Finding legal images for your website or Blog

I was talking with a client the other day who was asking how to get images for their new website , how big to get them etc. She said I should make the conversation into a blog so.. well… I am.

Firstly where NOT to get web images.

Google images or just “off the web”. You need to have the rights to use any images on your website or blog. Taking an image off someone elses site can result in huge bills. Getty Images own a LOT of images and they just send you a letter with an invoice if you are found to have used their image.

So, where DO you get Legal Images?

The safest way is to use stock photo sites. There are a number of them and a quick Google search will give you tonnes, but my favourite is dreamstime .

They have a free section and a paid section. The free section tends to have part of photo shoots etc and be a bit limited . However, the search functionality of the site as a whole is great and I’ve always found what I’ve needed which isn’t the case for other sites. Usually I buy images though – this is my go-to site for web design images.

Here is a quick video of how to find and buy images.

You may need to turn your sound up a little to hear. I apologise for tripping over my tongue a bit too!

Tips :

• Always choose a size BIGGER than you need. The video above is 640 pixels (640px) wide, so if you wanted an image that size you’d choose the 800 pixel option not the 400 pixel option.  If you wanted am image the size of the graph in my sidebar the smallest size would be plenty.
• If you want to use the image in print as WELL as on the web you will need one of the larger sizes or you’ll end up with fuzzy printing.
• Buying more credits in one go saves you money.
• If you google an image and find one you like with a watermark on it it usually means it’s available to buy. Most watermarks have the website on them. Istock photo for instance is obvious. You can then go to the website and buy the licence.

Other options:

Flickr   This can be good if you really don’t want to pay for the image – if you are blogging often you may be looking for free options.. A lot of people share their images under creative commons licences just be sure to check the licence. Often it’s just that they want a credit and link on your site back to their flickr profile.

Take your own photos. If you took the photo than you have the rights to it. Just be sure to have the permission of anyone else in the image before you use it.

I hope this was helpful for you – let me know what you think in the comments , or tell me what is your favourite place to find images? I’d love to hear!