How does one go about copyrighting their own photographs?

This paragraph is not relevant, I missed the “digital” part of “digital watermark”. { I suggest looking for a watermarking program, you can do it with photoshop or probably even mspaint but it’s really something you want to (be able to) do in bulk.You’ll probably still need a prepared watermark (image with transparent background) unless all you want to add is some plain text (and maybe a copyright symbol). }

This next part is still somewhat relevant, but for digital watermarking you should look into encryption because that’s all it is. (Again you could just look for a program but you’ll still need to know what you’re trying to do)

If you’re running a bunch of images through a program like that it might also be interesting to run them through a program to read/edit metadata. Some programs leave junk in your files and this would show you anything that anyone else might see. This also allows you to put your own “junk” in. Then if someone steals it and they overlooked your “junk” it’s going to be pretty obvious they stole it.

I’m not sure about the copyright part of the question, I just think intellectual property is bad. Yeah, that’s not very helpful. I think (?) you can just slap a copyright symbol next to anything you own but again: no clue.

Copyright is granted automatically upon the creation of intellectual property. It’s something you have to give up, not something you have to obtain, and so it applies to published and unpublished works alike. You do not have to register anything. No one else even has to know your work exists. Once it is fixed in a tangible medium of expression, it is protected and you retain the rights until you voluntarily give them away or until the work becomes part of the public domain.

What the US Copyright Office does is register your work. The purpose of registration is not to copyright your photographs; it is to create a public record of your creation so that you can prove your work came first. With no such record, anyone who infringes on your copyright could claim that you copied them. Furthermore, in order to bring a lawsuit in the US, you must register your work through the Copyright Office. And since registration is strong evidence in court, it is highly recommended that you do so if you think infringement is likely to occur.

@SavoirFaire is correct about copyright registration. However many people do not go through the hassle of filling in the form, paying the $10, and submitting two copies of the picture to the Library of Congress.

What would definitely be worth your time is learning how to do watermarks (at a minimum) so at least their is evidentiary proof that the item is yours.

Mail it to yourself. The post mark will do the job of copywriting.

@kritiper Unfortunately, that is just a common misconception.

@SavoirFaire So from what you’ve said, can I conclude that my simply posting my own pictures on Facebook, which are dated and state that they are my pictures, that in and of itself can be construed as the proof of copyright?

I’m not really concerned about anyone stealing them, especially not from Facebook, because I don’t care if my friends and relatives have them, it’s more for the idea of posting them on other websites, like a photo contest, or a recipe website, or other places where my pictures might be seen and not necessarily be known by the viewers to be mine. But since I already post those same photos on Facebook, before they’re posted elsewhere, would that be the proof that they are mine?

@Kardamom Obtaining copyright and protecting it are two different things, which is why the US Copyright Office offers registration despite the fact that creating the work is enough to confer copyright. Posting the photos on Facebook would be evidence in favor of your claim, but they would not constitute proof in the event that the issue came before a judge (or, worse yet, a jury). If your evidence is better than the other side’s evidence, though, you generally win. So if they don’t have evidence that they created or posted the photo before you did, they’re out of luck.

The thing to ask yourself, though, is what you want to protect. If all you want is credit for your work, then watermarking is probably the best way to go about it. The watermark identifies you as the creator, and will likely be enough to get most websites to comply with a takedown request should you wish to submit one. If you want the pictures distributed widely, you could also submit your work to stock photography websites that require anyone using the photos to credit the source and creator (like in newspapers when a photographer is credited in the caption). My wife does this, so I could probably PM you some information about it.

If you’re not willing to go to court over your photos, then registration is a waste of time and money. It won’t get you anything that watermarking and takedown requests can’t get you for free. Since you mention photo contests, though, keep in mind that some contests make you surrender some or all of your rights in order to submit your work. Always read the terms and conditions carefully. Or just Ctrl-F “copyright” to find the interesting parts!

@SavoirFaire Thanks for all of your concise and valuable information : )