Where I can find free images for my blogs?

razibahmed

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Internet contains so many free things. I just like to which websites are best for finding free (without violating copyright) images or pictures. I heard that Google and Yahoo image search are good resources. If I find an image in Google Image search, is it ok for me to use it in my blog?
 

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Google and Yahoo Image searches often bring up copyrighted material. There are 'fair use' ways to use images, but I'm not a lawyer so I don't know what they might be

So but the best thing to do, if you're concerned about using images from the web, is only use your own stuff taken with your own digital camera or just provide a link to other online material.
 

razibahmed

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So but the best thing to do, if you're concerned about using images from the web, is only use your own stuff taken with your own digital camera or just provide a link to other online material.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for your response. So, if I provide a link to online images it is ok? Or, I still violate copyright?
 

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Do a search for "public domain photos" and you'll come up with lots of databases that offer images for free use. A good one is www.morguefile.com. Read the small print (sometimes you're required to provide a link to their webpage as "payment" for using the photo; most of the time you can simply use it).
 

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razibahmed said:
Thanks for your response. So, if I provide a link to online images it is ok? Or, I still violate copyright?

If you actually put the image in your post you need to be certain that it's allowed either because the use has been granted (see post above), you've purchased the right to use image (Getty Images* has that and a royalty free option) or that you're using it in accordance with 'fair use' - which, because I'm not conversant with the rules about that, you'll have to research.

Otherwise you can just put a link to the picture in your post instead of the picture. Linking is always ok.

*with Getty images I select "creative" on the home page and check "royalty free" on the search options. You get a pretty good selection.
 

Talia

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what about istock photos? i think they're free

and yes the images is an interesting issue. i was going to ask matt/navigator about that, as i see he uses a lot of images on his site and i wondered about the copyright issues, esp things like scanning photos from books and so on. i wondered if it violated copyright somewhere or if it's ok to use "public" images.

i haven't used much in the way of photos for that reason, but i'd like to!!!
 
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Marilyn Braun

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Sometimes you have to be careful with linking to images on other sites. I know one site that I visit which has lots of great royal photos doesn't like people linking without permission and giving credit. For some people it's also a bandwidth issue.
 

razibahmed

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Marilyn Braun said:
Sometimes you have to be careful with linking to images on other sites. I know one site that I visit which has lots of great royal photos doesn't like people linking without permission and giving credit. For some people it's also a bandwidth issue.

Now, I have got the sollution. I first upload the image in my own blog space and then provide the link. So, bandwidth is not an issue as the image is in my blog's server. Secondly, when I am doubtful about the copyright of an image then I just add the message that if someone objects I would remove it.
 

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Bandwidth can be a real problem for some people. It's always a good idea to ask permission for any image if explicit copyright/permission info is not posted. Many people won't mind if you ask for permission to copy to your server with credit and a link back to them. That solves both the bandwidth and permission issues.

Never hotlink an image without permission. This past spring I found someone had hotlinked a high-res picture on my site and it was sucking up huge amounts of bandwidth. Most people don't realize that hotlinking costs someone else money, bandwidth, or both.

(Because someone always asks when I use that term, "hotlinking" means embedding an image from one site in another web site. Every time someone brings up the page with the embedded image, it has to load in from the other server. You can imagine the load on the other server if a lot of people hotlink the same image. Of course, sites like Flickr or Photobucket are designed for this, but you still need permission to host an image that isn't yours.)
 

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Don't hotlink. Just because it's 'out there' doesn't mean you can have it appear on your blog, website or anything else. Email and get permission. That's what we did with http://www.jenniferjefferson.net/ where the photo's weren't copyright free. Most of the photographers were very amenable to getting their work seen (and correctly credited!)

Better still use a photo library. istock aren't free, but very cheap, and sites like http://www.sxc.hu/ are free (with certain restrictions on certain pictures).
 

Deleted member 42

1. You can't assume that an image that shows up in Google is legal to use. You can always search and email for permission, but don't use an image without permission.
2. Don't link to an image without permission, either. That's regarded as bandwidth theft by a lot of people. It's exceedingly rude. I've sometimes emailed the owner and explained how I'm going to use the image, included the text of the post or page, and asked for permission to host the image with a citation and link-back. I may even offer to remove it after a specific time.
3. Take your own pictures; it's easy, cheap, fun and you get exactly what you want.
4. Search for public domain images; governments frequently provide free images for you to use and ask for a citation and link back.
5. Buy a stock image collection on DVD or CD-ROM. Make sure the license for image use is one that's appropriate for you.
 

soloset

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The Creative Commons is a fantastic resource as well. As always, you have to read the terms carefully and contacting the original owner of the resource is, flatly, the easiest way to be sure.

Please, please listen to JulieB about hotlinking -- you do NOT want this to happen to you.

In one kerfluffle I can't find a link for at the moment, the replacement image was a photoshop of the guy's head and a gay cowboy's body. Caused the hotlinker a lot of embarrassment, given that he had hotlinked the image in an article he'd had published on a professional magazine site, if I remember rightly.
 

Talia

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BUT...

A question. Some of those websites have free images for personal use, but not commercial use. What is the line between personal and commercial?

I figure if you are a pro blogger or you are using it to post articles to raise your profile and ultimately increase customers or clicks to your books etc that is commercial. If you are using your blog to diarise your weight loss journey, then => non commercial, but if it is really an advertorial for you as a writer or blogger, or expert in fishing or psychology or royals then is it commercial???

Can someone provide guidelines?
 

JulieB

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If you even have a glimmer of hope of making money from your blogging (or related) activities, then treat your blog as commercial. If you have ads on the blog - even if you didn't put them there - it may be construed as commercial because someone is making money off of that page.

It's always better to be safe.
 

L M Ashton

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Secondly, when I am doubtful about the copyright of an image then I just add the message that if someone objects I would remove it.
This isn't a good idea.

You expect the owner of the image to find you? You found the image, you know where it comes from, you seek permission. Don't expect the other person to hunt you down and then be all nice to you. If in doubt, ask.
 

razibahmed

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quidscribis said:
This isn't a good idea.

You expect the owner of the image to find you? You found the image, you know where it comes from, you seek permission. Don't expect the other person to hunt you down and then be all nice to you. If in doubt, ask.
Thanks for it. Well, 99% of the time, I do not use any image in my blog entries. Most of the time, I use images from Wikipedia, Government websites, government news agencies and always give a link to the original source.
Anyway, I did some search about this issue and found Fair use of Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use) and An Introduction to Using Images on Blogs (http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/02/21/an-introduction-to-using-images-on-blogs/) useful.
 

Deleted member 42

When I find that someone has hotlinked to an image of mine, without permission, and I see a fair amount of traffic, I use the same image name and URL and put up another image, one that I've chosen Just For Them and Their Users :D

Don't hot link.
 

Deleted member 42

Keep in mind that royalty free does not mean free; that means that once you license the image (at a fee) you may use it in accord with that license an unlimited number of times.

Keep this very much in mind with Getty images, and their sub-licensees, like Bridgemen.
 

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razibahmed said:
Now, I have got the sollution. I first upload the image in my own blog space and then provide the link. So, bandwidth is not an issue as the image is in my blog's server. Secondly, when I am doubtful about the copyright of an image then I just add the message that if someone objects I would remove it.

If in doubt simply do not post any person's creative works without their explicit permission.