Watermark or not, I picked wrong at a Friday night gallery hop

Last month I showcased 12 pieces at a small gallery in Portland and had to decide between visible watermarks and clean images for the QR code prints. I went with no watermark because the organizer said it looked more professional, but by Sunday someone had lifted two of my full-res images off the site. My time-lapse shots of the Pacific coast took about 40 hours each to edit, so losing them stung hard. I've since added a subtle diagonal mark that doesn't ruin the viewing experience, but I wonder if buyers actually care or if it's just us artists stressing. Has anyone else had theft happen at a local show, and did you stick with watermarks after that? Just curious if the trade-off is worth it in the long run.

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faith2712d ago

Two months ago I found one of my photos on a local brewery's Instagram with my crop marks still visible. Now I slap a diagonal watermark on everything and tell myself it looks intentional, like a modern art choice. Buyers never notice, but at least my paranoia has a logo now.