Changed my mind about watermarking after a coffee shop conversation

I was grabbing a latte at this spot in Austin last week and overheard a photographer telling the barista he stopped watermarking because clients just crop them out anyway. It made me realize I've been wasting hours adding watermarks that do nothing when I could just send low-res proofs first. Has anyone else ditched the watermark and seen better results?

2 comments

2 Comments

jennybailey8d agoMost Upvoted

Low res proofs feel like a solid middle ground but what happens when a client takes your low res file and posts it anyway? Crop or filter it, claim it's theirs, and now your work's out there looking like trash with your name nowhere near it. Watermarks might not stop everyone but they at least make it harder for someone to pretend they shot it themselves. Are you really okay with your name being completely detached from the final thing that gets shared around?

owens.laura7d ago

Oh man, I had a client grab a low res proof of a family shoot and post it on their business page with a filter slapped over it, my credit just gone like I never touched it! It's way too easy for people to snatch those and do whatever they want, watermarks feel like the bare minimum to keep some control over your own work.