How to Find Imagery for Your Blog
Have you ever had this problem? You spend plenty of time drafting the blog, and then by the time you’re finished and ready to post, you don’t want to fret about the right imagery. Is that the right way to approach imagery? No. But, there it is. It used to happen for me a lot of the time, but then I learned how to find imagery for your blog in all the best ways.
In case you’re like me, thinking “oh, snap! I need imagery” just before you’re about to post your blog, I’ve compiled my list of go-to places for imagery. There’s room for all kinds here, from the “I need an image and I need it NOW” types, to the “I have plenty of time. Why can I never come up with something creative?” types. Take my trade imagery secrets and make them your own.
How to Find Imagery for Your Blog
Photo Credit: pinterestbusiness via Compfight cc
iStock
This is the easiest option, but also the most expensive. You’ll be able to find essentially anything that you’re looking for, but you’ll have to pay a price (and sometimes a hefty one) for it. If you know you’re going to be using photography frequently, sign up for a subscription account. You receive a certain number of image downloads a month, and, if you don’t use them, they roll over to the next month. See more on subscriptions through iStock here.
Create your own imagery at Canva.com
This site is for those of you on the plenty-of-time spectrum. Canva allows to dive into your inner graphic designer, without the training that comes prerequisite to working in Photoshop. There’s some free options, or you can pay a little and get your pick of oodles of images.
Create your own infographics and charts at infogr.am
Infogr.am is a great tool if you’re using stats and need an easily way to show your results. We used one in this post. Pretty snazzy, and pretty easy, too.
Take your own pictures
Everyone one loves authenticity – why not find your own authenticity by using personal imagery in your blog?
Compfight
Head to Compfight for a collection of random imagery (like that pictured on the right). These pictures are labeled for Creative Commons, so you must include the Photo Credit tagline (like I’ve done in the image). You won’t find everything you’re looking for here, but once in awhile, you’ll find a gem.
Google search for images
Of course, this last place to swipe your imagery on the fly seems too easy. But, there’s a trick. Under “Search Tools,” go to “Usage Rights” and then click on “Labeled for reuse” – that way, you know that you already have permission to use the imagery. This is my quickest, easiest way to find imagery for my last-minute blog posts.
Do you have any resources to add to this list? Let me know in the comments below.