Free Getty images for bloggers?
Did you know that the giant photo agency created this priceless resource in 2014?
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Free Getty pictures for bloggers/publishers? Yes, you read right.
As I’m in the process of remaking my blog (while writing here on Medium and on other platforms) I’ve been reviewing and investigating the best tools and resources of the trade, as well as updating my knowledge on all things digital marketing.
And one of the most debated and complicated issues blogging wise is the use of images that might be copyrighted.
A few years ago, blogs, at least smaller ones, could get away with the innocent use of images for reference, or simply go under the radar, as long as credit (and due destination link) was given to the author/original source. Nowadays, not so much. Sure thing, for both ethical and financial reasons, most bloggers have no interest in being involved in legal claims over image use.
First, because as authors, we know all too well how awful any kind of copyright abuse can feel; and second, because lots of bloggers fall into the smaller business category (even the biggest names aren’t exactly Google-sized corporations) when at all. Few can afford to burn thousands in compensation over a sloppy-planned blog post illustration.
With that said, producing your own pictures or resorting to image banks like Pexels, Unsplash, Pixabay, Freepik, Freeimages or Rawpixel doesn’t always cover the needs of some posts- especially if we are talking about fashion blogs.
Sure, there are cases where we can use, for instance, an affiliate image (killing two birds with one stone: illustrating the article and eventually making a few quid should anyone buy the displayed items through our link). If we are talking about a type of dress, we can go for a lookbook photo from a brand we are affiliated with.
However, say we wish to comment on a red carpet event, runway show or a particular celebrity- that’s where it gets tricky.
Either we don’t use an image at all, providing only the link to the source so our readers can check for themselves (making the post less visually appealing and increasing our bounce rate) or risk using pictures without following…
