If a photograph taken by a professional photographer doesn't actually have the words copyright on th back, or the little copyright symbol on the picture, is it actually covered?
Just got some print back from a studio and all the others we have had in the past have had the C on them but these haven't.
Copyright is automatic in the UK and most of the rest of the world - it is not dependent on the existence of a mark. It is a private right, so each copyright owner will usually have to make their own decisions about use of a copyright work and how to enforce their copyright.