Should we expect photographers to use SOLELY their own images on their website or blog? I ran into this issue myself when I began posting online content years ago. As a stock photographer, I have a rich collection of images at my fingertips with which to illustrate my point, but what happens when I run out?
Or, speaking of the image in this blog post - what if the one I have is just too darn old?
The models above are holding what was a cutting-edge flip phone in mid-2000s. It’s slick, shiny and…hopelessly outdated for the modern design customer looking for stock. Mind you, I’m still happy when the image gets downloaded, but I know it’s on its last legs and it won’t be long before the effort that went into it goes down the drain. But, so it goes with any tech-based imagery in the licensing world. Its lifespan is pitiful.
But, I used the image anyway. For one, I simply love it. The models are happy and it’s bright and well-executed. And, as I wistfully wrote above, it’s about to deadline anyway, so I may as well use it myself.
Ok, so I’m one of the lucky ones and have access to a library of my own from which I can choose and pick at will. But what happens to a photographer or a designer whose pool of homemade stock is limited and yet a well-illustrated blog is what they want?
My solution for my fellow artist bloggers: use others’ images, once you have gained the right to do so either through express permission or by licensing through a third-party stock agency and CLEARLY indicate the ownership (do a photo byline). It goes without saying that your actual portfolio should only have images that you have created, especially if photography is the service you’re advertising. Anything less than that is fraudulent. But do not be so demanding of yourself as to expect to produce every image you will use to illustrate a blog post.
By using images of others, you will liberate yourself from that paralysis that plagues many of us when we want to blog and are feverishly looking for a topic. As visual artists, we shy away from text-only posts as we think they’re dull and boring (my suggestion: do a few of these anyway—experiment with prose). It’s frustrating to be scrolling through your folders, trying to find an image to headline a post. If that will stop you from writing what’s on your mind, give yourself a break. Write the blog post first and then go buy the perfect stock photo or vector to illustrate it with. Participate in the artistic community that extends a little further than your own computer and drop a few dollars into another artist’s hat. And if you’ve never licensed before, learn. It’s actually kind of easy and may become your own new revenue stream.
Above all, be honest. Keep your portfolio chock full of your own best imagery. Let readers know on your “About Me” page that all images on your site, unless otherwise indicated, are your own. And then be clear when you use others’ images on the blog end of your site.
Oh, and P.S.: if no image out there suits the post you’re thinking of, PERFECT. That means it’s time to get out there and shoot one of your own :)