People keep emailing me to ask where I get the photos for my blog (and how much they cost).
They’re free. I find them on Flickr. Here’s how:
- Create an account on Flickr, if you don’t already have one.
- Go here to search for photos that are available under a Creative Commons license. That means that you can use them for free as long as you give credit to the person who posted the picture (along with a link), and as long as you’re not using them commercially. That’s why most of my posts have a “Photo by so-and-so” bit at the bottom. If you like the photo, you can click through to the photographer’s name to see more of his/her work.
- You can search for photos via every imaginable keyword. When you find one you like, click on the “some rights reserved” link on the right-hand side of your screen. That will tell you exactly how you can use that photo.
- Download the size that works best for your blog. For consistency’s sake, I use photos that are 560 pixels wide. If they’re not already that size, WordPress allows me to scale them down easily. I’m sure Blogger has the same capability (at least, I hope so).
- Upload the photo, grab a link to the main Flickr page of the photographer, and give ‘em credit.
That’s it! Adding photos does add a little extra time to the process of putting posts together, but I think it makes them much more interesting. I’ve found some amazing photographers this way, and I’ve even found some photos that have inspired new posts. If you’re looking to spruce up your genealogy blog, try it!
Photo by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I resist signing on to new web sites/accounts. Think I am gonna have to stop resisting! LOL
Thanks for great explanation on this.
I prefer to use my own photos when possible, but, do find myself surfing the net looking for graphics now and then.
Kerry,
An additional thing I learned reviewing the Creative Commons web site recently is that for any reuse, i.e., if you edit the photo in Photoshop, you also need to indicate the license terms of the original work as I’ve been doing for illustrations based on Creative Commons photos.
Thanks! Now I won’t have to email you to ask you how you do it!
Awesome! Thanks for the tip, Kerry.