During my very interesting maiden photography talk recently, among the many questions that I received was who owns the rights to a photograph. It's a common misconception that the person in the photograph automatically owns the rights, but in reality, it's the person who took the photo that holds the copyright. 

This brings us to the question of whether it's always necessary to use watermarks on every picture. While watermarks can be a useful tool for protecting your work and ensuring proper attribution, they are not always essential. In some cases, they can detract from the overall aesthetic of the image and may not prevent unauthorised use. 

Abu Mwesigwa at the NAM & G77 plus China in Munyonyo

Instead of relying solely on watermarks, consider other ways to protect your work, such as registering your images with a copyright office, adding metadata to your files, and clearly stating your ownership rights in your terms and conditions. 

Ultimately, the decision to use watermarks should be based on your personal preferences and the specific circumstances of each photograph. By understanding ownership rights in photography and exploring alternative methods of protection, you can ensure that your work is respected and properly credited. 

Then the issue of crediting photographers for their work! Would you prefer a credit or cash for the images? In my case, government pays me to do this job. So, I willingly share as needed without insisting on receiving photo credits.