The 6 Best Sources for Photos and Illustrations for your Blog or Presentation

Posted by on Aug 20, 2013 in Design, Tech 101 | No Comments
In The Pink. Source: Belinda Darcey

In The Pink. Source: Belinda Darcey. All rights reserved.

Blogs with striking images get more attention, more clicks and higher search engine ranking. Presentations with interesting photos keep your audience focused and entertained. But finding the right images can be a challenge, and then there’s the cost and copyright to consider. What’s a blogger to do?

1) DIY (Do It Yourself)
For a small budget or personal project, I strongly advocate creating your own photos or cartoon sketches or watercolors. Wait, hear me out. If you or your best friend has an iPhone, you can take your own hi-def photos. (Please resist the temptation to Instagram them.) Or try your hand at a single panel cartoon. Doesn’t have to be perfect, just readable. More reasons why DIY is great:

  1. It’s free (if you don’t count your time).
  2. No royalty hassles. Ever.
  3. The style will stay consistent over time (very important for branding).
  4. Looks original and authentic.
  5. illustrates your post perfectly (include only what you need to make the point).
  6. It’s fun. Especially if you recruit friends & family as actors.

 

2) Hire (or trade with) a photographer
If you need images for a professional presentation or business blog, consider hiring a photographer (or trading services or goods). This will definitely save you time and headaches and the results will be miles ahead of anything an amateur can cook up. Can’t think of anyone? Try asking your contacts on Facebook or LinkedIn. Expect to pay more for a commissioned photo (one that does not yet exist) than for one that the photographer already has. Be clear about how you will use the photos, and be open to the photographer re-selling them to a stock agency after 6 months. If you can supply some of the elements (e.g. location, actors, wardrobe, props) you’ll save even more money. If you can shoot several “scenes” in one session, this will also help your budget.

 

By Wouter Hagens, via Wikimedia Commons

Tourists at the Elephant Reserve, By Wouter Hagens (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

3) Wikimedia Commons
A database of 18,042,562 freely usable media files to which anyone can contribute.  “Unlike traditional media repositories, Wikimedia Commons is free. Everyone is allowed to copy, use and modify any files here freely as long as they follow the terms specified by the author; this often means crediting the source and author(s) appropriately… The license conditions of each individual media file can be found on their description page… The licenses must allow for commercial use and the creation of derivative works.” Photos are sourced from around the world so you get a huge diversity of image subjects. Try searching for “Tourists” to see what I mean. You can add a speech bubble, or photoshop your face onto an image, etc.

Williams høstkolleksjon 1959

Source: The Commons. Williams høstkolleksjon 1959 by Riksarkivet (National Archives of Norway), on Flickr

4) Creative Commons images on Flickr.
If you’re looking for vintage fashion photos or historical images, you will love The Commons. These images are royalty-free, and belong to public libraries (e.g. NY Public Library), museums (e.g. Smithsonian) and other public domain sources, so they are free to use in a blog post or presentation. The Creative Commons licenses vary, so you may not be able to alter the image or use it in an ad. Gives your work a professional polish and a retro feel.

5) Google Images WITH PERMISSION
Don’t even think about just swiping a free image via Google Images, Pinterest.com, Flickr.com, a blog or news site. Do you have any idea how easy it is to trace an image these days?? Do you really want to risk an embarrassing social media PR fiasco that will stay on Google Search results for who knows how long?

Cork wedge platforms. Source: Belinda Darcey for comfychic.dolcedesign.com

Cork wedge platforms. Source: Belinda Darcey for comfychic.dolcedesign.com

If your blog has any connection to a business, or you intend to post your presentation video or the slides online (e.g. YouTube, SlideShare), it is in your best interest not to use any image without permission. Besides, paying for images for your business is a tax deduction (Promotion & Advertising). And you can rightfully claim to support the arts.

If you come across the perfect photo or illustration online, send an email to the blog/website owner requesting permission to re-use the image. Be clear about how and where you want to use it. Be sure to offer them a caption credit, plus a link to their blog or website from your article. You’ll probably get it for free. For a speedy response, include a nominal cash fee.

 

6) Stock photo houses iStockphoto
As a last resort, you can try a stock photo agency. Stock photos offer a huge variety of pre-made images for $1 to $10 per image (small size).  After you pre-pay for a series of “credits” at iStockphoto or BigStock, you can download images for your blog. Reasons why this is not ideal:

  1. you do not own the image, just the right to use it for limited purposes
  2. you are not the only one buying it, so you may see the same image in an ad or on a competitor’s site
  3. You’ll need to sift through a few in order to find one that doesn’t look generic (fake smile, etc). Good luck with that.

Final Word of Advice
Once you find a particular photographer or style that you like, stick with it. This will give your site/blog a much more cohesive look. Develop a relationship with your favorite photographer or illustrator (via Twitter, etc), tell them the sort of images you’re looking for, and work out an arrangement that benefits both of you over time.

Know any other great sources? Please tell me in the comments below.