Where Ever Your Content Takes Your Blog, Images Help Engage Your Readers
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| Photo: mirabbi |
For instance, a series of pictures or a short video can more easily teach someone how to crochet, or even how to use a computer, than words alone.
In addition to that, most of us tend to enjoy seeing photos and images. Your readers will be more engaged in the writing, if there are images to match or correspond to the meaning.
In this post, I will be providing a list of my most frequently used public domain photo and image sites.
Why Use Public Domain Images?
The images in public domain are free. Artists have the legal right to expect payment for their work, and I do not begrudge them the funds they receive. Some, however, just want to share their work. Others are trying to build their brand and offer free images and photos to get their work noticed.
As a business person (yes, writing is a business), I have to watch my finances. For this reason, I use public domain images and photos, where there is no need to pay for use of an image when I can.
Dramatic Images
make your article more interesting!
Resources for Public Domain Images
Images Help Make a Page Perfect
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| Photo: elciok |
Dramatic images made your article more interesting. While not exhaustive, below you will find a list of sites where you can find public domain images. Most of the images in my articles that I do not take myself come from one of these sites which offer public domain images.
You are free to use most of the images available on these sites in whatever manner you wish, including commercial. The one restriction is that you cannot use them in a standalone fashion. In other words, you cannot compile a bunch of these free images and sell the collection or even an individual picture.
In most cases, however, it is perfectly fine to use the images in a book, on a business card, on a web site, or even on a bill board, if you so choose. It is nice to attribute the creator, but it is not usually absolutely required.
That said, most blogging platforms require their writers to credit sources for all images, so make sure you get the URL and include a photo credit for pictures or clipart you use. Again, be sure to read the Terms of Use to know what, if anything, you need to do to make your use of the images on these sites legal.
Public Domain Pictures
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| Photo: Junior Libby |
This is the first place I look for public domain images. Most of the time, I can find something that works for my needs. If you choose to use an image or photo that has a photo of a person, read to make sure that the site has a release for its use before you use it.
Public Domain Photos
www.public-domain-photos.com
I have used this site, too. Be sure to read all the terms of service, because some of them differ according to the photo. With over 5,000 photos, this is a good place to look for the perfect image.
Public Domain Images
www.public-domain-image.com
On occasion, I have found images on this site that were perfect for what I needed. This site does not seem as user friendly as some of the others, but it does have some good images.
MorgueFile
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| Photo: MarcoMaru |
This site has some really nice professional quality public domain images. Most are marked as free to use. Be sure to check the license information. Also, make sure you have not accidentally clicked into the DreamsTime area, since those are NOT free to use.
Wikimedia Commons
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Photographs
Wikimedia Commons has tons of quality photos, all of which are public domain. Again, even though photos are free for use to the public, it does not mean there are not restrictions. Read the license for the picture you want to use.
ImageAfter
www.imageafter.com/
Images and textures on the ImageAfter site is free for use in your own work, either personal or commercial. To use this site, click on the down arrows on the search you want to do, then click on the category.
stock.xchange
www.sxc.hu/
With 400,000+ free photos, you should be able to find something that will work for you here. Be sure to read the Terms of Service, and when necessary, contact the photographer for permission.
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| Photo: Chance Agrella |
http://freerangestock.com/index.php
This site is new to me, but I have found some images I hope to use soon, including the one used for this section of this article. You do have to register to use the site, but registration is free.
Public Domain Clipart
http://www.pdclipart.org/
I have used some of the images on this site when I needed clipart rather than a photo. There is no registration required.
Pixabay Free Images
http://pixabay.com/en/
Nearly 400,000 free royalty free and public domain images that can be used without attribution in digital and printed form, even for commercial applications. However, some of the images offered are from ShutterStock, which will require a fee of some kind.
Do you have other resources for free images? Please share!
