Create If Writing

  • About
  • Workshops
  • Blog
  • Community
  • Podcast

How to Find Free and Legal Images for Your Blog

April 10, 2017 by kirstenoliphant@gmail.com 2 Comments

Whether you love to take your own photos or not, most bloggers need to find free stock images or free photos for their blog at some point. But as a few recent horror stories have shown, how to find free and legal images for your blog is NOT so simple. Here are three things you need to know!

Listen to Episode 97 – How to Find Free and Legal Images for Your Blog

Thanks to PopUpAlly Pro for sponsoring this episode! Find out more about PopUpAlly Pro!


How to Find Free and Legal Images for Your Blog 

Before I get to the tips on how to find free and legal images for your blog, I want to share the horror stories. You MAY have already read these, but they are scary. The first is from Allison Puryear who shares that she was sued for using an image that she got from a stock photo site. (Language warning in case that offends you!) Her malpractice insurance saved her, but the interesting thing to note is that the lawyer she spoke to said that this is COMMON. Because photographers are doing this on purpose as a cash flow. That stinks. But it’s legal.

The second post is from Chrystie of Living for Naptime and she shares how several years ago, she used a photo from a Google Search (hey- a few years ago MANY of us did that ignorantly) and lost $7500. She also explains that this was an intentional practice of the photographer.

You might think that this won’t happen to you, but there are three key things that everyone need to consider if using an image that they did not take. Let’s get into it.

How to find free AND LEGAL images for your blog! It's not enough to simply use a stock photo site. You need to know three very important things!

Three Things to Know Before Using a Photo on Your Blog

  1. Permission – if the photo is able to be used by a third party (that’s you)
  2. Attribution – how you need to give credit for the image source
  3. Usage – in what ways the image may be used legally

Often people stop at permission. We KNOW now that we shouldn’t use an image we find on Google. But we may NOT consider the fact that we still might have to put a line underneath the image that tells where it came from and who took the photo. We also might assume that because we find a free photo or even PAY for a stock photo that we can use it on the cover of our book or sell t-shirts using the image.

But PERMISSION does not mean that you can use an image without attribution or anywhere you want. You MUST consider all three.

Every site for stock photos is different, but you want to look for the licensing and attribution information. It may help to email the company itself if this is unclear. This may vary from image to image on ONE site, which is the hard thing. You might get used to no attribution on a certain site because most don’t require it and then not realize that ONE of the images does. Pay attention!

Or use a site like Pixabay, where all images fall under the Creative Commons 0 license, where you can use it for commercial purposes with no attribution. Be sure if you are searching for Creative Commons photos that you STILL read the license, as there are several different kinds of Creative Commons licenses.

Be sure that even if you are PAYING for a photo, you read the fine print. You want to be as careful as possible, especially considering that some photographers are intentionally using this as a means to make money. Smarmy, but they can. WE need to be the ones doing our due diligence on our photos!

Have you ever run into issues with using stock photos? Do you have any other tips or good sources where you can find free and legal images? Share in the comments!

 

Filed Under: Blogging, Show Notes

Comments

  1. Miranda Nahmias says

    April 12, 2017 at 8:40 pm

    This is so important to know! Attribution is key when writing and sharing content online. Always give credit!

    Reply
    • kirstenoliphant@gmail.com says

      May 26, 2017 at 1:45 am

      Attribution is key…if required. So it’s important to know when it’s needed or WHAT is needed. I prefer images that don’t require attribution in the post, just because I think it looks clunky, so I take the extra step of finding those kinds of photos. Thanks for reading!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

An epic course for fiction authors with practical strategies to create a six-figure income.

Hey, I'm Kirsten!

(Rhymes with BEER-sten.) I am the author of Email Lists Made Easy for Writers and Bloggers and the host of the Create If Writing podcast. My goal is to help writers, bloggers, and creatives like YOU turn readers into raving fans and learn to make a living doing what you love...without being smarmy. Questions? kirsten at kirstenoliphant.com

Work with Me

Find Things

Read What Everyone’s Reading

How and Why to Write Under a Pen Name or Pseudonym
The Ultimate List of Free Courses
The Difference Between Amazon Ads and Facebook Ads
How to Format Your eBook and Print Book - without losing your mind...
How to Deliver a Freebie to Email Subscribers
Should You Publish Your Book Wide or Go Exclusive with Amazon?
Copywriting for Authors: Four Steps to Selling More Books

Connect with the Community!

  • Privacy & Disclosure
  • 2020 Workshops
  • About
  • Create If Writing Podcast
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Listen on Apple Podcasts!
I use cookies on this site to personalize content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyze traffic. I also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising, and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services. Read Full Policy

Copyright © 2022 · Modern Portfolio Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in