Episode 4 – Watermarks?
- January 19th, 2009To celebrate MLK Day and to honor tomorrow’s Presidential Inauguration, this week’s Fast Track Coaching is free to everyone.
To make it even better, our guest host this week is none other than Jessica Claire! You don’t want to miss this Coaching Event!
Just CLICK HERE to listen in (no password required this week). The LIVE Event starts at 4pm Pacific (Monday January 19th).
- Dane
AskDane is a production of The Bui Brothers
Tags: bui brothers, dane sanders, watermark
January 19th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
I think a lot of newer photographers in a sense other than commercial put a watermark on an image to say “i took that picture”, and more times that not, the image is awful.
In a commercial sense, I think that it is horrible to have watermarks on an image. If you don’t trust your client (?!) then why not give a smaller or lower resolution version until payday?
I hardly ever watermark my stuff. It has always seemed like a really amateur way of handling things, even though thats basically what I am – an amateur. The appropriate way to me is to copyright your stuff and take things from there. A watermark doesn’t seem like enough of a case to win anything in court anyway, although I am no lawyer.
Anyways, that is just my two cents.
January 19th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Hey Dane!! You had me cracking up at the beginning of your episode {ggg}…..Okay here’s my opinion on watermarks and I know everyone is sitting on the edge of their seats!! I don’t feel it’s necessary to watermark your images from your clients and I love when clients use their images on social networking sites too (another great networking route)!!! Sadly, I’ve read on a few forums that other photographers (usually children/family portraiture photogs) watermark so other photographers don’t use their images. With all that being said, I’m a believer in karma so if anyone tries to misuse my images a female hand waving-n-pointing her finger comes out of their computer screen saying “Oh no you din-it!!!” LOL Thanks again for the smiles this afternoon!! =)
January 19th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
I watermark my images because it allows me to give my clients the freedom and flexibility to “steal” the images off my blog and use them however they want. I’m super happy when I see my blogged photos up on facebook or myspace because not only are the clients getting to show off their photos, I’m getting free advertising to all of their friends. It works out great for everyone involved.
January 19th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
I have the same sentiments as Stacy. I don’t know if the issue is putting your logo in a corner or putting your logo over the WHOLE image.
I think it is important to have your website URL & logo on the image so when I put it on Facebook or if a client puts one of the images on facebook/myspace people who look at it know where to go to find me.
Since posting my blog images into Facebook and Myspace and tagging them, I have received at least 3 clients because they were able to find me through my logo/url on the photo. Not sure if the issue is if you should put a small logo on the photo or one completely over it.
What I do: http://pbinderphotography.blogspot.com/
What I think is bad: http://www.dphotojournal.com/wp-content/tutorial/watermark/watermark-1.jpg
January 19th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Hey thanks Dane!
This was really fun. I only caught the last 15 minutes, but it was helpful to hear Jessica discuss pricing! Thanks for the Free Holiday Monday! Keep up the great work!
January 19th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
ok dane, that initial bit about the watermark was classic. Funny guy! Also, a thoughtful answer. gotta chew a little more on that…
January 19th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
I ‘tag’ mine. Like a pair of designer jeans…… it lets people know where the rockin’ photo came from, without being obnoxious or overbearing. (Yes, clients occasionally crop off my tag…. but overall, they’re proud to have a KaBloom image, and I’m proud to have made it for them!) :) I love my clients. I treat them well, and they respect be back. Good karma never hurt anyone!
January 19th, 2009 at 9:15 pm
Hey Dane,
First… LOL on the initial watermarking! That was awesome! :-)
I can tell you being a person that has to deal with the folks out there that are pirates, that it can be difficult. Which I tend to lean more towards watermarking my photos when in social environments (e.g.; My Space, Facebook, etc) especially since some of the social sites can say your work is theirs if it’s on their site.
Plus it’s nice to know that someone contacted you because they saw your name on your photos on a blog or similar.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this sensitive topic – cheers!
David Esquire
Esquire Photography
http://www.esquirephotography.com
January 19th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
I love the logo fade in! Very clever!
My personal opinion is to forget about watermarking the images. I think it takes away from the integrity of the image and usually makes it look like garbage. However, I think putting your logo in the corner or just on the image in some way is a good idea because it not only lets people know who took it, but also doesn’t take anything away from it.
People are going to steal our images and we have to deal with that. If we put our logos and/or website URLs on them it will just generate more traffic to our websites and boils down to free advertising.
-Brett
P.S. The coaching session with Jessica was great. Thank you so much for doing that and thanks to her for the excellent insight!
January 20th, 2009 at 6:04 am
::This comment was written by Fed::
I think why stop at images. Why not watermark everything. My wife thinks I’m pretty crazy when I cook and brand all the food on the plate, But I just think it is cool heating a branding iron and pressing it into a burrito.
No really. We brand our Blog images but I don’t like the idea of stamping wallets and prints that go out the door. They pay for the images when we shoot them and the prints, I don’t think we should put our names on them they know who took them.
::Please don’t steal my comments, it makes The Feds sad::
January 20th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Yeah I don’t like a watermark that makes me seem un-trusting, un-inviting, or un-anything. For me, I explicitly note that clients can take images directly off my blog or website and paste them on their own blog, myspace, facebook, etc. I WANT them to be that happy about my images!
SOMETIMES I do put my URL at the bottom / corner, very faintly, but not to deter theft. I do it simply to let people know where the image came from, who took it…
I think the bottom line is that in this day and age, GONE *should* be the concept of stamping each delivered print with your logo, and gone should be the concept of a giant X-stamp of PROOF, or COPYRIGHT across all your digital images. That’s the bottom line / main philosophy, for me. A small “tag” like Khara called it is only a matter of personal preference…
=Matthew Saville=
PS: THANK YOU Dane and Jessica, for not just answering one of my questions this round, but for completely bringing to light something that is at the core of my being… I have much to think about and work on…
January 21st, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Hi Dane,
I just found this site and all your cool videos! Keep it up, they are GREAT!!
thanks!
Katie
January 22nd, 2009 at 6:21 pm
I can see it is personal pref. We actively encourage clients to choose 10 images for spacebook/myface and we ensure they have the web address on the bottom (i think this has earned us close to 10K in business we wouldn’t have won otherwise).. it is awesome viral marketing. We don’t watermark the images in client galleries or on our blog (the blog image is a PS template which includes our text etc).. and yes one client has ‘borrowed it’ .. but really if you give them images to share on facebook/blog etc.. they don’t need to ‘steal’ they can just share freely (and advertise for you).
January 26th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Thank-you. I so enjoyed the Jessica Claire interview.
November 23rd, 2009 at 11:23 am
Your thoughts have me thinking of watermark and why I need to get on it!! With facebook, twitter, etc. branding our photos is important