35 replies
I'm looking for images I can use for my site. Every stock photo site i visit makes me sign up free which is fine but then when I search there are nothing worthy unless you pay and I get directed to another site where I have to choose a payment plan. Does this mean every time I write a blog post I'll have to pay for an image?

I've heard you can get in trouble by simply taking images from google. I've tried google advanced search with commercial reuse rights but nothing related comes up! Can you really get in trouble for taking any images you want? Surely every blogger out there is doing it, or so it seems.

What am I gunna do???
#free #images
  • Profile picture of the author Thomas Michal
    no not every blogger is doing it, and yes you can get in trouble.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chriswrighto
    It might be best to just purchase a royalty photo.

    I personally used to use sites such as 123RF.

    Have a look around.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve B
    Originally Posted by fitnesschap View Post

    Can you really get in trouble for taking any images you want? Surely every blogger out there is doing it.

    Yes, you can get into big trouble by just taking any images you want . . . and NO . . . every blogger out there is not doing it.

    Use the search function of the forum . . . there are a number of free image sites you can review.

    In addition, you can purchase millions of images for $1 each and be safe. If $1 is going to break the bank, then you should think twice about getting into business for yourself. There is a cost to starting your own business, albeit a very small cost.

    Steve
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    • Profile picture of the author savidge4
      The easiest solution... take the photos yourself!
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      • Profile picture of the author sanhal
        You can get some good images from Flickr in the creative commons section.
        flickr.com/creativecommons/

        You can use the images as long as you give credit to the owner of the picture. Just make sure to check their attribution requirements.

        I often use these images on my blog and simply give the credits in small font at the end of the post linking their name to their flickr photo stream.

        Sandy
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        • Profile picture of the author HenryBell
          Originally Posted by sanhal View Post

          You can get some good images from Flickr in the creative commons section.
          flickr.com/creativecommons/

          You can use the images as long as you give credit to the owner of the picture. Just make sure to check their attribution requirements.

          I often use these images on my blog and simply give the credits in small font at the end of the post linking their name to their flickr photo stream.

          Sandy
          good tips thanks
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  • Profile picture of the author seobro
    Try using ccsearch as they got great images.
    CC Search

    Also, check out dreams time as they have a lot of free images.
    Free Images to Download & Free Stock Photos - Dreamstime
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    • Profile picture of the author Riki Stein
      Flickr.com
      StockFreeImages.com
      xsc.hu (stock.xchng)
      MorgueFile.com
      visual.ly (for infographics)
      commons.wikimedia.org

      Be sure to check if there are any restrictions, and if any attribution is required. I like to go with ones that do not require any attribution (and are free obviously).

      The ones I found on morguefile didn't require any attribution.
      You can also install the (free) plugin called pixabay which you can search and insert images into your posts, and they are all in the public domain and no attribution is required.

      I actually just wrote about this on my blog.
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  • Profile picture of the author Devid Farah
    Originally Posted by fitnesschap View Post


    I've heard you can get in trouble by simply taking images from google. Can you really get in trouble for taking any images you want?
    Yeah, you can get in trouble for copyright infringment.

    Here are some websites that offer free images, might help:

    Fotolia
    Stock Free Images
    Free Images.Co.Uk
    MorgueFile
    Free Photos Bank
    TurboPhoto
    Photl
    ImageAfter
    EveryStockPhoto
    Free Media Goo
    Animation Factory
    StockVault
    Free Pixels
    RGB Stock
    Stock Xchng
    FreeRangeStock
    Free Digital Photos
    UnProfound
    NationsIllustrated
    Big Foto
    Free Foto
    PhotoGen
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  • Profile picture of the author john01a
    There's a lot of free stock images (see those mentioned by others already), where the creator of the image allows you to use it, without paying for it.

    You could also search for images licensed under a Creative Commons license that allows you to use it for commercial use.

    There are different types of Creative Commons licenses. So, just make sure that the license allows you to use it for commercial purposes and that you can use it in the way that you intend to use it. And, when you use an image licensed under a Creative Common license, you have to provide attribution (credit the creator).

    Alternatively, you could search for public domain images. Although, knowing what's in and not in the public domain can be tricky... so it may be easier just to look for images where the creator voluntarily placed their work in the public domain.
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  • Profile picture of the author CalvinHarris
    Here are some websites:
    MorgueFile
    TurboPhoto
    EveryStockPhoto
    StockVault
    Free Pixels
    Free Digital Photos
    Big Foto
    Free Foto
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    • Profile picture of the author igorGriffiths
      I would agree with the lists provided by the others and of course the correct attitude that its illegal to steal content from other sites via a Google image search.

      One new way to check the pedigree of any image you are thinking of using (ie, is the name person on these image sites the actual owner of the image) is to use a service called, tinyeye.com.

      There you can point them to the url of the image or upload the image they will then highlight the history of this images use.
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  • Profile picture of the author jessiem
    Flickr.com
    Behance.com

    Try these sites..
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  • Profile picture of the author johnben1444
    Looking for free images?

    Simply go to Google image and use the setting to adjust the privacy settings to only show free to use images.

    I have forgotten the process but you can easily find how to narrow down your search by using Google search.
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  • Profile picture of the author CoachManny
    Personally, I use images off of Google all the time.

    If they wanted to protect it they should mark it with their logo or some sort.

    I would imagine I would get a cease and desist if there was a huge hiccup.

    You an also use images off of Facebook. It's well known once you put the image on FB it belongs to FB.

    I haven't had any hiccups yet.

    Manny
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    • Profile picture of the author Midnight Oil
      Originally Posted by CoachManny View Post

      If they wanted to protect it they should mark it with their logo or some sort.
      It's called copyright. It doesn't have to be marked to be protected.
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    • Profile picture of the author msdobe
      Originally Posted by CoachManny View Post

      Personally, I use images off of Google all the time.

      If they wanted to protect it they should mark it with their logo or some sort.

      I would imagine I would get a cease and desist if there was a huge hiccup.

      You an also use images off of Facebook. It's well known once you put the image on FB it belongs to FB.

      I haven't had any hiccups yet.

      Manny
      Manny,
      You can get in BIG trouble using images off Google, why risk it? You can go to the settings tab in Google Images, then Advanced Search, then go to Usage Rights (at the bottom).
      Jenny
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    • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
      Originally Posted by CoachManny View Post

      Personally, I use images off of Google all the time.

      If they wanted to protect it they should mark it with their logo or some sort.
      Thanks Manny, that's good to know. By the way, I don't see any logo on your avatar pic, so I'll be using it to sign up at some porn sites later.

      Best,

      Frank
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  • Profile picture of the author Jo Stone
    I also use 123RF.
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  • Profile picture of the author trafficparadise
    I think royalty photo is the best place to purchase high quality imgage,try then and you wont regret it.thank you.
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  • Profile picture of the author cferfland247
    I mostly use Flickr Creative common for blog posts.
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  • Profile picture of the author spearce000
    This site has a lot of links to free image sites Free image resources - Meta and I often use pictures from Pictures Free Download (not affiliate links).
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  • Profile picture of the author Brandgineering
    So, the dangers of being cheap.

    1) It takes a photographer a lot of time and expense to create a photo. Tell you what, give me $500 of your service for free and tell me how it feels.
    2) Violation of a copyright is hefty fines.
    3) The little known stupidity of putting stock images on your site - Google actually checks your photos - and the outcome is that when you reuse that same stock photo used by hundreds of other people you run the risk of going down in the rankings.
    3a) Pay for photos on a site like iStock, they tell you how many times the photo has been used. If you really can't afford to pay the few dollars for a low res photo, there is a problem.
    3b) You can tell stock photos instantly. Its horrible content creation strategy to use something that looks canned. Spring for a photog to do a bunch of original content that looks authentic to your brand.

    Cheap is as cheap does. I instantly wonder about a company that represents itself with content that looks like it was pulled from free sites. Do I have a library? Yes. I pay for stock, but I choose it very carefully so it doesn't look like I was too cheap to spring for decent content.

    BTW, I have been to a lot of those "free" sites and most of it is not that good. I spend more of my time (= money) searching through their garbage than the few bucks for the good stuff or just grabbing my iPhone and taking a snapshot.
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  • Profile picture of the author Johnny33
    You can check out Flickr and use the Creative Commons licensed stuff, but don't forget that there are different classifications. There are pictures that must be attributed, some that can't be altered, and some that can't be used for commercial use, so make sure to know exactly what the rules are when you use an image. Check out this post for more details What You Need To Know For Sourcing Images On Flickr | ASEOHosting Hope this helps.
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  • Profile picture of the author tehdellguy22
    i just take photos from google lol it' s not like people actually care unless u become a huge site worth millions and then the vultures will come and sue u
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  • Profile picture of the author absolutelee
    Images are a real problem. I have a friend who works for an attorney who spends all day tracking down copyright violators, which his boss then threatens to sue. Personally, I would buy the image and make sure I have the right copyright. Also, even if you get the image from a "free" site, this doesn't mean you won't run into trouble down the road. You can look into public domain images owned by the Federal Government, but some of those are still copyrighted.
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  • Profile picture of the author dezekiel
    Originally Posted by fitnesschap View Post

    I'm looking for images I can use for my site. Every stock photo site i visit makes me sign up free which is fine but then when I search there are nothing worthy unless you pay and I get directed to another site where I have to choose a payment plan. Does this mean every time I write a blog post I'll have to pay for an image?

    I've heard you can get in trouble by simply taking images from google. I've tried google advanced search with commercial reuse rights but nothing related comes up! Can you really get in trouble for taking any images you want? Surely every blogger out there is doing it, or so it seems.

    What am I gunna do???
    At times free things are good...I do use fiverr to get my images,have got no issues seems yours is pictures on fitness niche.I could remember this guy made mention of 4000 fitness girls image on fiverr.
    I recommend this guy trafficker7 check him out,he's good on pics getting...http://fiverr.com/trafficker7
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    • Profile picture of the author alexandersmith
      Hi there, I'd highly recommend checking out Unsplash , there are some great images on there all free to use!

      Alex
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      • Profile picture of the author ecstacy31
        Hey guys ,one question,is it same with youtube videos too?Can I use pictures from google to make an youtube video?If not,what trouble can I get into?
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