"Should I use a watermark?"
Believe it or not this is a huge topic in the photography world. There are many varying viewpoints on the subject and I thought I would weigh in with my two cents; not because I feel that my reasons will put an end to the discussion, nor to sway you one way or the other if you are questioning your workflow on the subject, but to let you know why I chose what I did. As well, having my reasons out in public will also give insight to others when it comes to how I want my images handled.
Cons
- Where to put it? No matter where you place your watermark it invades the aesthetic beauty of your piece. This may not bother some, but it does bother me.
- It can be Photoshopped out. There are Photoshop masters out there. Chances are if they really like your image they will take the time to painstakingly edit out your watermark. So there may not be a point to having one.
- It can give the wrong impression. By this I mean that it can give the impression that you don't want your work shared. Or perhaps that you don't value your work as many professional artists don't watermark their images.
Pros
- People will know who it belongs to. Having a watermark in place will ensure that you are given credit for your work.
- It can drive traffic back to your website. If someone sees your image out on the web and they absolutely fall in love with it, if your image wasn't linked back to its original source by whomever first shared it, having a watermark will give the viewer a way to search for its origin and thus give them the opportunity to peruse, awe and subsequently fall in love with the rest of your fabulous work.
- It can give the right impression. Opposite from giving the wrong impression. Some may view this as a way to show how much you do value your work, that you are taking ownership of this magnificent piece of art.
Why I Watermark
I watermark for the pure reason that I want people to know an image is mine. I've never had success with SEO terms and so I know people aren't finding my work because of that. I share my images on various social media and on the chance that my work gets shared I want others to know who created it and where they can find more. I chose my particular watermark because it displays my brand. There is discussion that a watermark should be the URL address to your website because people will know exactly where to go to find your entire body of work. I agree with this, however, I chose not to use a web address for my watermark purely because I didn't like the way it looked. My brand is heavily based on aesthetics and I wanted all aspects of how I present my work to reflect that. For that reason I used my logo as my watermark. I assume that people are intelligent enough to conduct a Google search using the words in my watermark in order to search for my website. I also watermark in order to protect my work. I don't have access to a lawyer (in other terms, I can't afford one) in order to create "cease and desist" letters or to invoke other legalities for when my image is used in a manner I did not agree to. There are ways for the crafty to go around using my images in any way they like, and until I get them all officially copyrighted (which will be the subject of a future post) this is how I choose to protect my work.
There is no right or wrong reason to watermarking your images. Do what works for you. Weigh out your own pros and cons to using a watermark and decide what is most important to you in how you share your work. Happy creating!