That is the question that a lot of new photographers will ask. Most people will assume the watermark logo on a photographers web based pictures protect their pictures from being used by others without giving credit. But it doesn't.2007 - My first Watermarks looked like this:
I really realized how useless the watermark was when I started seeing my pictures on flyers for club events. Photoshop can crop out the body and post onto a flyer with no watermark like it's nothing. The only real way to protect your pictures is to make a huge clear watermark across you images. That tends to ruin the look of your pictures because the eye will be drawn into the watermark.The real reason photographers use watermark logo's is to promote themselves and for hope that if their photography is used, the logo will still remain. When I first started photographing people in 2007, I had debated if I should put a logo on my pictures or not. I came to the final decision that I was going to put my name on every picture I give out to make sure that I got my name out there. After all, those people were not paying for the pictures. People who did pay for pictures I gave a CD copy of all the pictures to do with as they please.Promoting my web site in 2010:
By the time 2011 came around, I had my reputation. The logo worked in all sorts of ways. I had people who where fans of my work, and people like other photographers criticizing it, telling people not to work with me because they could do better. I had my people I did want to work with, and a lot of people I didn't want to work with. The thing is, once you take good shots and you have more and more people happy with your work, they will recommend you. Word gets out. So you will be passed around like a little photography slut taking pictures of everyone. Family, friends, co-workers, people who heard from so and so. Good photographers are hard to find, and fans of good quality pictures will not forget you when you are branded as one.So I dropped the watermark. I actually didn't want anyone to know who took the pictures. I had selected the people I would work with and that is all there is to it. As a photographer, you don't need to be a celebrity. Photography is time consuming and an energy suck in all sorts of ways. Do you really want the entire world asking you to take a picture of them? "Take a picture of me! Take a picture of me! Oh camera God!"So back to how to prevent web based picture pirates. You can't. Not on the internet. As long as you make the resolution on your pictures no higher than 72, and keep the size of your pictures no more than 1000 or 11 inches in height or width (which is actually pretty big I recommend 800) no one can do much more with your pictures other than post them on their social networks, blogs and web sites. Here's the thing, if someone is running a business no one will take them seriously if they DON'T give credit to those they take from.Newest picture taken in February 2012 with model Shanese Campbell:
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