What is a Good Place to Get Stock Photos?

1. 62

   George Lescheposted 10 years ago

   What is a good place to find stock photos to use with articles? Its the biggest hurdle I find when writing articles. Its not the articles that are hard to write for me its finding the images to go with them. I am a photographer, but sometimes stories need photos that are not readily available.
   
   To add to this, what are some good sties for free stock photos and also what photos on the web can be used in articles? Basically boiling down to it, when you do have to ask permission to use a photo as well?
   
   Thanks,
   George

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   1. 78

      vineliner57posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      My favorite place is: http://compfight.com/
      
      A couple of things about this site:
      
      After you enter your keywords, there will be "Professional Stock Photos from $1" at the top with some pictures for sale. Go to the pictures below the dotted line.
      
      Once you find a picture you like, click on it. Sometimes it will say:
      
      "The owner has disabled downloading of this photo.
      
      To find downloadable photos, please edit the search filters on the left to "Creative Commons" or "Only Originals."
      
      Those are not free.
      
      The ones you can use will have "Copy and Paste HTML" block, which is great for placing in a text module on your Hub to give proper credit. To do that, select the "HTML" option in the top left of your text module, then paste it in.
      
      The above mentioned HTML code will include the Creative Commons license for that picture. You MUST copy that license and paste it into your browser to check the license (BEFORE you take the time to download it), as some of the Creative Commons licenses do not allow for use commercially, which means you do not want to use it on a Hub, as you are (hopefully) making money here at Hubpages.
      
      Sometimes you have to look for a bit to find one that is suitable, but if you take a look at some of my hubs, you will see that they have some decent pictures.
      
      They are my first place to look for pictures.
      
      Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions.
      
      Hal

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   2. 86

      Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Simple. ALL photos on all websites are automatically copyright unless you can find a statement somewhere on the website to say otherwise. 
      
      The average person doesn't know that and thinks they can use any unmarked photo willy-nilly, but personally I don't think that's an excuse.  It's like saying, "everyone else is littering, so it's OK for me to litter too".    So I always like to go with my conscience, which says do the right thing!
      
      The right thing, if it's copyright, is to write to the website (or the photographer) and ask if you can use the photo.   
      
      If you can find a statement on the website, it will usually either say the photo is public domain (in which case you can use it without credit) or that it's Creative Commons licensed (in which case you must provide a credit in the format specified by the photographer).  In those cases, you don't need to notify the photographer, you can just go ahead.
      
      You'll find a Hub on how to use Flickr photos on the slider in my profile.

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   3. 86

      NateB11posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Wikimedia Commons, Pixabay and Morguefile. Also Flickr Creative Commons. But that one requires making sure you click the right boxes to ensure you're looking at free to use stuff. deviantART sometimes has free to use images but you got to look it over and make sure somewhere it says "some rights reserved".
      
      Other option is: Type what you want in search engine and enter. At right hand side, click bolt; drop down comes, you click on Advanced Search. You are brought to a screen with a bunch of choices; at the bottom is "usage rights"; click on the arrow in that box for the drop-down menu and then click "free to use or share, even commercially". Then click the Advanced Search (blue) button there at the bottom. At new search screen, click "images" at the top (under search, where it says "web", "images", "news", etc).
      
      Results will be free use stuff. This one's a little risky, I always double check the image to make sure it really is free to use; if it's from Flickr, Wikimedia, Pixabay, Morguefile or deviantART, it's usually free to use.

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2. 68

   taiwokareemposted 10 years ago

   I use Google images but I filter the image result with reuse with modification. Most times it shows me related images from Wikimedia commons and Flickr. If I can't get my desired image, I make mine on Microsoft paint.

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3. 60

   LindaSmith1posted 10 years ago

   Flickr, Morguefile, Pixabay, Wikemedia
   
   http://hubpages.com/learningcenter/legal-image-use
   
   You want those that are Creative Commons licensed okay for commercial use. Sometimes attribution is required, sometimes not.  I do it out of courtesy.

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4. 52

   hoverstateposted 10 years ago

   I really like Art Arena. They're a fairly new company but they have some pretty great stuff.

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5. 62

   George Lescheposted 10 years ago

   Thanks to all who shared, I will have to look into the links you all listed. Thanks to everyone again!
   
   George

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   1. 48

      Writer Foxposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      You can also use almost any image on a U.S. government site.  Here's just one example:
      http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/art/index.html

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6. 68

   Arachneaposted 10 years ago

   Hmmm. I'm not sure if you want the pay sites or the free sites. But, I use Morguefiles for free photos and they also offer photos for sale.

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7. 58

   peterjdrewposted 10 years ago

   Here is a great site for finding stock photos. https://unsplash.com/
   
   Everything is free and you can do with it whatever you want except sell them.
   
   It is great for web designers, which is what I use it for.
   
   Learn more about me at peterjdrew.com

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8. 62

   costumesngiftsposted 10 years ago

   iStockPhoto, arguably the most popular stock photo site out there, actually offers 1 or 2 free photos every week. Just click on the lower right hand side (Under Free Photo of the Week) on their "Photos" page
   
   You will just need to register an account to be able to enjoy the free stock photos
   
   Another way is to go to Flickr. Do an advanced search then tick the "Only search within Creative Commons-licensed content" and "Find content to use commercially" boxes

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