Digital Photography

• Upload only low-resolution photos. That way, at least the pixel-pickers won’t be able to use your photos on print materials without your permission.
• Add a watermark. A watermark is just a bit of text that indicates that you hold the copyright to the photo, as shown here. You can create a watermark by simply adding some semi-transparent text to the image in your photo editor. Sure, it obscures part of your image, but if
  you keep the opacity of the text low enough, people can still get a good look at your picture. Just be sure to add the text to a copy of your original in case you want an unwatermarked version some day for your own use. And don’t place the watermark too close to the edges of the photo — that makes it too easy for would-be picture thieves to simply crop it away.
• Check your account settings. Many photo-sharing sites enable you to specify whether you want others to be able to download your images. Obviously, you want to disable that option.
• Choose a photo-sharing site carefully. Some sites are more concerned about protecting photographers than others and have more stringent processes in place to help discourage photo thievery. And read the membership terms of service carefully. At some sites, signing up for a membership gives the site unrestricted use of your images. I think that’s fine for sites that simply may want to use your photos in their own marketing materials — for example, an ad that touts their photo-sharing features. But some sites go farther and allow use of your photos by other entities. Not cool, IMHO.

If you’re a professional photographer (or hope to be), there are other, more sophisticated strategies you can try. But the bottom line is that a persistent hacker can get around any safeguard except clear watermarking, so the ultimate rule is, if you want to be absolutely sure your photos aren’t stolen, don’t make them publicly available.

Online photo communities — sites where photographers post their images for anyone to view and critique — are great sources of inspiration and a fun way to share your love of the art with others. Unfortunately, they’ve also become happy hunting grounds for lowlife prowlers who don’t want to pay for pictures they use on their own web sites, blogs, or other marketing materials. Hey, why should they pay the photographer when all they need to do is find an image they like, download it, and scurry back to their cyber-hideout?

Don’t think this issue is just a problem for people who earn a living from their photography, either. Do a Web search on the phrase “photos used without permission,” and you’ll find countless reports from casual photo buffs who’ve had their images used illegally. And you’ll find more than a couple of stories about photos that wound up on sites that are, shall we say, “less than wholesome,” which creates a concern that goes way beyond proper compensation for the photographer.

Personally, I share my photos only through sites that enable me to password protect my galleries and restrict people unknown to me from accessing them. But let’s say that you do want to join a photo-sharing group — again, they’re great fun, and you can get a lot of good feedback to help you improve your pictures. You can take a number of steps to help protect the integrity of your pictures, and I’ll explain those in my next missive.