Hi everyone!

Anyone out there know how to set up their blogger account to avoid clients being able to drag and drop images from my blog onto their desktop? I've noticed several of my clients posting their "sneak peak" images on facebook by dragging them off my blog. I want to avoid this as I want my clients to guide their friends and family to my website, not view their images off their facebook where I'm not given any credit. I've noticed some photographers blogs don't allow you to drag their images off. How do I do this? Any suggestions would be helpful.

To check out my blog go to:
www.adrianphotographyca.blogspot.com

PS: I upload my photos directly to blogger.

Thanks a million!
Jenny

I don't do blogger so I can't help...but I will say this.

Your images are going to be pulled no matter what. There's this little feature called screen shot. And to be honest, I've done it myself. Flash website? Right clicking disabled? On an Apple it's as simple as Splat-Shift-4 and I can go to town (I usually only save photos for my private inspiration in setting up posed shots, etc.). They won't be print worthy but for FB or Myspace it'll work just as easy as "Save to Desktop."

My advice is to slap your logo and website url on the photos themselves. At least that way people will always know who took the photo. I know you want more hits, but hopefully people will follow their nose to your website by seeing the address on the photos and being impressed with your work.

Agreed, if they really want them, they can take them. Best bet is an obvious watermark with your full name or even your url.

Quick answer: Don't post them.

Longer answer: Watermark them and set client expectations up front. If you have an issue with it then you should express it to your clients before they use the images.

My opinion: The horse has left the barn. You're fighting a battle that's already been lost. Add in your own tired cliche.

If clients can see the image then they can grab it. SnagIt, Grab, and even the Print Screen Key are enough to get a Facebook or MySpace-quality image. Trying to block clients from getting to their pictures is a huge waste of money-making time (IMO).

You could be proactive and actually provide watermarked images for this use or ask your clients to kindly put a link back to you if they use the images. This can be a win-win for you and the client. It can also be a great opportunity to seed your pictures out there on the social networks for more referrals.

Hi,

yes, people will grab images in any case. You can stop them downloading the image, but you can't stop them simply taking a screen grab.

I have a watermark that I think does not detract too much from the image, but still makes it obvious who took it.

If someone decides to use it, then at least we get some exposure. Sample attached. (sorry, it's a straight out of the camera shot)

Hugh

I went to your blog and looked at how you have your watermark set, and I would suggest you make it more prominet. Take it across the bottom of the image instead of just the corner. They can easily crop that out. And, if they do take the images and share them, be thankful, that means they liked them and they want others to see!

+1. I'm currently redesigning my blog and have thought about the same problem. I'm adding my website URL to my new watermark.

I agree with the others that mentioned putting your blog/website address on the images... and maybe see this as an opportunity to get free marketing. My wedding photographer did this, just a little web address down in the corner and I put them up on my Facebook.

I know he's had three referrals from me. Two of the girls didn't go to my wedding and I'm certainly not close enough to them to have even given them access to my wedding gallery, just old high school friends. If it wasn't for Facebook, they never would have seen any of my wedding photos. Sooo, so many people snoop around other peoples' Facebook and Myspace pages!!

So, I think if you can't beat them... you might as well try to use it to your advantage.

We ENCOURAGE our clients to take the photos and post them on their myspace and facebook. We even go so far as to post them on our own facebook tagging them, and any friend in the photo as well (letting them and ALL their friends know that they are there). We manage expectations up front that we are more than happy to share the digital web versions, all we ask is that our logo stays on the photos. I can't tell you how much referral business we've gotten this way.

You come out looking like the super cool photographer that realizes that they just want to show off awesome photos online, AND your name is being spread around and bragged about. It's a win win situation!!!

I do the same... I've gotten lots of referrals via facebook. I even had an old elementary school friend find me through a clients pictures...

Subject: hello!

"Hi Meredith! I just wanted to tell you I have been admiring the pics of Maria and her daughter and I clicked on CPP photography and its yoU! The other pics on your page are phenominal -- seriously brought a tears to my eyes.AND YOUR SON IS GORGEOUS! I hope you are doing as well as it seems. Best, Sue D."

She is referencing pictures that I posted and tagged of a client and naturally ended up in the clients profile pictures.

Facebook is totally random that way, but it can be a great tool for your business. I watermark all of my images to prevent true thieves from using them-you know, people that will use others photos for commercial reasons without asking or paying. But I really have no problem with my clients using my blog pictures.

I find that 99% of the pictures I post on my blog are ordered from my clients. Those are the first images they see and they fall in love with them. So, I have actually started increasing the amount of images I post.

If the image is great... a potential client will always hunt you down. If you put your name on the photo it makes it that much easier.

m

I give people water marked web images, I know people want to email and post to myspace, etc. But I know everyone has their own M.O.

Definitely fighting the wrong battle in this day and age, especially when you can turn it around and use it to your advantage.

As the others have said, setting client expectations up front will make a HUGE difference in this type of situation.

I encourage my clients to just ask if they would like an image for their facebook. I wouldn't give then a disk full of images or anything but if they want a profile pic or something I'll give them an image with a discrete watermark with my website or blog on it. It makes my clients happy and therefore it makes me happy

Thanks everyone! I'm definitely thinking differently then I was. I think we'll change our watermark to our website address and make it more prominent. I know our clients who have posted to facebook etc. have had tons of positive comments which has been great. Thanks for everyones input.
J

Are you kidding? I encourage that they take them. I even email them copies with the blog logo on it when they place print orders. They go on Facebook or MySpace and next thing I know, I'm getting calls and emails. I even have one girl who has hired another photographer but likes my work more and has hired me to shoot her engagements and bridals even though she's paid the other guy.

for blogger the only known method is to watermark them for protection, ive spent hours working on this for our own flosites blogs, and ours have a copyright symbol when dragged or right clicked which you can customize yourself to whatever you want it to say. However there is no way to prevent screen grabs still, it helps when you watermark your photos anyway because the majority use those photos from your blog to put on facebook, myspace etc so having your name branded there helps, its gotten me 2 inquiries in the last month.

you can try emailing provisage who specialize in blogger blog customization, Rudys a specialist in the blogger area so he would be best suited for this question on the blogger seen.

hope you get a solution that works for you.

I put all of my photos on the blog with a watermark. Most of my clients don't know how to take them off the blog, but I have walked into a clients house before and have seen one of my blog photos printed and framed in their house, logo and all. I see them all the time posted on the refrigerator or in the office, but framed? Seriously, why do that? Some people are cheap.

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Facebook is totally random that way, but it can be a great tool for your business. I watermark all of my images to prevent true thieves from using them-you know, people that will use others photos for commercial reasons without asking or paying. But I really have no problem with my clients using my blog pictures.


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I get heaps of work via Facebook, I always upload photos and tag the people in them, it's another great marketing tool!