To Sig or not to Sig?

[3n-Out]

I have seen many beautiful pics posted here on TPF. Some had sigs some didn't. My question is - is it terrible to put a signature stamp on your pics? I have seen a few people say things like "that's a wonderful picture just Axe the sig". Is it such a bad thing? I personally think sigs are part of the gig!

What about you?

[brad]

I've never seen anyone here say that... but I have had people tell me that in the past on other forums.

I put them on mine as a reminder to anyone who might lift it that they shouldn't... they'll have to take an extra step to remove it if it comes to that.

[ldelacruz]

I was up till 1AM last night trying to figure out this signature thing. You can bet that everyone of my photos will be stamped from now on.

[TXHARLEYGIRL]

I've been curious about this too. I'm also wondering if you put it on your final product too or just online?

[Shelby Lane]

Having had my stuff snagged before and "claimed" as another photogs work, you can bet that if it's online, it will be logo'd and watermarked. I don't put stuff online that hasn't been purchased, for the most part, so I am less worried about clients.

I hand-sign wall portraits and digitally sign smaller prints.

[brad]

Ya.. what Shelby said. Usually if I post online, its either already been paid or its a personal project... so either way, I'm not losing money ... now, someone taking it and claiming as theirs.. or making money from it themselves (including as advertising for their company).. that's a problem. And that's why its marked.

As it is, I'm thinking about making my mark even more difficult to just erase... something with a stripe across the middle, perhaps.

[carrbowl]

Or just be like some of us...stink so bad no one wants to steal your photos!!! :(

......someday when I grow up.....

[Truckman]

Originally Posted by carrbowl

Or just be like some of us...stink so bad no one wants to steal your photos!!! :( .....

Hey! That's my line......Ben

[3n-Out]

Unlike some of the professionals on this board I do all this for fun and as a hobby, albiet a serious hobby still a hobby. I sig everything I post here and make nothing larger then 600X429 when posting that way it will only be able to be used on the web or on a computer monitor. As for them ripping off my image, go fer it! :) I'm not to worried about that.

I think the larger question I had was to display your work here to sig it. I mean does a sig really take away from the image/art work? Although I have seen some sigs floating around this board that are just short of a VW bug in size...

[photonewb]

I did see a comment once on here that if you watermark your photos the guy wouldn't offer any critique. Kinda weird I guess.

There are too many people in the world trying to make a buck off of someone elses work, drop a little something in a corner and be done with it.

[kenw]

if someone won't offer a critique just because it's got a signature on it I really don't care to hear their opinion anyway.....

Some of the issues come from folks who watermark (technically different from a signature) so obtrusively that a decent critique is impossible as it covers most of the image.

[ggeen]

Hi folks. Thanks for this thread. I gifted some photographs to friends of mine around Christmas time. I debated signing the photographs, signing the mat, or just plain. I decided on plain. On discussing this with a coworker, she said that I should have signed the photograph. Once I decide on a method, I think that I will start signing my prints -- at least the ones worth a darn. :)

[Larry_L]

Gotta love WTD.

[iCe]

Originally Posted by ldelacruz

I was up till 1AM last night trying to figure out this signature thing. You can bet that everyone of my photos will be stamped from now on.

You need to use the site search engine. I put a tutorial together on how to create a sig brush that makes the sig as simple as selecting a brush and clicking. Bill Bunton had a javascript that did a simple sig...

[iCe]

Originally Posted by 3n-Out

I have seen many beautiful pics posted here on TPF. Some had sigs some didn't. My question is - is it terrible to put a signature stamp on your pics? I have seen a few people say things like "that's a wonderful picture just Axe the sig". Is it such a bad thing? I personally think sigs are part of the gig!

What about you?

No- it's not a bad thing. It doesn't matter why you are a photographer, if you post it and someone wants it they will steal it. Make no mistake... it is stealing...

The signature kind of becomes your calling card. I also write my information to the EXIF. I do it in Bridge and then, in case I forget to do it in Bridge, I include adding my info to the EXIF in the action that I run that resizes the image to 800px on the long side, sharpens, and saves (for posting here and a few other places).