Photographers who use prominent watermarks are losing business. Image theft is a valid concern for a professional, who makes their living based on receiving money for the use of their creative works, but I think watermarks do harm to a photographer's business for a variety of reasons.
First, in our survey of professional photo buyers, an overwhelming majority of them stated that an image with a prominent watermark is less likely to be licensed than an image without any watermark at all.
Second, images that are heavily watermarked are less likely to be shared by others via social networks. For example, let's consider those photographers who use the embedded slideshow gallery option available through PhotoShelter. These are great little social media tools that allow other people to post your images on other websites - all while always maintaining a link back to your site. (Also known as "going viral.")
If the photographer places a prominent watermark on top of the images, people will be less likely to pass it on to others, or to post it to their blog, or share it.
Third, the presence of a prominent watermark sends a subtle signal to a photo buyer that you might be a difficult person to work with. That you're more concerned with someone using your images without permission than you are about the images themselves. Some people may actually shy away from contacting you for this very reason.
I think it's important to build excitement about your images, and that's really difficult to do if you've got watermarks all over them.
If you don't watermark your images, will they be used elsewhere without your permission? Most likely, yes. But is that really a problem - or is it an opportunity?
Continue reading Watermarks: Protecting Your Images, or Damaging Your Business?.
2010. szeptember 3., péntek
A Picture's Worth | PhotoShelter
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