Question: Which photos are OK to use on my site?
Answer: It's an easy trap for any blogger or online journalist to fall into -- using photos, often unwittingly, that are copyright protected. Considering the size of the World Wide Web, such transgressions often slip by unnoticed. But no online journalist wants to get in the habit of using images for which the ownership is questioned, as copyright infringement can always catch up to you. Blogger Perez Hilton found himself in this situation when slapped with a multimillion dollar lawsuit over the use of celebrity photos on his site.
When in doubt, leave it out! But what can you safely use in the way of photos?
- Free clip art: This can range from drawings to general photos to locator maps that can help enhance stories and blog posts. Do a Web search for free clip art, and you'll find many graphics companies that offer some art for free (often to draw attention to their other products that cost money). Some will have notations indicating that in order to use the images you have to give a certain credit, link to their site, or notify them where the image is being used. Carefully read the fine print before saving the image and using on your site.
- Get permission: Many photographers will be happy to let you display their work on your site -- as long as they get something out of it. This would be a photo credit that serves as an advertisement for the photographer -- those browsing the Web and stumbling across the photo might see the shot, like the photographer and pursue additional work from him or her. Other photographers would be happy to help a certain cause, and let his or her work be used for that purpose. Be sure to get the permission in writing.
- Take your own photos: Obviously this isn't reasonable for some international stories. But get a digital camera, get Photoshop and get creative. Say you're running a story about global warming: Take a nice picture of the sunset, the temperature gauge in the garden, an animal basking in the sun's rays, or a weather event such as a storm. Running a story about an immigration debate? Snap a pic of a store's sign in Spanish or of the local agricultural fields.
- Use handouts: Ever see a wire photo marked with an "HO" in the credit line? That indicates it's a handout photo. Governments, for example, often hand out official photos from restricted meetings or events for use by the press. Law enforcement agencies will hand out photos of crime suspects or victims, as well as stills from surveillance footage. Your sources may hand you family photos to go with stories. Likewise, historical photos are often available from historical societies or online libraries or collections.
- Use publicity shots: Need some battlefield photos to accompany your commentary on Iraq or Afghanistan? The U.S. Army maintains a constantly updated trove of photos taken by its staff, free to use with a photo credit requested when possible. Writing about the movie industry? Still photos from films are released by the movie companies to be used for publicity purposes; these photos can be found on the movies' publicity Web sites or on online movie databases. Writing about a politician? Look on his or her Web site to find official mugshots (think politician smiling in front of a U.S. flag) to be used with news articles and for other publicity purposes.More Journalism Q&A