By Jeremy Kong, Digital Content Coordinator
You’ve almost finished your latest piece of writing. That blog post, website update, newsletter or other content that you have been working on tirelessly is almost ready to go live. After an additional review, you decide that an image would really help set your content apart from the crowd. But where do you go to find that image? For many, the answer is Google Images. While Google Images will return pages and pages of relevant images, you may be setting yourself up for headaches, a nasty letter and even a hefty fee down the road if you simply grab a picture, throw it onto your blog and hit “Publish.” 
A few months ago, a local business contacted our agency about a letter they received from Getty Images about an image pulled from Google and used on their website. The letter demanded that they cease and desist the use of the image, remove it from the website and pay a monetary settlement for the use of the image in question. For this one, single thumbnail on their homepage, this business had to pay $942! Who would have known that a 150px X 150px thumbnail could end up costing so much? This is not an isolated incident; thousands of others have received similar letters and have had to deal with similar fees. Click here to read one of these letters, and click here to read what happens if you choose to ignore the letter.
With content so readily available, it is easy to misuse someone else’s intellectual property unknowingly. Even when you think your use of that image is innocent and valid, it isn’t always clear who owns the content and how you’re allowed to use it. Don’t fall into this trap. Make sure you are informed and taking the proper precautions to avoid accidentally infringing on the rights of someone’s intellectual property. Here are a few free stock photo sites that you can go to for your next image.
- Stock.xchng (http://www.sxc.hu)
- Strange URL, but Stock.xchng offers one of the biggest selections on the Web with more than 404,000 images. The only downside is that you must sign up, but there is no cost.
- Morguefile (http://www.morguefile.com)
- Morguefile, started in 1996, is one of the oldest stock photo sites around. It “provide(s) free image reference material for use in all creative pursuits.” Morguefile makes it clear how you may use the images and the site does not require you to register.
- Pixabay (http://pixabay.com)
- You may use all of their images freely, and you don’t have to worry about attribution to the original author. No registration is required and you can also search by orientation, a feature that other sites do not offer.
If you are interested in a premium stock photo service, a good resource is Bigstock (http://www.bigstockphoto.com). With a number of subscription plans and payment options, Bigstock provides a selection of more than 16 million images, photos and illustrations. To give you an idea of the cost, one plan allows you to download up to 10 images every single day, for only $99/month.
Next time you need an image, look no further than these great stock photo services. Undoubtedly, you will find a high—quality image that will enhance your content and draw the attention of your readers while ensuring that you are not at risk of infringing on a copyright.