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Archive 2018 · Tips for placing your signature on a portrait

Smousefam5
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Tips for placing your signature on a portrait

I know “how” to do it, just want some tips on doing it appropriately. I’m sure some points are obvious but would love some input on sizing and placement. Thanks!

Dec 05, 2018 at 05:35 PM

Shepherd_in_CO
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Tips for placing your signature on a portrait

My handwriting sucks and trying to do it on the Wacom was producing even worse results, so I had PhotoLogo produce one for me back when they were $20 instead of $40. They send you a file and I set it up in Lightroom upon export. When you set it up in Lightroom you can customize the placement, size, etc for a variety of styles of photos so you just pick that watermark style from the drop down menu when you export your file. Probably not the answer you are looking for, but its quick and easy once you set up a few of them.

Dec 05, 2018 at 06:34 PM

Smousefam5
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Tips for placing your signature on a portrait

Yep...I do have a nice PhotoLogo I had made up a few months ago. They do a great job!

Dec 05, 2018 at 06:43 PM

007Boarder
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Tips for placing your signature on a portrait

Why are you...? If so, please make it extremely subtle.

Only time I every suggest having a watermark is MAYBE for social media posts. Beyond that.....just takes away from the photo and is distracting.

Dec 05, 2018 at 09:19 PM

Smousefam5
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Tips for placing your signature on a portrait

007Boarder wrote:
Why are you...? If so, please make it extremely subtle.

Only time I every suggest having a watermark is MAYBE for social media posts. Beyond that.....just takes away from the photo and is distracting.

I’ve always liked a signature on photos that were of a professional nature. To me it adds a personal and professional touch. To each his own.

Dec 05, 2018 at 10:08 PM

Sauseschritt
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Tips for placing your signature on a portrait

Suit yourself. But I dont know any famous photo that was ever released with a signature.

Dec 06, 2018 at 04:53 AM

Cincy Bruce
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Tips for placing your signature on a portrait

Sauseschritt wrote:
Suit yourself. But I dont know any famous photo that was ever released with a signature.

I'm not sure if I understand the term "released". If displaying publicly, anywhere, it's good practice to protect and to display ownership. If you sell the image then it should be up to the buyer as to remove it or not. They will own that copy. Moose Peterson displays a copyright on everything publicly displayed, but removes it when the image is purchased. He's a professional.

Just my opinion
Bruce

Dec 06, 2018 at 07:58 AM

007Boarder
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Tips for placing your signature on a portrait

Cincy Bruce wrote:
I'm not sure if I understand the term "released". If displaying publicly, anywhere, it's good practice to protect and to display ownership. If you sell the image then it should be up to the buyer as to remove it or not. They will own that copy. Moose Peterson displays a copyright on everything publicly displayed, but removes it when the image is purchased. He's a professional.

Just my opinion
Bruce

The concern here, to me, is with 5 seconds of work, your watermark is gone. Snapseed is a free editing app and they can clear a watermark in a matter of seconds. It’s my opinion that now a days, watermarks cause more distraction than they do preventing people from taking and stealing them for their own. I’ve added watermarks, then I have taken them off, and now I’m back to not using them. Other than the small signature FM adds during embedded photo posts. Again. Simply my opinion. Wrong to many I’m sure.

Dec 06, 2018 at 08:16 PM

Smousefam5
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Tips for placing your signature on a portrait

If I’m doing portraits for someone it’s me as an artist signing my work I guess. I’m really not worried about protecting my property.

Dec 06, 2018 at 08:20 PM

Shepherd_in_CO
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Tips for placing your signature on a portrait

(Cross posted at the same time the OP said the same thing more succinctly) For some, photography is an art. Like artists that work in other mediums that sign their work, having a watermark or PhotoLogo signature is a way to sign pieces you create. Maybe it is vain, maybe it's just having pride in one's own creation, to each their own.

Dec 06, 2018 at 08:25 PM

Cincy Bruce
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Tips for placing your signature on a portrait

007Boarder wrote:
The concern here, to me, is with 5 seconds of work, your watermark is gone. Snapseed is a free editing app and they can clear a watermark in a matter of seconds. It’s my opinion that now a days, watermarks cause more distraction than they do preventing people from taking and stealing them for their own. I’ve added watermarks, then I have taken them off, and now I’m back to not using them. Other than the small signature FM adds during embedded photo posts. Again. Simply my opinion. Wrong to many I’m sure.

Yes, they will take what they want, and when they want. Today, for every step taken to protect our photos a thief has 2 steps to steal it. I get it. But there are enough honest people out there willing to admire your photos. Without a signature who gets the credit?

Dec 07, 2018 at 08:35 AM

Danpbphoto
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Tips for placing your signature on a portrait

007Boarder wrote:
Why are you...? If so, please make it extremely subtle.

Only time I every suggest having a watermark is MAYBE for social media posts. Beyond that.....just takes away from the photo and is distracting.

While I agree with "007B", the theft of images is rampant. Watermarks really infringe upon the viewers view but I do understand the need if the creator deems it.

If one can be creative as a few here suggest, that would lessen the agitation for the viewer.
Dan

Dec 08, 2018 at 10:23 AM

cjgardineer
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Tips for placing your signature on a portrait

I'm interested in this as well. I'm not sure I'd use a watermark or something distracting, but it would be nice to hide a tasteful signature somewhere in my photos.

Dec 12, 2018 at 02:40 PM

Jay968
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Tips for placing your signature on a portrait

I honestly don't mean to be disrespectful of anyone but as I wade through many of the absolutely wonderful images here on this site, I almost always shake my head when I come across beautiful after beautiful image being totally destroyed by the signatures that so many photographers insist on inserting. I understand that many people think they are preventing others from stealing their images, but as someone else mentioned, it takes a matter of minutes if not seconds to remove these signatures if one really wants to do so. As a result, I (again not meaning to be disrespectful of anyone at all) often wonder whether the purpose of many of these signatures is just to make a statement trying to set him/herself apart from the many amateurs who post. In other words, not only do I find these signatures to ruin many great photographs, but I at times find them rather pretentious as well. If they HAVE to be there, they should at least be subtle at best.
Just my 2 cents worth.

Dec 15, 2018 at 11:32 PM

RyanDod
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Tips for placing your signature on a portrait

Thanks a lot!

Dec 17, 2018 at 04:28 AM

Smousefam5
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Tips for placing your signature on a portrait

I guess the proper question was “should I...”

Dec 17, 2018 at 12:54 PM

lighthound
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Tips for placing your signature on a portrait

Great discussion and one I find intriguing. I also have recently started to consider adding a signature to online images only, not prints.

To me it's not necessarily a theft deterrent but rather a way of showing pride in my work/art and to come out of my shell so to speak. To be honest though, I have a ridiculously small ego so I feel a little conceded by placing a signature on my images. Is it normal to feel this way?

I feel that visually, a tasteful non-intrusive signature adds a nice finished appearance if the placement is appropriate for the image.
I don't think signatures should always be on the right or always on the left. I think the image itself needs to dictate the placement (bottom left or right) so as to be as subtle as possible yet still be visible.

From a marketing standpoint, would this not be what is called "branding" ? I would think anyone who sells their work would want to use this name recognition tactic would they not?

IDK, I'm still in the early stages of this so I'm not sure which direction I'll go in the end.
It's helpful to read others thoughts about this topic.

Dave

Dec 18, 2018 at 09:51 AM


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