Many of my peers in hobbyist photography “watermark” their photographs, both on their websites and certainly on any social media or group sharing sites.  And yet many of the pro photographers I follow don’t do this, even though they arguably have more of a reason for doing so.

A watermark is an identifier that sits overtop of some portion of the image.  It is usually semi-transparent.  The identifier could be the photographer’s name, their business name, or a combination of both.  A copyright symbol and year might also be included.  These labels might be simple white text or more elaborate logos and fonts.  They are most often placed in a corner of the image, but sometimes can occupy more central space.  Text sizes vary, but most are unobtrusive, aiming not to interfere with proper viewing of the image.

Why do photographers use them?  It seems there are two main reasons:  to guard against theft and to advertise their work.  Let’s examine each of those purposes. Continue reading →