A Simple Solution to a Lack of Free Images

byJamesJ

764 followers

Updated 11 years ago

Well, after spending many hours scouring the internet searching for the images I needed, I was feeling somewhat discouraged. I did find many images, but some were as much as $60 each! These are high resolution images of cameras, of which some still require an attribution to the photographer. I did find one photo of a Nikon camera that was completely free (fully copyright free with no attribution required), but that was the extent of it.

So, I decided to just create my own images... I went over to a local electronics store and had some much needed success. The clerk was very helpful and even let me take photos of some cameras right out of the box, in turn photographing them against a relatively neutral background (which makes the image of the camera much easier to isolate in Photoshop). This way I avoided having the theft protection device in my photo-- a large black thing that obscures a portion of the front and side of the cameras.

Are they professional grade images all perfectly lit and sharp? No

Are they a good starting point? Yes

<<wanted to post a few samples here, but the image uploader wasn't working for me>>

I dont think all of the time spent looking on stock photo sites was wasted, which is good of course :) I found some stock photo agencies that I was unaware of, and also a simple method of searching for royalty- free images through google.

Thank you to to Kyle, Beverly, and Welshy for the well written and informative resources:

https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/training/where-to-find-images-for-your-website/introduction

https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/training/how-to-find-add-images-to-your-website

https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/training/how-to-find-free-images-to-use-on-your-website

What did I take away from this experience?

Don't get bogged down on one certain aspect of building a site. Ask for help or just move on to the next thing until help is available.

Never underestimate the simple yet powerful act of acquiring your own product shots.

Always, always check the licensing on photos or illustrations before using them on your site.

It will certainly take some time in Photoshop to get these images ready for my site, as far as getting them seperated from the background, (I want a very clean look with an all white or grey background) but will be very worthwhile in the end. Eventually, if I deem this a worthwhile venture, I will borrow and/or rent cameras and lenses and shoot them with a better camera and professional lighting setup. But at least its a start!