Finding good graphics for your site can be time consuming and costly. It is not as simple as searching on Google Images and downloading whatever you find. Most pictures, images and in fact any content that is visible on the internet, is protected either explicitly or implicitly by copyright. We do not recommend downloading pictures that you find on the internet unless you have either paid for them or the site explicitly tells you that they are available for public use. Just because you don’t actually see a copyright notice on a web page or image does not mean that anyone can use it. There is a wealth of information available about copyright laws, but for the best information, go straight to the source at www.copyright.gov

There are some good websites that publish photos and pictures expressly for public use. Some of these require payment. The cost of graphics can vary widely from completely free to hundreds of dollars. Purchase price depends on size but you can find great photos for just a dollar or so. Try www.istock.com for some great pictures at reasonable prices.

Here are some handy links to free image sites (but be sure to check their rules also), or you can go to www.everystockphoto.com which searches multiple free sites for you.

Free sites for images:

www.sxc.hu
www.morguefile.com
http://flickr.com/creativecommons
www.stockvault.net
www.photogen.com
www.freedigitalphotos.net
http://public-domain-photos.com
www.freerangestock.com

Taking your own pictures:

While it is convenient to use pictures that already exist there is no reason why you shouldn’t also incorporate your own. The most obvious reason you would do this is if you want to include a photo of yourself or your team on your web site. With today’s digital cameras taking great shots is not as hard as it used to be. Here are a few tips for taking great pictures

• If you’re going to use the photo you take only for web purposes, make sure you set your camera to the lowest megapixel resolution (no less than 1MP). This will prevent you from uploadling large files that can slow down the loading of your website.
• Keep the background simple with no clutter and a single color that contrasts well with your foreground image.
• For faces, don’t get too close and experiment with taking shots from different angles, not just straight on.
• Don’t zoom. Using the zoom can produce a fuzzy picture unless you are using a high quality camera.