropped out.

[Sfidz]

eat a bag of dicks.

how does one eat a bag of dicks?

[WRCjosh]

jan's watermark isnt even on the image, its on his border.. Which incidentally, i think is the best way to do it from a marketing standpoint. Doesnt fuck with the image at all - but it can still be cropped out, so its not actually PROTECTING anything which is what everyones primary concern is.

[Crispymk2]

Also, i do beleive Jan had an issue with some bloke stealing his photos.

lol, I sacked the guy who stole Jan's images when I found out about it...

[[FFOUR]]

lol, I sacked the guy who stole Jan's images when I found out about it...

Awesome!! Small world.


jan's watermark isnt even on the image, its on his border.. Which incidentally, i think is the best way to do it from a marketing standpoint. Doesnt fuck with the image at all - but it can still be cropped out, so its not actually PROTECTING anything which is what everyones primary concern is.

I gave up trying to stop people stealing them - yeah its annoying but I don't rely on it for a living so shit happens. I just only post low res versions on the net nowadays with the small watermark on the border as you say, my portfolio page has higher res but in a flash site so a bit more effort to to steal them.

[Niva]

Yeah I took this pic of an abbo passed out outside freo train station and it pops up everywhere!! so annoying. wish I had watermarked it

[Halle Terry]

I'm in 2 minds about it - initially I started doing it because other people did it.

More recently I've just been getting lazy and not watermarking some of my stuff as it's a bit of extra fucking around, and they much nicer without them. And to be frank a lot of them don't warrant it at all, I just kept doing it so my stuff was uniform.

I want to make it clear that I'm not a photographer, just someone that likes taking photos. That said if a few of my photos (mostly just the Hakosuka pictures) got around and someone had removed the watermark I'd be pissed. It's nice having some recognition for stuff you're proud about.

[[Jacek]]

I want to make it clear that I'm not a photographer, just someone that likes taking photos.

You are a photographer.

[Halle Terry]

I disagree, in my opinion a 'photographer' is someone that makes a commercial living out of it or could be considered a professional.

[mod]

We are Enthusiast

[Magic]

People use watermarking the wrong way these days. If you're sending proofs to a client then a watermark over the image is necessary to restrict use on images besides those chosen and agreed upon. If you're uploading images to Facebook, forums etc, a small subtle name or logo on it is fine and works well not for the purpose of preventing copying, but moreso to track back who took the original image so that a potential future client has a name to search up and get in touch with you. I've got a bit of work from this but I think it's more about showing online presence of who you are. You can't get more known if no one knows which images you're taking. In a social world where lots of images are being shared around on Facebook and Instagram etc, they aren't making money off your images so it's a good way to take advantage of someone reposting your work to their network for free. If the photos are on your website already there's no need for a watermark imo. I think a lot of it depends on the subject matter too. Instagram has played a big role in people using copy-righten photos. The amount of copy-righten images I see saved from web/screen captured and crop on instagram is nuts, but who gives a shit really, it's someone appreciating your work. m2c.