As far as copyrighting your photos is concerned, they ARE NOT copyrighted just because you print "Copyright 2012 and by your name". You actually have to write to Washington DC, do the paperwork, pay the fees to copyright it.
Actually since the copyright laws were updated in 1976, the copyright is created at the time the work is created. "According to section 408 of the Act, registration of a work with the Copyright Office is not a prerequisite for copyright protection"
There is a difference between creation of the copyright and registration of the copyright. Before 1976, if you didn't register, and you "published" the work, it became public domain. Under the new rules, as long as every copy published had that c inside the circle thingie, the date, and the name of the copyright owner, copyright was preserved. Where it gets sticky is if someone steals your work, because without registration, you are hard pressed to prove ownership.
" Though registration is not required for copyright protection to attach to a work, section 411 of the Act does require registration before a copyright infringement action by the creator of the work can proceed."
The FAQ you link to talks about registration.
It's complicated. As much as Wikipedia shouldn't be used as a definitive source, it does pull the topic together nicely.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_Act_of_1976
See? Clear as mud.