It seems that I will be joining the watermarking world, is that actually a proper grammar sentence?
This might be a boring extremely long post, but if you have a minute or 5, please read it.
I won't go around the bushes here, I know I am not good taking pictures, I do not have the best camera in the world and my pictures most of the time are full of shadows.
No, I do not have a light box, although it is on my Amazon wish list. I take most of my pictures at night, since is the only time I can do it.
Either way, bad or good pictures I do not want anyone taking them, using them on Etsy or other websites without my permission.
I just don't get it!
Picture theft:oh, sorry I took your picture, I just wanted to show my clients what I can do.
Me: Really? why don't you make your own cake and then take the picture yourself, of your own work.made by you. and hopefully, not coping my own design. (Update: Feel free to copy my design, just give me a little credit)
Picture thief: ohhhh....I just don't have the time
Me: really? and I do?
I am not polite when it comes to someone taking my picture and posting it on their site.
I don't know about you, but I have a full time job, 2 little girls and one of them is 4 months, I run my own part time cake/cookie business and I am still a friend and wife.I run this little blog with whatever time I have left because I want to share with others what I do, and maybe help someone to learn something new along the way. And yes, I won't lie, this blog pays for a lot of diapers, wipes and trips to the indoor playground.
Bottom line is that watermarking protects your picture, your idea in a photo, your work. In the other hand some people believe that watermarking your picture ruins the idea/photo’s quality.
This topic shouldn’t be ignored and if you have a little time I would love for you to share your opinions with me. Is the watermarking better in the corner of the photo or in the middle? big letters? little letters? do you watermark your pictures?
I may not have thousands of followers, cool videos and funny stories here. But I want to make sure that if you are here you like what you see.
ok. amen.
on to the cookies...
I made these cookies for a wonderful bloggy friend of mine. Her little girl is turning 7 and she is having a Barbie party. I use the party invitation as inspiration for the cookies.
To make these cookies you will need:
.Square cookie cutter
.Pink royal icing ( stiff for outlining and thin for flooding )
.Kelly green and cornflower blue flood icing (Wilton brand colors)
.Tip #2
.Tip # 103
.Sanding sugar
.A mix of meringue powder and water
.Piping bag and coupler
.Squeeze bottles ( for flooding icing)
-Outline and flood the cookie.
-Working a few cookies at the time,use a squeeze bottle to pipe dots of green and blue icing.
-Let the cookies dry for a few hours, outline the cookie again with tip #2 and pink icing and draw the #7
-Let cookie dry another couple of hours.
-Using a small brush, brush the #7 with the meringue powder mix
-Cover the number completely with the sanding sugar. (see this very useful trick by Bridget preparing a sanding sugar station)
Wrap the cookies in a cello bag, tie them with a pretty ribbon and you will have a happy little girl.
I couldn't help myself and share with you a picture of my little cookie decorator in training.
Have a great weekend.
I wills end you an email when I get home about water marking. Yes you should do it. Everyone should.
ReplyDeleteI don't care for watermarking, but I certainly appreciate why people do watermark. Imitation is flattery, but stealing is stealing. I don't mind someone using one of my ideas and making something I've made and shared (it's why I like to share). I just don't understand how anyone can justify using someone else's photos and passing them off as their own. It doesn't sound as though it sunk in with the photo thief's self-righteous justification and sense of entitlement. It's too bad. Karma will come around.
ReplyDeleteOh picture thiefs... you stink.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, when you've worked hard on projects and find them sitting pretty on someones elses pages you should be mad. You're right, this is stealing. My only advise to you (and I need to do this more too) is to put the watermake more in the picture rather than to the side/corner. There are several programs like Snipping Tool or even paint that easily allows someone to rip an image right off you page and crop your watermark in the process. :(
You should get credit for your work, and a link back to your page no matter what/why they were re-posting your pics.
I have had my photos stolen and I like it about as much as you do! I have considered watermarking my photos, but to date I have not started doing it. Laziness (OK, maybe lack of time) on my part. I like the way you have watermarked yours, but it is easy for an enterprising photo thief to just crop out. I did watermark some photos on Flickr a long time ago and found the only effective watermark was a semi-transparent logo/wording that ran diagonally across the page. But I really hated the looks of it. I would really enjoy reading a follow up post with some of the best ideas you get and what you finally decide on. I am sorry someone stole your hard work and claimed it as their own.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, your cookies are beautifully flawless, as always!
First off your cookies are too cute. As for watermarking I use to go below the pic now I go across the middle so it's harder for someone to crop it out, which has happened to so many recently. I too don't have the greatest camera either to I use my photo editor to remove all the shadows. I just started using Picasa
ReplyDeleteSOOOOOOO Cute (the cookies, and your little decorator in training!). I'm sorry this happened to you, but I'm so glad you stood up for yourself. I've had a few photos taken without my permission as well - I haven't had any trouble getting the thieves to delete them from their sights immediately, but still, people should ask. I'd more than likely say yes.
ReplyDeletePatricia
PS - fancy camera or not, your photos above are truly amazing. I love the opening shot in particular!
Hello Kathia - I was shocked to find my pictures on the internet being used by others as their own. I have always watermarked my cake and cookie pictures, but on my earliest ones I watermarked like you are doing, along the bottom or top of the pictures. No more of that, those cake-picture-thieves will just crop off the bottom of the picture! I have sent messages asking for credit or removal and sometimes that has worked, sometimes it hasn't. I use photoshop and made a toolbrush with my signature and I now plop it right on the middle of the picture. I do have a funny story regarding my picture theft. My husband takes my pictures and most times I do the editing (which I am not very good at). I posted a picture of a wedding cake covered in meringue flowers and my husband thought I should have adjusted the colours. I left it alone. About a year later I found this picture on an Italian website. They had taken my photo, cropped off my watermark and adjusted the colours (like my husband had suggested) before posting. They did a good job of adjusting the colours, if only they would have credited me!! Love the cookies!
ReplyDeleteQue hermosas!!! Felicidades! Lindo blog!
ReplyDeleteThese cookies are so cute!!
ReplyDeleteIt is a shame that people will steal pictures and pass your hard work off as their own. I make sure I put my business name across my pictures. It doesn't always look attractive, but it's something that you have to do because people will steal your photos!!
Carsedra of:
http://sweets4yourtooth.blogspot.com/
up until a few months back i felt the same way my photos aren't always that great who would want to steal my pics , well i was wrong and after more than one occasion of stolen photos and dealing with cookie friends who have stolen photos i watermark my photos. i like to put it in the middle but not to big since if its on the bottom people can crop them out and use them anyway. its just a safe way to protect your work. i have alot of war stories of stolen pictures from friends in the same business if you ever wanna talk about it feel free to send me an email thefancyladycupcakes@yahoo.com
ReplyDelete1. The cookies are adorable!
ReplyDelete2. I almost always watermark, and when I don't, I know I should. I had some images that went viral not long ago, and I hadn't put watermarks on them. This wasn't such a big issue for theft, but I missed out on a lot of opportunities to get traffic and exposure. That's a huge plus of watermarking that usually comes second to theft. That said, I've had problems with theft, and I think a very light watermark over some part of the image that's important (can't be cropped out) is the best way to go. People understand, and they still get a really good view of your picture.
Hi Kathia
ReplyDeleteFinding the right balance with watermarks is tough and smewhat subjective. With ours we try to make them unobtrusive but prominent enough so people can see them. Another positive about watermarks is they can help drive traffic to your site if you incude your URL.
Unfortunately we have been dealing with theifs for years as well. However we are careful not to let a few bad apples influence our watermarking strategy. In other words, while theifs can easily crop out our watermark, the flip side of making our watermark more obtrusive would discourage other people from using their photos on their blogs for non-commercial purposes...
Anyway I've rambled enough...love your photos...you don't give yourself enough credit. Think of it this way, the more people stealing your photos is a testament to your talent!
Love the shade of pink in these cookies and your decorator in training is adorable! I don't watermark my photos...yet. Thinking that perhaps I should but I also believe that if someone is going to steal photos of my cookies and claim it as their own that one day they may be asked to create the cookie and that's where karma may kick in.
ReplyDeleteI don't watermark my pictures but I know I should. I am happy to share my ideas and want folks to be able to see the whole thing. I wish I had an easy way to check to see if my pictures were out there on someone else's site... I usually find them completely by accident.
ReplyDeleteAll I can say to bakeries who steal other baker's pictures is this - if you want to post a picture of a cake that I made in order to get someone to order one from you, good luck trying to make your cake as perfect as mine! Most of the people who steal pictures do so because they can't make the cakes themselves. A customer hoping for an exact copy will almost always be sorely disappointed - and hopefully will complain to the thief baker and demand a refund!
I've considered watrmarking, although my site is not visited enough to picturetheft being a problem... I totally think you should watermark if you experience picturetheft!
ReplyDeleteI would think that a watermark in the middle of the photo is more secure. I don't know how to do a watermark.
ReplyDeleteI read another blogger's post...A well known magazine used her photo (they removed the watermark?!?)without her permission. It ended up that they finally put a little blurb in the magazine giving her credit, and paying her too.
Your cookies are so cute. Can't go wrong with pink, polka dots and glitter! Your little cookie decorator is a cutie:)
You are one amazing woman. I am glad I got a glimpse into your life w/ this post. What you do is seriously top notch. I have followed this watermarking thing closely. I don't feel like I am popular enough for people to steel my stuff, but I sure it happens to many people and it is not right. I like sharing my ideas and if people recreate what I have posted than that makes me happy but I would prefer them to take their own photos. I recreate what I see ALL the time but I take my own photos or I have gottne permission on the printables I posted one time. If I had more time I would watermark. I think I will probably figure out how to do it soon.
ReplyDeleteFabulous cookies! And yes, definitely watermark your photos. Especially with Pinterest out there and photos can really get around. I actually had someone post a watermarked photo of mine - then when I asked them to remove it, they were furious and ended their email with "Well, no one ever ordered that design anyhow!!
ReplyDeleteOn a different note, I love creative people so if a bride gives me a photo of a cake and it becomes part of the cake inspiration, I love to blog about who made the original designs. So many times, I don't know where the cake is from and I feel bad that I can't give a shout out.
Yep, I've learned to watermark, but I just spotted one of my pre-watermark pics on a site as part of a how-to book. Crazy how much people take! And sad. So I vote watermark!! These are crazy adorable, love 'em!!
ReplyDeletebtw - I should mention that this is how I learned how to watermark for those using Photoshop or Elements. http://melbourneepicure.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-to-create-watermark-on-your-photos.html And this is a lovely blog to follow too!
ReplyDeleteI am a new blogger and whilst I love taking pics of my cakes and putting them online, I never thought about watermarking them. I am not that highly visible but still, I now believe I should. Previous commentors are correct in saying that a watermark on the top or bottom can easily be cropped off. I reckon you should watremark in the middle, or diagonally across. Thanks also SweetThingTo for the link!
ReplyDeleteI hate watermarking my pictures but I hate people stealing my pictures and using them as their own even more.
ReplyDeleteRaychel
www.My-CreativeWay.com