Whether you’re a professional or simply an amateur looking for some peer recognition, putting logos in your photos is a highly debated question in photography. For some, adding a watermark is as habitual as adjusting white balance or exposure in Lightroom. For others, watermarks are seen as distractions. In case you belong to the first school of thought, here are some quick tips from David Bergman:
The idea behind a watermark is that if a potential client likes your work, they can find you based on the information you put on your photo. Your watermark must satisfy that purpose.
Don’t make it too big and obnoxious. Sure, any potential thief would have second thoughts about stealing an image with a large watermark right smack in the middle of it. But, a watermark like this will ruin your image.
Is your watermark a distraction?
Using your business logo is a good idea. However, if the logo is too artistic or the information is impossible to decipher, then it makes no sense either.
Artistic Watermark
Create a simple one liner. In Photoshop or Lightroom, create a watermark that contains a copyright symbol, your name, and contact information. Bergman suggests something like this:
Use contrast. Use black text for lighter colored backgrounds and white text for dark backgrounds.
Create a Photoshop action. You can add your watermark to all photos in a couple of mouse clicks.
At the end of the day, keep in mind that you don’t want to overdo the watermark thing.
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I like to use white or black lettering with effects like outer glow using the opposite color to make my watermarks work on both light and dark photos. And if you choose to watermark, it’s definitely worth taking the time to create an action or actions because they save so much time in the long run!