I figured a page would be easier to refer to. Our mega chat moves too fast. LOL
The first thing you need to do is become familiar with Creative Commons. I’d click on the link and take a look. It seems like a lot of work at first, but it’s really simple once you know what you’re looking for.
The license code I’m going to spend the most time on is the most restrictive of the licenses, since it’s the one that is usually applied to the best photos. But here is a cheat guide for all of the license codes.
Creative Commons licenses work as a “Some rights reserved” rule instead of an “All rights reserved” rule. CC offers a diverse set of license conditions – the freedoms and limitations. This allows the author to define rules on which he or she would like to share his or her creations with others. At the same time users gain more rights to the use of his or her works.
If you can’t read the highlighted section it says”Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 – This license is the most restrictive of our six main licenses, only allowing others to download your works and share them with others as long as they credit you, but they can’t change them in any way or use them commercially. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/”
I first discovered CC photos at the Dutch site ANP Historisch Archief. They have a ton of archived photos (and not just of Oma!) all useable under the CC license.
This photo of Oma is the one I wanted. I have put the Archive’s terms of usage in the caption.
If you click on the link, you can see the original page with the CC code, requesting how the credit should be given in the lower right hand corner. See the symbols? That’s what will clue you into the terms and conditions of using the photo.
I also went to the terms and conditions on the Archive’s homepage, just to make sure I did everything right. They didn’t specify that you make the photo credit “linkable”, but the CC license mentioned it, so I did. If you guys decide to use ANP photos, this license applies to everything on their site, so if you want to copy and paste the bulk of it, go ahead. Just switch out the year and photographer to suit your needs.
Now remember, most CC photos are “Getty quality.” They are older photos and for the most part, or photos taken by people just like us while waiting outside the hospital, during a walkabout, etc… Of course there are exceptions, like the photos up there at ANP. Just don’t expect every photo to be such good quality.
If you want to branch out, here’s what you need to do. First go to Google Images. They are the biggest supplier of CC photos at the moment. Do it on a laptop or desktop for the best results. Type in who you’re looking for, go to “Tools.”
Open tools and look for “Usage Rights”. Click on “Labeled For Reuse” at the very minimum. I usually go for the most restrictive since the photos tend to be better.
These photos are free to use as long as you follow the usage rights for each. Here’s an example of what you’ll find.
Photo of Oma. Click on the “visit” box to take you to the photo’s home page.
You’ll see the usage rights symbols in the bottom right hand corner.
That symbol means that you can use the photo as long as you:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
- ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
So in this case, the photo credit would read as follows:
I have one link back to the photographer’s page and another link to the CC 2.0 license. The symbols are EVERYTHING when using CC photos. Follow the guidelines and you’re good to go!
Any questions just ask. I’m not that up on things, but at least I know right where to look. If you don’t want to use CC photos, you won’t be hurting my feelings. LOL.
PS – Here’s a link to some sites that also have free use photos. Scroll down past political cartoons. You’ll find the links. This one too.