Back to Work Monday | Why Watermark Your Images

In the state of Maryland, a photographer owns the copyrights to images they take.  Many photographers, including myself, will offer to sell digital images from a client session.  This means the client will receive a disk or flash drive of edited images with a print release.  The print release gives the client printing rights to make reproductions as per the guidelines set in the release.  Some photographers limit the size in which you are allowed to print and others are more flexible on sizes and kinds of prints.  Many photographers will release a set of images for online use with watermarks.  Many clients want to know if they purchase the digital images then why the watermark?

Here is the answer, while the client is purchasing the digital images, the photographer still owns the copyright.  A print release is not a release of copyrights, a print release is just what it says, a release to make prints.  Images are stolen everyday for various reasons.  By having watermarked images, this first reduces the risk of an image being stolen and second if a watermarked image is stolen, it will be easier to recover or cease unauthorized usage than an image without a watermark.  I personally have in my contract that the client can not sell their images to a third party.  This means that if little "Susie" is wearing a name brand dress in the photos, little Susie's mom can not turn around and sell the image to the name brand for profit.

Some photographers have rules in their contracts against submitting images for contests with other photographers or for print.  It is up to the client to read the contract and understand what they are signing and agreeing to.  If the client would like to take the images with the purpose of using for print on a commercial level or selling to a vendor, this should be discussed and appropriately handled with the photographer ahead of time.

An image is considered copyrighted the moment it is made public.  Altering or copying of copyrighted work is against the law and is punishable with fines or even jailtime if convicted.

Bottom line to copyrights is that once an image is online, it is online.  While photographers can safe guard as much as possible, there are some criminals that if they are going to steal the image, they are going to take it watermarked or not.

Are you a photographer looking to watermark your images?  You can contact a local graphic designer to work with you on coming up with your own creative mark or start by typing your name across your images.  I recommend including a website for easy contact also but that is just me.

P 52 | Week 2 | I'm Blue

I am doing a 52 week project challenge with other photographers and this week we are doing something with the color blue.  There were no rules but just that the color blue be interpreted somehow whether it be a literal color or an emotion.  The top image was my favorite "blue" pick of the week.  All of the photos were taken this week but this one was my favorite spotlighting blue eyes.  The next photos was more of a moody blue.  This was taken on a heavily overcast day of Ocean City from one of my favorite local spots, Stinky Beach.  The last photo was an attempt to create a blue gradient through the lens.  I wasn't thrilled with the results and could probably produce something much cleaner in PS but it was neat to try something new.

{C} | Fun Family Photographer, Ocean City, MD

A new spin on the classic look of glamour.  Had a little fun with a fur coat and a new strobe. 

Locals Tuesday | Stinky Beach Photos | Ocean City Photographer

Stinky Beach, one of my favorite local hot spots.  I had seen this beach from the road as a kid but never really paid much attention to it until after we had moved down here.  This is the perfect beach for a lunch picnic or to watch the boats come in from the White Marlin Open.  We have seen a couple of Air Shows from this beach and even the fireworks on the fourth of July are a hit from this cozy spot.

While I thoroughly enjoy Stinky Beach as a nice little hang out, it makes a great place to take photos also.  With a little bit of beach and a place to step your toes into the water, I have had a lot of fun times taking photos from behind and in front of the camera.  This is a great option for senior photos who want nice photos on the beach and then want to do a trash the prom dress option after.  The photos of my husband and I were a trash the dress session of our own this past spring.

Back to Work Mondays | Balancing Life and My Photography Business

Having a photography business, much of your time is spent not on taking pictures but marketing, developing your business, advertising through blogs and social media, bookkeeping, learning new techniques, editing, placing client orders and networking.  It can be easy to lose sight of what is going on around you and right in front of you with so much to do on the business end.  Being a stay at home mom and having a home based business are two different things.  If you are devoting 110 percent to something, chances are you are lacking in other areas of your life.  I found myself in my first year of business editing hours on end after the kids went to bed.  Working on pricing, oh the pricing, marketing; at the end of the day there was not enough time or energy to do anything for myself that wasn't business related.  Everything was about building my brand, finding my style and getting my work out.  I began to feel my home life suffer and I knew if it kept up my marriage would suffer.

Having a photography business or any business means finding a balance that works well for you and your family.  While it is ok and certainly good for business to pour a lot of energy into getting off the ground, you have to prioritize your time and manage all of your responsibilities.  For me, I am a stay at home mom first.  I have three kids and a husband who get my first attention.  When I started my business I made my business plan for 1, 3, 5 and 10 years with the idea in mind that right now my children are young but in a few years they will be in school full-time and my time and availability will shift as our life changes.  I used much of my first year trying different kinds of photography to see what I liked to do and what I didn't care for as much.  While a good photographer can tackle most lighting and client situations, if your heart isn't into a certain type, the end product will show and that is something to try and avoid taking on.  There is also the factor of education, some types of photography require more skill and knowledge than others so I used that first year to soak up as much information as I could, reading and researching equipment, posing, editing and lighting.  I also took photoshop classes that year.  While I had learned how to shoot with film and had more than ten years experience, I was new to photoshop and needed to acquire the editing skills needed to achieve the looks I was going for in my images with digital photography.

I have set my business goals for 2013.  I have set a personal goal to edit sessions in 90 min or less.  This can be a bit ambitious depending on the number of end files and type but I am honing in on taking my images as close to sooc (straight off of camera) as I can get them.  There are some things a perfect exposure still can't fix but I am making it a personal goal of mine to not kill hours and hours editing away.  I am pushing boundaries with my lenses and getting more out of them than I have been.  This will be accomplished by experimenting with them and doing weekly challenges with other photographers beyond just portraits.  This year I will have more fun with my photography and take more exciting photos and family images.  This year I would like to share my gift with others, the first way to do this is by helping to raise money for Save-a-Limb and participating in the Olivia project.  One way I would like to share my work and talent with others is to feature a local business or tourist attraction every Tuesday and call it tourist Tuesday.  If you have a business that you would like to be featured, please contact me via email with your request and business information.

Are you a photographer reading this post?  Feel free to share your business goals for 2013.

Back to Work Mondays is a series of business related blogs for the professional and want to become professional.  These are all opinion based blog posts where I share my personal thoughts and experience being a professional photographer in today's market.

P52 | Week 1 | Rules of Composition | Ocean City Photographer

ISO 200, F 2.8, 1/250

I am doing a 52 week project challenge with other photographers and this week we are breaking the rules of composition.  While this would not make my top ten for client galleries because of the cut off of the right arm and left fingers, I personally enjoy the look of this photograph.  I like the sweetness and innocence of light contrasted with the dark hair and background.

{A} | Family Beach Photographer, Berlin MD

Trying something a little new and spontaneous with studio lighting.  Changing up the basic "headshot" or glamour shoot of the past.  More exciting images to follow!

Announcing the "Locals Tuesday" Feature | Dana Marie Photography MD Photographer

I would like to announce the start of "Locals Tuesday".  Every Tuesday I will be featuring a local business or tourist attraction on my blog.  The blog will consist of a description about the business and service they provide, what makes their business unique, a special going on if they have one and want to share it, and a photo or two from the business.  This is not a free photoshoot opportunity for businesses.  I may take a couple of images on my own for the blog (no charge) but this is not a full blown photo shoot by any means and business owners will not be given any unwatermarked photos that I take but will be permitted to share the photos and blog post from my blog.  This is a fun way to share about local businesses and help people network their businesses with mine.  Examples would be retail stores, gyms, attractions, artists, carpentry work, miscellaneous contractors, restaurants, etc.  Please send me an email if you would like your business or service to be considered for a "Locals Tuesday" feature.