Exactly how important is a signature on a fine art photograph? It depends on how you look at the photograph — as decor, or as an investment in an artist's work, where you're hoping for a return down the line.
Your favorite uncle Larry, a photography enthusiast, hands you a signed photograph of an osprey in flight with a big fish in its beak. You might treasure it for sentimental reasons.
For a collector of fine art photography, the signature means something different: it's the artist's guarantee that the print is unique and limited, its provenance and rarity intact. That matters whether it is an emerging artist with a career on the rise or one with an established reputation.
If you are collecting only with investment growth in mind, there can be more upside potential, as well as downside risk in an emerging artist's work than an established photographer's work. I buy limited edition photographs because I like what I'm seeing and support that artist's vision. If you are a seasoned collector you know which path you are on. If you are new to collecting, your motive — passion for the art versus financial gain — should be clear in your head.
Authenticity is in the signature. The print must be hand signed, not generated as a watermark within the print. Open edition prints, with no limitation on the number printed, often have a watermark signature embedded in them — that doesn't make them valuable. An accompanying Certificate of Authenticity reinforces the signature.