Free Blog Images
Don't Copy Any Images from Google - It will have Copy rights attached
Well, we don't want to get on the wrong side of the law in terms of copyright infringement?
Copying work from any source has it's warnings, and even if you were 100% innocent, there is no leeway, when you are liable with a court judgment hanging over your head.
Stock Photography can be expensive, especially if you are writing mountains of blogs to get a good following and decent ranking.
Free Resources
1. http://www.freeimages.com/ (SXC.HU) - Kyle has this mentioned in WA's 'Get Started training' - As recommend by Rich, study the terms of use when stated as certain restrictions may apply to different images. http://www.freeimages.com/help/7_2
4.http://commons.wikimedia.org/ - Another one by Kyle
5. http://www.morguefile.com/ as mentioned by Andy below
Paid but still Cheap as Chips (Fries)
Photo Dune has some great photo's for as little as $1.00
2.http://www.bigstockphoto.com/free-trial/ - Ok This is also an option as mentioned by Rich - you sign up with payment details (paypal/debit/credit-card).
Have access to download 5 free images per 24hr day.
On your 7th and final day after downloading your last set of images, you simply cancel your account with 35 free images in your back pocket.
3.https://www.canstockphoto.com/
These guys are pretty cheap $2.50 for the smallest image dimensions (Credit to Beverley (BIS) for mentioning this in one of her Blogs)
Always purchase the image that has the bigger dimension than what you need.
Sometimes the smallest is fine but if you need a bigger image for a slider then make sure you purchase the correct dimensions (resolutions). You can always scale an image size down without distorting the pixel ratio should the image be too big. If your image size is too small and you try increase the size, your pixel ratio will be distorted and the image will become blurred.
Hope this helps - Colin
Recent Comments
35
Hey Colin.I have not heard from you in a while,hope you are doing well,thanks for the reminder about the permission of photo,s.I used photo,s from pixabay which are free and i signed up to one I it is shutterstock and if I want any images then I pay for them.
Colin, I have a question for you or for members who have images from product reviews on their sites. When you don't buy the product, how are you guys getting these images to put on your websites? Isn't it illegal to take screenshots etc of these product images, or no?
Poor Kyle, I asked him about this already, but still confused on what is legal use of images if you don't own the product.
(I mainly understand about how to get regular images etc and how to use Amazon product images, but I am talking about the make money online product images).
Thanks.
I'd recommend searching for the manufacturer or distributor's press or media site, many create whole libraries for you to use, ie. http://presscentre.sony.eu/ImageLibrary/Default.aspx The majority of good affiliate programs will also provide images within their affiliate centres. :) Rich.
Thanks for tips Colin. I'm always looking for free images online. I hadn't heard of openphoto.net yet until now. Looks like a good one!
Great post, Colin! I changed to Pixabay after reading a prior blog Trialyn. If you Google cases about image fraud the results are enough to scare the pants off anyone who doesn't read the "fine print".
If you are unsure about how the image should be used, then assume that it's copyrighted - Google do mention this when you attempt to download the image from the net. Thanks
I bite the bullet and buy my photos. I know I am protected as I be sure the company has signed model releases. If this is a business, you need to sink some money into your business at times. This protects you in the long run. Debbie
Hi Debbie - I'm fully supportive from what you stated but from a business start-up that requires imagery for continuous blogs, you are looking at paying 3-5 dollars for every post, and this could break some financially.
Imagery used to build your website like sliders and the remaining static pages, then yes I agree buy them, as this is what I do, but for general ranking blog posts it makes sense to use free images from a cost perspective.
Colin, have a look at the BigStock http://bigstockphoto.com offer, it works out at c. 30¢ each for 180 hi-rez images which if a Member is posting three times a week covers them for a whole year. I blogged about it here: https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/rich/blog/ok-this-is-disgusting-just-ugh and https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/rich/blog/ok-be-a-sheeplewussy-but-don-t-join-the-circus :) Rich.
Hey Colin. As always, it pays to read the terms and conditions of any "free" image site. For example, #1 http://freeimages.com If you scroll down http://www.freeimages.com/help/7_2 you'll find hidden in section 7.2 (!) of their T&Cs; and labelled IMPORTANT! "Freeimages cannot be held responsible for any copyright violations, and cannot guarantee the legality of the Images stored in its system. If you want to make sure, always contact the photographers. You use the site and the photos at your own risk!" I'm afraid "free" isn't always "risk free". Rich. x
Thanks for this - I wanted to place other free resources, but in most cases attribution was required so I left them out - Kyle is au fait with this resource (free-mages dot com) - I'll put a message in the blog for this.
LOL. I guess I find it a bit weird, that no-one I know would sign a piece of paper without reading it first, but so many website owners never bother with the T&C's of the services and affiliate programs they subscribe to. :D It's true of most free services, especially image ones, I've had a couple of Members cry on my shoulder when they received substantial bills or DMCAs filed against their sites. It's why I always recommend stock libraries that accept their liabilities in regard to copyright and model releases. I mean, there's nothing stopping me uploading http://d.pr/i/wJuo and labelling it free to use. However, I'm not the copyright holder and if someone else then innocently downloaded it and used it on their site, then in most jurisdictions you'd be able to make a claim against them. Rich.
I have completely changed my practice as a result of what RICH said in reply to a similar post I made...the image aggregator sites are the ones to watch out for...
it is the responsibility of the user to beware all possibilities.
I like Unsplash and Morguefile...Unsplash are definitely kosher to use and death to the stock photo is a good one too, IMO.
I think it's probably especially easy for newcomers to forget they're building a commercial entity, a website that is a business and earns revenue, and therefore they have to be more careful when "signing up" whether to affiliate programs, image resources, etc. It's not personal sharing or without consequences if you breach the "rules". I saw only the other day that another Member here at WA had received a cease-and-desist and was required to surrender their domain name as it included a trademark. It's tragic when after six-months or a year of hard work, someone's site suddenly gets obliterated or they're lumbered with a massive bill because they haven't considered what their responsibilities might be and evaluated any risks along the way. :( Rich.
See more comments
Thanks!