Tips for Sourcing Photos for Your Online Content

During the course of your freelance writing career, you’ll likely find quite a few clients who request that you include images with your writing. You’re more likely to encounter this if you specialize in blog posts, as opposed to technical writing or medical writing. Images are crucial for making websites (and your content!) look visually appealing to readers. Fortunately, you’ll almost never have to take the photos yourself. You can use stock images that are freely available for commercial use.

Use the Writers Work tool for finding stock photos.

One of the perks of being a member of the Writers Work community is our easy-to-use tool for finding stock images. If you’re working on a document in your dashboard, just click on the image icon in the toolbar. This icon looks like a pair of mountains. You can browse the images available or search by keyword. And don’t forget to pair your writing clips with images! Just click on the image icon when you add a new piece to your Writers Work portfolio.

Know where to look for free images.

Although Writers Work members already have access to a generous database to help them with finding stock photos, there may come a time when you need to look elsewhere. Perhaps you have a client with very specific image requirements, for instance. There are plenty of other places online where you can find images that are free for use. Here’s a list of some of the most popular stock image websites:

• Flickr Commons
• Pixabay
• Photo Pin
• Pexels
• Unsplash
• MorgueFile
• Splitshire

You can find others by searching for key phrases such as “free stock images.”

Search for images on government websites.

Don’t overlook government websites. Let’s say that you’ve just written a blog post on the importance of getting an annual flu shot. Instead of searching for a generic stock image of somebody sneezing or waiting at a doctor’s office, you might head over to the CDC to find one of their ready-to-share graphics. These are typically free to share, if only because the CDC actively encourages the dissemination of health information.

Navigate to USA.gov, and then type “graphics and images” in the search bar at the top of the page. You can also search for “free images.” You should see a search results page that lists government websites. Look for the results that encourage users to share images or that state they are available for use. Examples include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Yellowstone National Park, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Make sure any images you select have a public domain license, which means they are free to use on any website. If you click on a particular image, you should see licensing information listed underneath it.

Another option is to visit the website of the U.S. Library of Congress. Look for their digital collections, which offer a wealth of digitized images, including historical images. These images are typically public domain. However, you will still want to double-check it. Look underneath the image you select for the subhead “Rights Advisory.”

Know where not to look.

Ever since Google became so commonly used that its name became a verb (e.g., “Just Google it!”), people have been turning to the ubiquitous search engine to find everything under the sun. Because of this, it might seem odd to advise you against using Google Images for finding stock photos for your content. However, if you source from Google Images, you won’t necessarily have permission from the photo owner to use it. Google points out that its images may be protected by copyright. The search engine recommends that people interested in using photos displayed on Google Images contact the site’s webmaster directly to obtain permission to use those images.

Understand photo licenses and usage.

If an image is in the public domain, it’s definitely safe to use it on any website or writing project, whether for personal or commercial usage. However, there are other types of photo licenses and usage stipulations you should be aware of.

Attribution

Always check for the attribution information. Even if a photo isn’t copyrighted and is available for use, the owner might still require that you attribute the source. You can do this in the caption of the image. You can format it like this: “Attribution: Writers Work.”

Creative commons (CC)

A creative commons license means that an image is free to use, although it may come with some restrictions, as follows.

CC (zero)

This license means you are free to use, modify, and distribute the image, whether for personal or commercial use, without attribution.

CC by

The CC by license requires attribution. The image is free for personal or commercial use.

CC by non-commercial (NC)

The CC by NC license means the image cannot be used for any commercial purposes. It can be used for personal use as long as it’s attributed to the creator.

Public domain

Any time an image is marked “public domain,” it means that it never had a copyright or the copyright has legally expired. These are free to use in any way you wish. However, you should be aware that usage laws can vary by country. You’ll need to make sure that you can use the public domain image in your own country (if you’re outside the U.S.) and in your client’s country, if different.

Finally, you should assume that any time you’re using an image for a client’s content, it’s considered commercial use of that image. Commercial use is anything that would monetize that image. For example, let’s say you’re writing a blog post for a vet clinic on choosing a flea medication. If you use an image of a cat scratching herself, this would be considered commercial usage because, ultimately, the blog is intended to promote the vet clinic.

A complimentary library of stock images is just one of the many perks of being a Writers Work member. Join our freelance writing community today and get access to our curated job board, publications directory, and instructional video library to jump start your freelance writing career! If you need more help getting started, consider signing up for a 30-minute, one-on-one coaching session, hosted by a professional writer.