How to Find Images for Posts
Throughout the blogosphere we’ve all noted several times that images are used in a lot of blog posts and there are equally as many posts mentioning that we should use images within posts. Including my own post, 13 Ways to Grab Attention.
But finding the right images to use can be difficult when you’re conscious of copyright laws and what is considered fair use.
So with this post, I’ll detail for you 4 ways to find images that you can use within your blog posts. But do keep in mind that with these sources, you need to consider the terms in which you use them.
123 Royalty Free
This is by far one of my favorite places to get images for posts. There’s a huge variety of images to choose from including a great selection of free images that are perfect for blog posts. Of course there’s also the ability to purchase stock credits that will enable you to pick up different size images and use them for other purposes.
iStockphoto
iStock is a slightly more expensive means for getting images. However they do have really awesome quality images for blog designs as well as a free photograph per week and a free vector image per month. So just registering for a membership will enable you to pick up some free stuff!
Flickr
With Flickr you can search for images to use for your blog posts based on the type of license the photographer attaches to the images. And all of the images that you’ll find are free but make sure that you credit the photographer of the images you do use with a link back to their Flickr account.
Google Image Search
Using Google is slightly more complicated as you’ll need to figure out the license of the images you do find. However a lot of the images that do come up are from blogs which makes it easier if the blogger has given proper credit to the original photographer.
These methods have been so effective for me in finding the right images to use that they’re all the sources that I have. There hasn’t been a single case yet where I couldn’t find the right image to use for any number of blog posts and niche blogs. So have a look.
Do you have any sources for blog images that you can share with us?
June 23rd, 2008 at 7:50 pm
I just discovered your blog and your information is always so timely and just what I am looking for ! Thanks for this post!
June 23rd, 2008 at 8:05 pm
How cool. I was just wondering this week about photo places, thanks! :-)
June 23rd, 2008 at 8:45 pm
I swear, I’m going to get sued one of these days lol… I should start crediting peoples photos more often lol!
Jay
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Taryn: Thanks for the nice compliment, you’re quite welcome.
Dennis: Glad I could help at just the right moment.
Jay: LOL Yeah… might want to start gathering up your image sources for a link back.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:57 pm
there was once a commotion at the entrecard forum about the images used in a blogsite. for the photo owner, a link back and a credit would not suffice. he wants expressed permission prior to posting.
there were harsh exchanges (name-callings) that followed. i was not able to follow how it ended.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:09 am
Ceblogger: Interesting topic and sounds heated for sure. A lot of photographers are picky about how their work is used and rightfully so. However, if they attach a creative commons license to any of their work others are required to follow the license that is attached. If there is no license then it should be a case that the artist is emailed for permission (which I wouldn’t take the time to do for a blog post).
No doubt that this can become a sticky subject. And it’s the primary reason why I get the majority of my images from stock sites. Better safe than sorry! :o)
June 24th, 2008 at 12:37 am
Thanks for the suggestion of 123 Royalty Free; I’ve not come across them before.
Here’s another: http://www.crestock.com offers a free daily stock image.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:28 am
I also found http://www.freefoto.com Some fairly nice images for blogging, etc…
June 24th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Thanks for the resources. I’ve just started adding images to my blog posts (one of those things I knew I should be doing but wasn’t), and I’m using flickr.
I find it fun trying to take the abstract concepts of blogging and illustrating them with concrete objects.
June 24th, 2008 at 11:35 am
Katy,
You didn’t list the number one photo source in my book. And that is to Take your own photos. I’d rather see photos that the blog owner took themselves than something that they swiped from any of those sites. Just my opinion. But then again I might be biased because of my personal photography projects.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
After reading this I remembered a well trusted friend had told me her favorite site, so I asked her again.
“My fave free photo site: http://www.sxc.hu Pretty awesome, but a bit tricky to find what you want because the photographers use crappy tag descriptions.”
A good reminder in there for everyone :-)
June 25th, 2008 at 6:41 am
@BenSpark
That’s a great idea, but sometimes it’s just not practical. For me, sometimes I have to take a hundred photographs before I find one that I’m pleased with. With the time it takes to set up a photo shoot, take the pictures, and edit them, I could find a stock photo and started writing my next two or three posts!
But if you’re a photo blogger, that’s a different story…
June 25th, 2008 at 11:10 am
I use a Flickr drop plugin for Random Amusements (and sometimes for There’s More to the Story). Otherwise, I use a google search. Yeah, not the best choice, but I never said it was right ;)
July 7th, 2008 at 1:07 am
Nice article. I use Flickr for getting images for my blog and I have found it the best among all.::smile::
September 13th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Hi I have used I Stock photo for my real estate websites and they do have great quality photos. I do agree with Ben and if you can use your own images which in most cases is hard to do but is another viable option.