Photo print signing?

I sold a lot of landscape photos last year in Lake Tahoe, CA and always signed the mat board on the lower right just below the photo. The only time I would sign the photo is if it was requested. There was also a gallery owner who signed his photos in the lower right corner as well as the mat board (linited editions only) So it really depends on what you think look best. Oh....and I always used a pencil on the matboard.

Keith Laban Photography

I've said this numerous times before and at the risk of getting boring and repeating myself I'll say it again; signing the mat results in an unsigned photograph.

The issue of dating is less clear cut and is basically down to the individual. Do you date using the capture date, the finished print file date or the actual date of printing? Personally I go for the latter.

I have collected photography for years and the general rule is to copyright the photograph as "printed 2006, taken 2004" for example(or to shorten it"2006/2004") if the printing is more than one year after the creation of the image. Within the first 365 days, the image is considered vintage and you shouldn't have 2 dates, only the image year.

As to where to sign. NEVER sign the print itself. Yes, Yousuf Karsh did, but he was one of the few and very, very few others did and/or do. Your prints should be mounted and signed on the mount, not the matte as indicated above, (although you can sign both if you want to overmatte instead of perfect mount) since the matte can disappear. If you only offer unmounted prints, sign the reverse with acid free marker or pencil.

You also do not, in fact, need to sign open edition prints, but why wouldn't you want to get your name out there?