This simple trick will allow you to retain full rights to your photos and allow you to prove you are the original author, without the use of any watermark
- Crop the original image, slightly.
- Upload only the slightly cropped version of the image to the web.
- If you have found someone is using your work, you can prove you are the original author, as you can show them that you are the only person that has the full, uncropped version. Now you can prove you are the owner, and ask that they remove the stolen content, or they will be receiving a call from Saul. :P
- Be happy! :)
For example...
Original (retain this version)
-- Balmoral Beach, Sydney, Australia (original, crappy photo of mine using iPhone)
Cropped (publish this version)
-- Balmoral Beach, Sydney, Australia (original, crappy photo of mine using iPhone)
I understand, you may not want to crop as much as this, you don't need to, I only used this as an example. Just crop enough so that you do not destroy your beautiful work, but so you can still prove you are the original author.
Hope this may help some of you out there combat theft of your creative work, and that it allows you to present a stronger case to thieves for the removal of any of your stolen stolen work.
Kind regards,
Optimistic