Camera

The other day, I crowdsourced a question to my friends on Google Buzz.  I essentially asked people to tell me about awesome sources on the Internet for free images that you can use for your website or blog.  One of my resolutions is to improve this blog by incorporating more photography, video and images in my posts.  Click here to read the full conversation on Google Buzz, and to see who provided these answers. 

Here are some helpful ways for you to quickly find new images to put on your blog or website: 
  1. Do a Google search for images, advanced options, and search for ones that are “labeled for reuse.”
  2. In fact, Google Images let you search based on whether images are “labeled for reuse,” or “Labeled for commercial reuse,” or “Labeled for reuse with modification,” or “Labeled for commercial reuse with modification.”  
  3. Use webshots.comgraphics.comstockimage.com
  4. Use stock exchange: http://www.sxc.hu/
  5. Use www.doverbooks.com and sign up for their newsletter.  They send you a link for free graphics each week from their work.
  6. If you use the Firefox plugin Zemanta with your blog, it loads Creative Commons photos that fit with your post based on the words in the post.  (Today’s image is from Zemanta.)
And as a bonus, click here for an awesome search engine (courtesy of Seth Godin) that pulls up vintage ads that fit your search terms.  Usage rights for them vary, but it’s a really fun tool to use. 

Whenever possible, I’m going to use my own camera to produce the images for this blog, but these are great resources, and I hope you find them useful.  (And, of course, let me know if I’ve left any great sources off this list – I’d love to revise this blog with new resources!)


Will Marlow co-founded AlumniFidelity to help his clients reposition their fundraising to benefit from Web2.0 technology and marketing techniques. He’s working with clients such as UVA, the College of William & Mary, the University of Oklahoma, Bowling Green State University, Randolph Macon College, and he loves nothing better than a thorny marketing challenge.  Email him at will@alumnifidelity.com.