A picture tells a thousand words and this is especially true when it comes to photos on your website. Even though the internet is bursting full of beautiful photographs and as tempting as it may be, you just can’t copy and use all the photos you love on your own website or blog. Copyright laws mean that both text and photos online are the property of the person who created them and even crediting the owner when you use the photo, may not be enough to prevent you getting into hot water. Instead, sourcing your photos from either a paid or free stock photo website is best.
The most popular paid stock photo websites are:
While having your own website is really cheap (and check out our hosting plans!), buying stock photos for every blog or header can get extremely costly. Here are some great websites where you can source free photos instead:
We have also written an article where we dive into more detail about 8 free stock photo websites we love!
When you buy a stock photo, you buy the license to use that photo in a specific way. Some licenses give you permission to use it once on one website, others as many times as you like. Others can give you permission to use it on printed material. Some licenses are for exclusive use, so the owner may only sell that image a set number of times and then it is gone, while others may sell it millions of time. Very rarely do they sell you ownership of that image, preferring to just sell you the rights to use it. Finally, some licenses may not allow you to edit the photo in anyway. So when you do buy from a paid stock photo website, check out the types of licenses available before clicking Buy Now!
The three main licenses are Creative Commons, Royalty Free and Public Domain.
A Creative Commons licence has two parts. The first is known as a CC0, where the owner has given up all rights to the photo and you can use it anyhow you like. The other, a CC 2.0, requires you to give attribution to the owner of the image.
A Royalty Free image is generally one you have paid for and have the right to use. You do not have to give attribution when using it.
A Public Domain image is one where the copyright has expired or the owner has given up all of their rights in relation to the image. You can use this image anyway you like.
Have fun sourcing images for your blog or website and if you come across any other great ones you think need including in out lists, let us know!
Posted: Wednesday 8 June 2016