There are two ways to go about this. Let’s talk first about our own work and putting it onto the internet. To protect ourselves from others copying and pasting our work into their own albums without credit (yes, I have had this happen to me!) it is important to watermark our work, always.
If I am doing a custom job for an individual / family (portrait or wedding, for example) I will provide for them a disk with the images on it. This gives them the opportunity to look through all the (edited) images and they can choose which of those images they want to print. If they do choose to put some of those images on a family site or facebook, I advise that they must give me a "credit line" on the website or on facebook / other networking sites.
What about if these same individuals / families ask me to print some of the images for them? Many times this is the case as I suggest certain images to be printed on special paper and inks, and have a specific printing company that I like to use. In this case then, I will attach a sticker onto the back of the image with my information on it.
I have seen where some photographers sign their work directly onto the image with an acid free archival artist paint pen. This is also an option and can look really beautiful. I’m sure we’ve all seen photographs that our ancestors had done and back then, it was one way that photographers not only marketed themselves, but also set themselves apart by their signature.
If I am doing some project work for a corporate client, I give them a license that specifies exactly what they can and cannot do with the photos, but they are not watermarked.
We can all learn much more from the book "Best Business Practices for Photographers" by John Harrington.
I wish you happy snapping,
Benj
Tags: copyright, copyright law, internet protection, logos, pBenjamin Arthur Photography, photography best practice, prague photographer, prague photography, shooting tips, tips, Tutorials, watermarking images, watermarks
