Yesterday I wrote about including photographs in web content.
To complete this theme. I offer the following four sources of photographs and images.
Do It Yourself
As is often the case, this is the easiest way to get the pictures you want for your website.
With a decent digital camera, all that you need is your own artistry to create your own images.
Regardless of whether you are happy with a simple point & shoot approach or prefer a more deliberate method of creating your own images...you can do it all yourself.
Many photographers have their camera with them all the time and take pictures of whatever interests them.
By following the same approach, you can build your own portfolio of useful pictures for your web content.
Your Contacts
Your contacts ...represent a potentially large pool of useful photographs and images.
As an added bonus, your search for useful images can be an effective networking tool.
If there is someone you don't know..but would like to add to your network of contacts...simply contact that person and explain that you are looking for photographs for your website.
Perhaps you could contact a home inspector and request a few photographs of signs of problems...or a home stager for images of his or her work.
But don't just ask for photographs..invite that person to write content about his or her area of expertise for your website.
By adding appropriate photographs, photo credits and links you can help promote each other...just like referral partners .
If they only offer photographs, write the content from your own knowledge, use the photos and add a photo credit.
If they cannot supply photographs, they will be honored to have been asked. And you will have added a potential referral source to your network.
of course you can use the same approach to enhancong existing relationshisp with clients and other contacts.
You can also obtain photographs and images from hundreds...if not thousands...of websites. Here are two sources you might consider.
Google Images
Another really useful Google resource, this feature works just like Google search.
Simply go to Google Images, use whatever key word you like...and you will instantly have access to a wide variety of images...photographs and graphic images.
For example, the image to the right was selected randomly from the first page of results for the word 'image'.
But be careful when using Google Images...see Lenn's comment below.
Fun Tools To Search For Images
I learned about this series of resources yesterday...from a Twitter update.
Its introduction explains:
“What makes image search different from text search is that people searching for images are most often looking for some entertainment rather than business-related or informative content. “
This article then lists 4 categories of searching for images:
- color
- similarity
- theme
- face
I used this resource to find the image on the left...it's tree bark
Once again, I searched 'image' and then searched to a second level to find a similar themed image.
Very easy...tons of great images.
Regardless of where you source your photographs or images, ensure that they reflect your personal brand...and are relevant to your web content.
It's also a good idea to save your images in a separate folder....it makes it easier to find them when you need them.
Enjoy your search for images....I am looking forward to exploring the source I learned about yesterday.
Many thanks to Terry Chenier for his suggestion that I add photographs to my blog...I like the added touch.
;)
;)
;)
"Simply go to Google Images, use whatever key word you like...and you will instantly have access to a wide variety of images...photographs and graphic images."
Google images is a risky place to download images. Almost all are copyright protected. Most of the folks who have paid damages for unlawful use of my copyright protected images found them on Google Images.