In my last post, I explained why pictures enhance your blog and make it more captivating for readers. Don’t you want to be captivating?
There are many online stock exchanges that allow fair use, such as PicApp and stock.xchng; when I rounded bloggers last fall during the Olympic Games, the picture in this post is courtesy of PicApp. That sort of real-time photo would be unlikely on Flickr.
But if you’re looking for a contextually-relevant photo, why not reach out to photo sharing-and-tagging social networking sites like Flickr and Wikimedia Commons, run some keyword searches, and grab something under the Creative Commons banner?
The above eye is courtesy of Ashley Rose on Flickr. While it’s unnecessary to link photos to the source, if you’re using shareable images, like the ones in my photostream, then it is crucial to provide textual and linkable attribution.
I am frustrated when other bloggers fail to use proper attribution and links for Flickr photos. For instance, in Amber Naslund’s latest post, that photo is linked to the person’s Flickr homepage, not the page the picture came from. Suppose I’d like to also use the photo? What if I want to add a comment on the “wall” for the photo? Where can I find the photo page? Amber doesn’t give it to me, thereby failing to properly attribute the photographer.
If after reading the above and Skellie’s guidelines, you have questions about how to know if something is fair use or not, why don’t you go back to my photostream, and on the right sidebar of those picture pages, under “Additional Information,” look at the line saying:
If you click that link, it points you to specific Creative Commons licensing I opt for all of my photos: you can use anything you want for non-commercial use and attribution. (Commercial usage may be waived by asking me in advance.)
And my blog? Does it have CC licensing?
You’re damn right it does! On my policies page, I link to the Creative Commons page that explains the means you can reuse my words–for non-commercial use and with attribution. See a trend?
About Ari Herzog
i’m honoured, thanks (:
ashley´s last blog post..complications, more so i can say..
Twitter Comment
creative commons photos – some tips on attribution from @ariherzog [link to post]
– Posted using Chat Catcher
Hi Ari,
Great post! A couple years ago, I got obsessed with finding and crediting flickr photos. I made a screencast!
http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2006/09/carnival_of_non.html
Then I got obsessed with screencasting – http://screencastprimer.wikispaces.com
Anyway I added a link to your great post in my post.
Beth
Great screencast, Beth! Was that your first?
I’m about to start adding photos to an e-book I’ve written. Can I use Creative Commons photos from Flickr in the book if I give them proper attribution or is that considered a no-no because I intend to profit from the book? Would appreciate your guidance on this.
Also, if not Flickr, what is a great source for affordable photos? I know about istockphoto.com, but I’m open to additional suggestions.
Thanks, Ari, for another informative post. I appreciate any information you or your readers can provide. Using stock photos is new territory for me.
Presuming you intend to make money off your book, that’s considered a commercial work. So, when searching for Creative Commons photos, tick the box stipulating “for commercial use,” such as what you can find at the bottom of Flickr’s advanced search page.
Find what you want, and attribute the name and source, e.g. “Credit: Joe @ Flickr” to differentiate from “Credit: Mary @ Wikimedia” or “Getty Images @ PicApp” or however each site’s licensing terms state.
Last fall, Sonia Simone wrote a CopyBlogger free photo guide for bloggers that you might find useful, too, for your e-book.
Thanks, Ari. That’s extremely helpful.
I wrote a blog post today about how I was inspired by your post to use more of other people’s pictures!
Mathea Ford´s last blog post..I am inspired!
Hey Ari,
I appreciate your critique, but I’d venture to say that “fail” is a bit of a strong word. I’m linking to the photographer for a reason; it’s crediting their entire body of work and *them* as the source. I can see your point about the convenience of finding the photo, but I can’t say that I’d take it so far that I’ve failed to credit the photographer. I’m quite conscious of making sure I point to any and all work that I’ve used via CC license, because I’m grateful that other people put out quality stuff like that for others to use.
Thanks for your input.
Amber
Amber Naslund´s last blog post..Marketing & Execution in 2009
I don’t know if this is the photographer or Flickr’s problem or mistake but I just found an image on Flickr and it said “some rights reserved” so I clicked on that and it took me of the Creative Commons details and there was some HTML under the attributions. I tested it in my blog and clicked on the link that it produced and it took me to the guy’s photo stream, NOT to the original photo. I’m not sure if that was intentional or not on the part of the photographer but if the CC says that you’re supposed to attribute it as per the owner of the image, then isn’t that what you should do?
.-= From Catherine to you: Creative Commons =-.