Finding good images to populate your posts with can be fun. It seems so easy to hop over to Google image search and pick out some nice looking images. What's the big deal?

Here is the big deal. Copyright is a serious matter. One that can have earth shattering consequences if ignored.

Copyright laws are extensive and very burdensome to read, so here is a quick overview of things to be aware of.

1. You cannot use work that is not your own without permission. It seems like a simple rule, but too many people ignore it.

2. You CAN be sued for compensation for copyright violation.

3. Just because someone else other than the creator is using it, doesn't mean you are free to use it.

I have read many stories about honest bloggers who received "cease and desist" letters from law firms informing them that they were, often unknowingly, in violation of copyright law.

Sometimes the author is only required to remove the photo from his/her site. In other cases the site owner is actually sued for monetary compensation for use of an image!

Who knew that using a simple image could have such grave consequences?

Yeah, lots of people use google images to populate their pages. Yeah, lots of them never get caught. But don't take the chance.

As a rule of thumb, if you don't have written permission to use a photo, just don't do it.

So what is a guy to do who doesn't have spare cash to throw around on high quality images? Luckily for us, there are lots of options out there to get free images to use on your posts.

Read on to find out where to find free images!