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Why do you sign your photographs?

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JonathanJK

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I've asked this before during a discussion and never created a discussion topic until now. I didn't get any response in that discussion so maybe this will give me some.

On my blog I simply ask. Why do you sign your photographs?

Though my blog allows me to be more winded and indepth with my question throwing in a reasonable argument for NOT doing it. I'm genuinely interested as the practice puzzles me because people who take holiday snaps don't do it and the people making money or defining photography don't do it but a lot of the photographers in between do do it. I'm wondering why.

So tell me why.
--
http://jonathanjk.wordpress.com/
 
I don't. If I need to provide information including my name, I put it on the back.

For a while I liked that artsy thing of putting a title, date and name in pencil under the photo, but after a while I saw it as trite and pretentious. And it distracted attention away from the photograph.

--
Read my blog -> http://radio.weblogs.com/0101365/
 
JonathanJK said:
I've asked this before during a discussion and never created a
discussion topic until now. I didn't get any response in that
discussion so maybe this will give me some.

On my blog I simply ask. Why do you sign your photographs?

Though my blog allows me to be more winded and indepth with my
question throwing in a reasonable argument for NOT doing it. I'm
genuinely interested as the practice puzzles me because people who
take holiday snaps don't do it and the people making money or
defining photography don't do it but a lot of the photographers in
between do do it. I'm wondering why.

So tell me why.
--
http://jonathanjk.wordpress.com/
Click to expand...
--

I am sure it is just a way of taking credit for ones own work. I want people to know that "I took this picture", and am proud of it, so I put my name on it.

That is my best opinion.

Conrad 'Bye Bye' Birdie
'Aspire to inspire before you expire'.
 
If you are proud of your work, you sign it. It is an image that you created.
Clients appreciate it and even ask to have their portraits signed.
 
The people taking family snaps don't need to worry about people stealing their images.

The high-end pros probably have imbedded tracking.

Imbedded tracking services are expensive for the casual shooter ~ $500 a year

I put my name on my photos not only to credit myself, but to prevent others from taking credit. Even so, I have caught a couple of my photos being stolen - usually product photos being used on eBay.

A month or so ago there was a guy on Flickr stealing a bunch of photos and putting them in his own gallery. He was dumb enough to leave watermarks on them. Most of them didn't have watermarks but those that did, I made sure I contacted the original photographers.
JonathanJK said:
I've asked this before during a discussion and never created a
discussion topic until now. I didn't get any response in that
discussion so maybe this will give me some.

On my blog I simply ask. Why do you sign your photographs?

Though my blog allows me to be more winded and indepth with my
question throwing in a reasonable argument for NOT doing it. I'm
genuinely interested as the practice puzzles me because people who
take holiday snaps don't do it and the people making money or
defining photography don't do it but a lot of the photographers in
between do do it. I'm wondering why.

So tell me why.
--
http://jonathanjk.wordpress.com/
Click to expand...
--
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Even if you can't donate, please help spread the word.
 
I find it a little over the top myself, because you're typically seeing a photograph on the photographers website/gallery or posted by the photographer in a forum, so you already KNOW who took it. It seems redundant and therefore comes across (to me) as just a touch egotistical. Depends on the appearance; a little typed copyright type "photo by John Doe" in the corner won't have the same effect as a big, obvious signature done in a fancy font or scanned handwriting ... or the pictures that are presented as one of those "fine art" posters with a wide white border around them and a title and "by John Doe" ... if you're going to take up 600x800 pixels, fill it with the picture !
  • Dennis
--
Gallery at http://kingofthebeasts.smugmug.com
 
I put my URL on my online images as a small watermark - I know it is far from the most effective watermark. If people do download one of my images they have a reminder of where it comes from. I am well aware that it makes the photos look worse.
--
Greg

When you've got a moment, have a look at my newly updated site including my blog:
http://www.wrightphotos.co.uk
also http://www.wrightphotos.co.uk/FromeInFocus

Winner of the South West Rural section of the BBC's Picture of Britain Competition.
 
JonathanJK said:
I've asked this before during a discussion and never created a
discussion topic until now. I didn't get any response in that
discussion so maybe this will give me some.

On my blog I simply ask. Why do you sign your photographs?

Though my blog allows me to be more winded and indepth with my
question throwing in a reasonable argument for NOT doing it. I'm
genuinely interested as the practice puzzles me because people who
take holiday snaps don't do it and the people making money or
defining photography don't do it but a lot of the photographers in
between do do it. I'm wondering why.

So tell me why.
--
http://jonathanjk.wordpress.com/
Click to expand...
--

Have you ever gone to an art gallery and seen the pictures on the wall. Aren't most of those signed, (if not all of them) by the Artist? Same theory! A photograph to some is art, and they simply want to sign it as art.

Conrad 'Bye Bye' Birdie
'Aspire to inspire before you expire'.
 
The ones in the galleries that I have seen are signed, and alot of them have the little card that is next to the image unless it is a painting. I've only ever seen paintings signed, even then it is discrete and for many they can be found on the back as well.

Understandable it can't be done with digital photography, but as another poster pointed out, their posted in people's flickr streams or posted by them in forums so we know its from them. In a gallery I've never seen an photograph signed.

Also while some think of their work as art, I think most of it is just pretty flowers, insects or food. Totally banal and not worth signing really. This goes back to my point about professional photographers or artist photographers you see in exhibitions, galleries and such... they don't do it so why should you?
(The general you, not you who I'm replying to).

@Conrad Birdie. Cars are different, of course they are branding exercise and a way to define themselves but the artist isn't putting his name on the car is he?

RE: Watermarks, pretty much pointless if the signature is serving that purpose but the signature is in the lower left corner, it can be cropped out. But like http://www.viiphoto.com/ do, they put 9 stamps or signatures in the image and while it does distract from the image slightly, they recognise they have to interfere with the images they produce in order to protect them. Forum goers or flickr members wouldn't do that and I've never seen it done at that level of photography because their image is so important in the first place, hence signing it and wanting people to see it and know it is from them!
Conrad Birdie said:
Have you ever gone to an art gallery and seen the pictures on the
wall. Aren't most of those signed, (if not all of them) by the
Artist? Same theory! A photograph to some is art, and they simply
want to sign it as art.

Conrad 'Bye Bye' Birdie
'Aspire to inspire before you expire'.
Click to expand...
--
http://jonathanjk.wordpress.com/
 
JonathanJK said:
The ones in the galleries that I have seen are signed, and alot of
them have the little card that is next to the image unless it is a
painting. I've only ever seen paintings signed, even then it is
discrete and for many they can be found on the back as well.
Click to expand...
It is more rare to not see a gallery photograph signed by the photographer than to see them signed.

Generally, framed gallery photos will have the signature on the matte somewhere, not on the photo itself.

And, if the images are for sale, you'll also find the prints numbered and signed.

What I find kind of strange is how many online (especially around here at DPR) that have websites, business cards and photos with 'So and So Photography' plastered all over them (like it is some kind of business or something), when in fact they really are just posting images and are not offering their photography as a service to anyone.

I used to do that (minus the website since this was before the internet) . . . it was my name with the word 'Photography' after it.

But . . . I also had a studio in a business location and a sign out front . . . Yellow Pages ad . . . with business hours five days a week . . . complete with a custom B&W photo lab . . . worked 60-80 hours per week . . . and made my full time living taking photographs and doing B&W processing by hand.

I don't know . . . I just think it is kind of funny . . .

--
J. D.
Colorful Colorado



Remember . . . always keep your receipt, the box, and everything that came in it!
 
Because the galleries who sell my images demand it.
Limited editions, of course, are signed and numbered.
Tom
--
(See equipment list under 'profile')
 
JonathanJK said:
Why do you sign your photographs?
Click to expand...


nothing less than this will satisfy - a simple, understated and classy treatment yet also informative.

;-)

RP
 
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