The truth behind watermarking your photos
Watermarks just let people know you own the photo and copying isn't welcome. Sure you can remove it etc. with a bit of effort, but don't put one on and your inviting every Tom, Dick and Harry to use it without any trouble at all.
Perhaps I shouldn't lock my doors because a skilled thief can break in anyway?
Useless? Hardly.
Tuscany wrote: Let's face it, with programs like Adobe Photoshop kicking butt these days watermarks are no challenge for someone who REALLY wants to steal your photo.
I generally find watermarks to be distracting, and don't like using them if I don't have to, but I don't use watermarks to stop people from stealing my photos. They are for people who want to share and post my photos, but who aren't very good at making sure proper photo credit gets listed. Most people don't want to steal the photo. They just re-post it quickly and conveniently. They are happy to post photo credit, as long as they don't have to lift a finger.
I'm amazed at how even at printed publications the folks in charge of adding photos to articles can't even be bothered to look at the exif data. Even if they crop my watermark out they either know who owns the photo to add a photo credit line, or they have made the conscious decision to steal.
I watermark out of habit, I know it can be removed, 
I also pst photos at 800 on the longest length and at 70 dpi, if anybody wishes to steal a photo at that resolution they wont be able to sell it for sure, there thats my pennies worth 
www.dcimages.org.uk
"A good photograph is one that communicate a fact, touches the heart, leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it. It is, in a word, effective." - Irving Penn
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