To watermark or not to watermark. That’s the question.

In that age of AI and how much easier it is now more than ever to remove watermarks from photos, why would anyone bother to do it?

I hate over the top, intrusive watermarks. You can’t appreciate that art and it’s just tacky. I do, however, put a small, fairly translucent watermark in a corner of my photos. I don’t do it because I think it’s going to stop someone from stealing my photos. That would be foolish.

I put a small watermark on my photos because I EXPECT someone to download and reshare my photos, probably without credit to where it came from. And if they do that, and they happen to be lazy enough to not remove the watermark, at least there’s then a chance someone who really likes the art will seek out the source.

I don’t think I’m protecting anything with these watermarks. I’m just using it as a way to perhaps bring more attention to myself and get more people to check out my other photos if one of them happens to blow up somewhere.

But trust me, I do not expect my photos are that good to go viral for any reason. You just never know though what people will like. So, why not leave your mark somewhere on your art?

Who knows, maybe something in the future will change my mind about it. But for right now, I figure it doesn’t really hurt, you don’t notice it unless you’re looking for it and who knows if it’ll help bring more people to me in the future.

So, for now, I’ll keep doing it. And that’s just one perspective on it. Many people have many different views and opinions on to watermark or not, and each and every one of those reasons is just as valid as the other.