DEAR MISS MANNERS: At social gatherings, I often take photos. I am an avid photographer, and spend time retouching to ensure dark photos are lightened and light photos are darkened so that the final image is better. I often restore old photos to a better quality -- removing dust, dirt, etc.
At a recent family event, I took many photos, which I brightened and enhanced to the best quality and posted on my social media account. My relatives have saved them to their phones and reposted the photos as their own, instead of sharing a link to mine.
This got under my skin so much. I know social media is a no-win situation, but I spend time to make the photos their best, and then someone else gets the credit. I thought of watermarking the pics, but I’m sure my relatives would think I’m being high-maintenance.
GENTLE READER: There is good news and there is bad news: Your relatives already think you are high-maintenance.
Why this is bad news, Miss Manners thinks you already know. Why it is also good news: because you have nothing to lose by imprinting a photo credit (“By Gary Gummidge”) onto the image. Such an insertion, unlike a watermark, does what you want -- it gives you the credit -- without the implication that it will be used later for legal purposes. But beware: Instead of stopping the spread of your photos, it may only encourage distant acquaintances to request more.