Watermarks… An Opinion Post…

Over the weekend, someone posted an historical image that I “own” on Facebook without giving credit. I don’t have a Facebook account, so I didn’t see it… but from what I understand, this post lead to a lot of name calling, shit stirring, and general pandemonium from hundreds of different users. It ended with the image being deleted and the guy that posted it in a pretty sour mood.

Typically, I don’t respond to internet drama. Instead, I ignore it and move on with my life. But in this case, I figured I’d address the issue before I do move on.

Let’s get this right out of the way: I don’t believe in watermarking any of my images. And when I say “my images,” I mean the images that I take with my camera using what limited skill set that I do have. To me, watermarks are distracting and in a way, I feel like they cheapen the photograph. They just don’t fit with my aesthetic.

But, I’m an amateur photographer at best… and given the day and age in which we all live, I do understand why some professional photographers liberally watermark their images. Hell, if my photographs were worth steeling I would probably have a different opinion on the matter and begin plastering my name all over my images.

This photograph posted on Facebook, however, was actually a photograph taken in 1948 and was part of a collection left to me by the original photographer when he passed away. I guess technically, I “own” that photograph but realistically I wasn’t even born when it was taken. Hell, my own father was only three years old when that film was exposed… But by the law, I guess I own it? Hell, I don’t know.

And you know what? I don’t care.

See, I believe (with some exceptions) that only one person can claim ownership of a photograph and that’s the guy that literally made the image. You know, the guy that chose the aperture, chose the shutter speed, and pressed the release… And in my opinion, if that guy didn’t watermark the photograph, it’s in bad taste for someone else, years down the road, to do so.

Additionally, there’s something that offends me about someone trying to take ownership of an historical image. These images are all that we really have towards educating the future about what hot rodding was and how it was born. Restricting the use of them is counter productive to the growth of something that we all love and cherish.

I guess what I’m trying to say here is this: watermark or not, historical images belong to all of us. They are OUR history and not something that should be commercialized in any way, shape, or form. This isn’t a new idea either… The Library of Congress holds what is probably the largest collection of historical photographs on the planet. Within this collection is literally millions of photos of our history and not a single one of them is watermarked unless done so by the original photographer.

I guess that’s it. Eric, if you are out there… Please know that the photo you posted belongs to you as much as it does to me. It’s our history. Not mine. And the more people that see that image, the better off we all are.