How to find Free and Legal images for your blog – A guide to Creative Commons Licensed images on Flickr and Wikimedia

We all know that a good article or blog post needs an image or two to make it great. Good quality images break up the text and makes the content easier to understand – it also gives your article or hub that professional polished look that makes visitors to your website read on. Most online writers however, don’t have access an extensive photo library and don’t always have the time or skills to photograph every possible subject they want to write about. Luckily, there are a couple of online resources such as Flickr and Wikimedia Commons that allow you to search for and legally use their images for free - as long as you follow the rules set out by Creative Commons. Its all really easy and this article will take you through the whole process.

So how do you go about finding that perfect, free image? With time constraints and looming deadlines its tempting to just do a Google search and download the first photo you find that fits the bill. Doing so, you run the risk of using someone’s copyrighted image which is actually the online equivalent on shoplifting. To be on the safe side, simply follow the instructions below and learn about how Creative Commmons licenses gives you access to thousands of images you can use for free, completely legal.

Flickr and Wikimedia Commons both label and mark their images by ‘Creative Commons licenses’ which provide simple, standardized alternatives to the “all rights reserved” paradigm of traditional copyright. This makes it easy for you to find images that you can legally use for free on your blog, website or hub.

If you run advertising or make any type of revenue from your blog or website (hubpages fall under this category) you should be looking for photos which fall under one of the following copy right groups:

Attribution (CC BY) means the owner of the photo or artwork lets you copy, distribute, display, and perform their copyrighted work - and derivative works based upon it - but only if you give them credit. So, all you have to do in order to legally use their image for free on your blog is mentioning their name and the URL where you found the image plus the type of license. Easy!

No Derivative Works (CC BY ND) means the owner of the image let others copy, distribute, display, and perform only verbatim copies of their work, not derivative works based upon it. This means you can use their images legally for free as long as you don’t alter them in any way or make any changes. You also need to mention their name and the URL where you found the image, plus the type of licence. Great stuff.

Now that you know how and where to find the images you need, take a moment to learn how to attribute them properly. You wouldn’t want anyone to use your work without giving you any credit would you? It’s the same for the Creative Commons Licensed images – the creator or photographer gives you the right to use their work on your website or blog for free, BUT ONLY if you give them the credit they deserve.

If you’re using an ‘Attribution, or No Derivatives work’ licensed photo, you must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor. Simply put, this means including the photographer’s name and URL next to their work plus the photo’s license type. It is an easy way of ‘paying’ the photographer for the right of using their images in your article!

This is the information you should always disclose:

• Name of Author/Photographer/Artist
• The URL (web address) where you downloaded the image from
• The type of license that is applicable to the image

This article was written by Linda Bliss. I am earning money online by writing here at HubPages.com. Would you like to earn money online too? Read the success stories and sign up today to get started!