What is the low down on picture use?

1. 67

   Evan Martinposted 10 years ago

   I recently read the article posted by the site on picture and I am curious as to how strict people are with photo use, because when I search on commercially allowable photos on Google the results leave little to be desired. I want high quality photos but I also don't want to get in trouble. For example in my Most Underrated Movies hub I use some nice photos that I found on Google, but I didn't cite them each Is this a big deal.... or nah?

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   1. 78

      LuisEGonzalezposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      You need to  use photos that are "free to use, even commercially" (if you display ads) or obtain permission from the author/owner. Even then you should/must attribute and in most cases provide a link. It also helps if you include the copyright notice i.e cc-by- 2.0

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   2. 92

      mikejhcaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Why don't you just take your own pictures and use them? Probably because it is not that easy. It is a big deal when you steal photos. First make sure you have permission to use the photo. If you do then attribute the source and provide a link.
      
      You would not want someone to steal your hubs would you? Stealing photos is basically the same thing as stealing hubs. You are stealing content. The owner could have put a great deal of effort into creating the picture you are using. They may have also bought an expensive camera so they could take great pictures.
      
      I bought a new camera and getting good pictures often takes a lot of work. So I don't want people using my photos without permission and without a link back.

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      1. 67

         Evan Martinposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I have a nice camcorder and camera, but how am I supposed to get pictures that show off a movie, or a million other things that I could write about that I can't personally take a picture of?

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         1. 92

            mikejhcaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            When it is impossible to take the picture search for some good pictures you can use. I get some pictures from the creative commons areas of Wikimedia and Flickr but I always attribute them and provide a link back. Usually I make sure I can take the picture myself or find one before I spend a lot of time writing the hub.

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   3. 85

      tsmogposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      As most has shared attributing to any source is a practical method. Using at minimum quotation marks for quotes from another source for instance. The same with an image. Videos from YouTube for example it is built into the video offering the attribution.
      
      The reason as is pointed out is using with out regard to ethical values and/or legal concerns devalues the hub or any hub. It looses validity when unverifiable. Those web crawling bots do look for those attributions and value your article - blog, hub, image, and etc. based on correctness and what is real. If something is not original and that is verifiable as being a duplicate without attribution it is simply fake or faked. It is unreal. If unreal it can not have validity as reputable or reliable. It is then devalued. How much I dun'no . . . it does occur. If too much with one article a warning will occur.

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   4. 98

      DrMark1961posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      It is a big deal, but you can usually find good images out there, just be sure to credit them like Luis Gonzalez points out. Many of my hubs have images from Flickr.com but I only use the commercially available shots. Sometimes you will be able to find photos in wikimedia.
      Do not credit your photos to Google.com. They are not the photographer.
      Looking for good photos takes a lot of time, but you will have people spending more time on your hubs, and they are much more likely to share them.
      Take the time to do it right. The benefits are worth it.

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   5. 86

      TIMETRAVELER2posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Photos from Google are not necessarily public domain and you can get into trouble using them without permission.  Try Pixabay.com or Morguefile.com for great, free public domain photos.

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   6. 86

      Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I wrote a Hub on how to use photos from Flickr, you'll find it on the slider on my profile.
      
      In practice, you'll probably get away with using photos illegally.  It's a matter of conscience really.  Personally, as a writer I get upset if someone steals my work.  So is it reasonable for me to steal the work of another creative person, like a photographer or an artist?  No.
      
      Also, although it's rare, people do get sued from time to time.  It's probably a one in a million chance but it's still a chance.

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2. 78

   Mark Leesposted 10 years ago

   You have to attribute any images used.
   
   It is acceptable to use photo's from films under "reasonable usage", especially if there is promotional value for the film, but they still need to be attributed to the film.

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3. 0

   Bronwyn Hansenposted 10 years ago

   Hi Evan. When I use photos other than my own originals, I use wikki commons. They have all of the info with each image on credits and usages/copyright.
   Hope this helps.

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