© An andalusian dog. Photogram Luis Buñuel. 1929

The true journey of discovery

it doesn’t consist in looking for new paths,

but to have new eyes.

Marcel Proust

 

I don’t like to see a wonderful photograph and my gaze falls on that wound; in the brand to the creator’s fire, invalidating the visual walk of the person who observes and contemplates. Therefore, I invite you to start your critical thinking, another way of looking.

There are a large number of photography professionals who believe that they should apply a watermark to their images for two fundamental reasons: first, so that their photos are not stole; the second, to advertise in a direct and economical way. It’s true, it protects from easy theft and anyone can know the authorship of the photograph but waht is the cost?

 

© Eugeni Forcano

 

As children we are trained to learn visual discrimination, specifically we learn to detect letters or symbols before any other type of signal. This learning is essential to learn to read and remains on fire in our brain. We prioritize the letters or symbols, therefore when we perceive an image and our gaze inevitably falls on the letters or symbols. Therefore, where do you think your gaze travels when you delight in looking at a photograph? Once and repeatedly to the same place: the watermark.

 

In a world in which we express ourselves through the image, understanding this as composition, history, personal project, identity,… there’s no point in “staining” our work. It’s like we go to the cinema and have the director’s signature in the corner of the screen. It’s a totally invasive and not very delicate element, which literally corrupts the image, causing the visual tour to be interrupted or totally damaged.

 

If you want to make it clear that you have the authorship of a picture, use the metadata of the image. Deleting or cropping the watermark is pretty easy with an editing program.

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© Annie Leibovitz

The image is the photographer’s form of expression and for the person who ejoys it is a visual experience. The photographs must be contemplated and for this the must be a balance, a synchronization with the captured image and with the viewer. Make the invisible visible.

Neither Ansel Adams, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Cristina Garcia Rodero, Bárbara Traver… or many other artist use watermark. In contemporary photography it never appears, therefore you as a person who creates and expresses himself through images, you can ask yourself the following question:

Is it important what I tell or express with my photograph or is it important that my name appears?

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© Trip to the moon. George Méliès

Don’t resist removing watermarks, treat your images as they really deserve and carry out this reflection: Am I afraid of being stolen? Asvertising? Or photographic ego?