Why it is important to watermark the photos on your blog
I thought this is a very useful and important post for everyone. We can all fall victim to the pilfering of our photo’s NOTE: skd made a change in the text and I tried to undo my reblog but couldn’t figure out how to do it. Please visit her site to see the change, follow this link
A week ago, I was shocked to see this page on a popular website. The photo of samosas which has been conveniently posted alongside the ‘Tikka Samosa’ recipe is mine and taken from this blog.It was posted under the title Chicken and corn samosa on July 9,2014, the day when Germany held the World cup trophy after defeating Brazil in the finals. I had made the samosas to celebrate the victory because my family was rooting for Germany.
What infuriated me was instead of giving due credit (forget being decent enough to link it), they mention the source as Chef Jalal Haider. Chef Jalal haider is a celebrity in his own right and definitely doesn’t need to borrow some one else’s work. So, I thought it must have been a mistake and mailed him……No response.
Then I posted a polite comment on the pages (the picture was published on two pages and garnered…
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apuginthekitchen 
Thank you for sharing this, Suzanne. It’s appalling. Shame on them. I really need to start watermarking. ❤
Yes you really should Prudy, your photo’s are just beautiful. There is a way to search to see if your photo’s are being used but I forgot how to do it.
This is so bad isn’t??
I read though that bloggers shouldn’t watermark their photos; I can’t recall the exact reason but it was along the lines that apparently PR people etc won’t use them if they’re watermarked…this is for people who want to make a business from their blog..I’ll have to see if I can find the article..
Well that kind of makes sense Elaine, the photo could not be used in a publication if watermarked. Would love to see the article.
Thank you Suzanne. I don’t water mark but I do place my blog name on each photo. I am sure it could be cropped out if someone wanted to steal it. Good reminder to all. Cheers
I don’t because I am not set up to do that in my computer. Honestly, my photos are ok sometimes but not pilfering material.
I think your photos are mouthwatering good!
You are too kind thank you!
Thanks for rebloggin this! I just read the original and am glad I put our name on our photos! 🙂
Good grief Suzanne I thought it was your blog but you know what it does not matter to me who’s it was to steal a recipe and photo’s is a no-no-no! Yes, I could rant as I did on the reblog then I realized you reblogged it from the original site. Well…this is exactly why I NEVER post photo’s of myself, my family, my home never mind food on TK! If they want a photo of my 1,063+ original recipes cook it and photo it yourself but be warned my brother is an Attorney if you do copy my original recipe(s) I will find out and Nick will have a field day! This type of thing sets me off big time. Otherwise, I am a fun-loving person. Your Florida Bud, Cheryl. Hugs to Nando x.
It infuriates me too! Lucky your brother is an attorney, woe be the person that steals your recipe/photo’s. One time someone took one of my recipes from Food52, they made it, used their own photo but claimed the recipe as their own. I set it straight on their site I can’t believe that they were so blatant not just using her photo but the actual recpe word for word and putting their name on it. Unbelievable.
I suppose it is something that happens regularly to bloggers but it does bother me for the person-like big time! On TK we are somewhat protected by Ree’s site we share recipes because we love doing that! Good for you to have set that person straight on Food 52! The nerve…
Thank you Suzanne for sharing this. What a nasty thing to do. Hugs to you and Nando.
Ugh… it’s always somebody taking credit for what we do… I’ve dealt with it in the workplace for so many years (being a tech writer/editor), watching other people who already make more money take credit for my work and ideas… You’d think i’d be used to it. In a way I am, but that doesn’t mean I like it.
Thanks for sharing this Suzanne. It’s a good reminder, and good tips. Mega hugs.
It’s the worst and it’s like salt in the wound when they get away with it
Great info! It’s a shame when it’s so easy to just give credit where credit is due.
Totally agree.
Hi Suzanne, so surprised a celebrity chef would do that, he should of done the right thing and made things right, certainly makes me think less of him.
It is totally ridiculous and I don’t get it. Doesn’t that chef have his own recipes he can focus on.
The pictures should be watermarked for sure. But recently, there is so much of photo uplifting going around, and with the pictures which are water marked, it actually doesn’t make a difference. The thieves know how to morph or remove the water marks and still use the pictures.
Seems like a lot of work to remove water marks from photo’s I just don’t get why these people do it. All seems useless.
I would call them cyber terrorists!! Period. Likewise have no reason or rhyme to justify their actions! Bunch of idiots.
OMG, thats exactly what they are. cyber terrorists and a bunch of idiots.
I don’t bother watermarking my photos. But I would really be pissed of I found some clown making money off of my pics and claiming them for herself. That’s low down in the gutter.
I feel that way too Mike, especially when it comes to recipes. We all know that there are probably a handful of totally original recipes out there and everything is a variation but when someone takes your recipe and prints it verbatum and includes your photo, now thats just so wrong.
Absolutely! If you were Donald Trump you could hit them with a big, fat suit 🙂
Or Martha Stewart for that matter, wouldn’t mess with either one.
What a shame. Thanks for the great tips.
It truly is a shame. Shame on the those thieves.
Thanx for sharing this post Suzanne …I started watermarking my pictures only these days…. great post…
I need to do the same. Thanks Chitra!
Suzanne, a mutual friend of ours fell victim to not a photo theft, but a full, original recipe theft, and she had to write a comment, asking the blogger to give her full credit. It’s infuriating. I like the fact that Deb Perlman always gives credit to the cooks whose recipes she posts, even when her adaptations often stray far from the original cooks’ recipes. It’s the decent thing to do.
Giving credit where credit is due should be a priority. I still find it hard to beleive that these thieves get away with stuff.
Thank you for sharing this, Suzanne. Great tips! Shame on them…
Shame on them for sure, thanks Marcella.
It’s quite the problem. I haven’t checked to see if mine have been stolen, it would really upset me. Though I watermark mine. Sometimes they still use pics with watermarks!
Really thats brazen, what creeps. The whole thing is just infuriating.
I agree!
This is absolutely so infuriating, but it’s harder to deal with from another country. A DMCA can easily be filed in the US, but not sure it works so easily internationally. 😦 I have also seen HUGE site (like 12Tomatoes) that have millions of followers who essentially steal and use everything that is on their site, but nothing happens to them! Others just crop the watermark and claim it as theirs, too. I just hope Karma gets them in the end. I was wondering how Nando is doing as I’m been terrible at keeping up with other blogs, Suzanne! I can barely keep up with my own. 😦
I know the whole thing makes me so angry. It seems it’s a pervasive problem and very little can be done. I too have a very hard time keeping up on blogs, including my own. Thanks Christina.
Great information, Suzanne! Thanks for passing it along. I need to start watermarking my pictures.
One day I will watermark mine I think. I downloaded the app now I just need to learn to use it.
Most of my photos are bottle shots, but I really need to do this on a regular basis for those that are more “creative” in nature.