There are a lot of images on the web. It’s easy to find them. A simple Google Images search will find you a lot to choose from. BUT; if you are looking to do more than just view these images online, then you need to get permission from the original photographer.
That's right, permission. It's illegal to use another person's work as your own or in any derivative work without their permission. That means printing, brochures, blogs, websites ... pretty much anything other than personal viewing. Simply put; using images off the web without first getting a license is stealing. Stealing is bad. We all know that. But why does it still happen?
Well, there are some that don't care. We see those all the time. Usually it’s reading about them getting sued for thousands once they are caught. They are found quickly using tools on the web that most artists have access too. We do, and they work great. These tools search the web for images and can find if a specific image has been used and where. If you use an image and do not get permission; you will get caught.
Then there are the honest people that just don't know better. We see these also. I'd say about 95% of images used illegally fall into this category. But, "I didn’t know" does not hold up well in court.
Knowledge is important. That is why we put this on our website. We understand "I didn’t know" and how that can get us into trouble. As photographers, we work hard creating stunning images for others to use. It’s what we do and we would love for you to use them. We also want to get paid for our work. With the microstock licensing structure it's usually about a dollar, but it adds up with the many images we sell.
Microsotck has made it incredibly affordable to purchase images. Why steal when you can get what you need for less than a dollar? So the next time you need an image, please remember to thank the artist who put in the hard work to create it. A few pennies saved now could cost thousands of dollars later. For millions of stock images to choose from, please visit one or more of the microstock photo agencies listed above.
Thank you for visiting SeidelStock.com and we hope you enjoy our work.