I like to incorporate images into my blog posts. Because I’m an amateur photographer, often that photo is the object of the post.
If my post is going to be commentary on something or other, though, I like to use a photo that has something to do with the topic. For instance, in the post Leave all that rush – rush – rush at home! – don’t bring it here, “here” was Yellowstone National Park. For that post, a picture of the iconic Old Faithful Geyser was a good choice.
Since I use my own images most of the time, copyright is not usually a concern.
Sometimes, though, I can’t think of any photos that would fit what I’m going to be writing about. That’s when it’s time to start searching for something that will go with the topic – something that is also legal. I’m not always successful in finding the right image, but sometimes it works.
I like to use flickr.
The first thing I’ll do is search on something related to the topic I’m writing about. The flickr search box is on the upper right hand side of the page.
I’ll search “confederacy,” since I’m doing a civil war blog, and see what I get.
I’m generally conscientious when it comes the authors’ rights, so I want to make sure whatever image I pick can be used without restrictions. To accomplish that in flickr requires a second level of search. On the upper right side of the page, Ill select “Advanced Search,” which will take me to a page with a number of additional search options.
I’m looking for content that I can use with no restriction. Scrolling to near the bottom of the page, I find the Creative Commons options. I’ll check all three boxes and then click the search button below.
After that, all the images that show up should be available under Creative Commons. But how can we be sure? It’s not obvious at first.
Once an image has been selected, there is a row above the image on the photo page. I select “all sizes.” Once we get to that page, there is a statement at the top that says “All sizes of this photo are available for download under a Creative Commons license.” The link takes you to a couple of icons below the picture. The icons are linked to pages that describe the limitations and requirements of usage.
What do you use for finding images to use on your blog?
