Your search for free images for blogs ends here. This article will guide you through everything you need to know about free images for blogs. Of course, content is essential, but you can’t depend on just text to keep your readers engaged.
Some people are visual learners; hence, having a picture or two on your blog posts may be more beneficial in getting your message across than plain old blocks of text. According to Forbes, adding images to your blog aids in the overall success of your blog, helping you rank at the top.
Where to find free images for my blog?
Although images are fundamental to a blog’s success, you cannot just use random pictures you find off the internet for your blogs. You need to consider the copyright issues connected to using unauthorized photos, which may render your website illegal or fraudulent.
According to a study, there could be an increase of at least 2.3 trillion pictures taken in one year by 2030. From among these pictures, not everything is copyright free for you to use.
The general rule of thumb is that whoever takes the picture is the picture’s owner. So you need to ask for permission to use their photographs to avoid landing up in legal trouble.
Here are some options available for you if you are looking for free images for your blogs:
You be the photographer
The easiest, most foolproof way to get ahead of your game when adding images to blog posts is to take your own pictures. It’s a plus point if you are already a professional photographer since you will be able to take good photos and advertise your work alongside your content.
Even if you’re not a professional, with a decent smartphone camera, you can take pictures relevant to the content so that it ties your article together.
When you take your own pictures, every single image is your own, so there’s no way of getting caught in copyright issues; plus, it becomes a unique entity for SEO purposes.
Taking your own pictures for your blog is also more efficient and time-saving since you don’t have to spend hours on the internet scouring for free images relevant to your content.
Hire a photographer/rent a camera
You can rent a camera or hire a camera person to take pictures. You will have to pay for the rented camera or the photographer’s service, but you will still have copyright-free images at your disposal that you can use anywhere you like.
You can go online to platforms like Fiverr, where you can buy a gig for a few dollars and get your work done in a short period. The other option is to rent a camera and take your own pictures.
You can make a day out of the photoshoot by getting as creative as possible, traveling to different spots, and taking whatever images you need for your blog.
Hire an illustrator
If you don’t want to use photographs, you can hire an illustrator who will draw out your creativity for you. You can sit down with the illustrator and share ideas on what you want the illustration to look like and how it relates to the content. You will have to pay a fee to the illustrator for their time and service.
Using stock images online
If you don’t have the time to hire a photographer or take pictures on your own, you can download free images from websites. It’s the easiest option out of everything we’ve mentioned in this article.
Just find some of these websites and enter the keyword of the image you are looking for; when you find the one you like, you can click on download, and you have a free idea to use on your blog.
How to download free pictures for blogs?
There are many websites where you can search and download royalty-free and copyright-free images for your personal use. After downloading these images, you can edit and modify them as you like without asking for permission from the picture owner.
The typical process of downloading free images for blogs is:
- Go to the website of your choice for free stock images
- On the search bar, enter the keyword that you are searching for
- Browse through millions of pictures that come up as relevant search results on the website
- Download whichever you feel resonates with your content.
Here is a list of websites from where you can download stock images for free:
- Unsplash
- PhotoPin
- PicJumbo
- Pixabay
- Pexels
- New Old Stock
- Gratisograhy
- StockSnap.io
- FreeImages
- Life of Pix
- Burst
- Vintage Stock Photos
What are the legal issues concerning blogs for photos?
The main concern for using pictures on your blogs comes from various legal licenses with the images. Typically, the person who has taken the photo is the legal owner of the image, so you need to ask for permission if you want to use their image. Some exceptions are there for journalistic pictures or stock-free pictures like we’ve mentioned above.
If you want to use images from another photographer in your blog, make sure that you ask for permission and have the photographer grant your picture’s license before you publish it on your blog.
There are generally three licenses that you have to look for from the owner of the image:
Creative Commons
This NGO supports the creative use of images taken by photographers without having people make money from their pictures.
Royalty-Free
These are the images that are readily available on most stock images websites. Certain websites might charge you a small sum, while others offer the pictures free.
Public Domain
These kinds of pictures are copyright free either because the image itself doesn’t carry any right to claim for copyright or it has already expired. Most of the public domain pictures are for public/government use.
How to safely use a blog for photos?
- Try your best not to use unlicensed pictures. If you have to use someone else’s photos, give it due credit.
- Do proper research and find an ideal solution for you, whether hiring a photographer, illustrator, or downloading free images.
- It’s better to be safe than sorry, so we suggest using your own pictures or asking for permission for the images that you add to your blogs.
