How to Find Free Pictures for Your Blog

Photo by Doug Woods

One of the biggest questions I had when I started blogging was:
"How are people finding all these great pictures for their blogs?"

And, "How can I find them for free?" (one can certainly buy images, but they're not cheap).

I emailed some bigger bloggers, like Simple Mom, to ask for their advice and help, but never heard anything back. So I continued to search and search on my own, looking for pictures I could use in posts for free,  without violating any copyright infringements. That took a ton of time.

Sometimes people end up here from Google Images, and I am sure they are copying something they see on my blog. That's not ok. But there's an easier way that is ok.

Laura at Organizing Junkie shared this helpful article with me, and I will share it with you too:

Basically, when I am looking for a picture of something, I go to flickr/creativecommons.

I search under attribution licensed photos, since you can crop them if you want, and you can use them on your blog if you have advertising (most other options are strictly non-commercial).

Then you just have to attribute the image to its author, and you're good to go.

If you have any other tips for finding great free photos, please share! We can all benefit when others share their advice.

linked to Works for Me Wednesday