Just who can you trust?
There is a lot of advice on medium regarding the perils of using images without the owner’s permission.
I am aware that you can get user free images from Unsplash or Pixabay and others.
But these are OK if you want a generic picture. They will not be any good if you want to write about something specific.
I want to write about a musician who had a profound effect on British pop music in the fifties and sixties.
When I looked for free images of this icon, I was given many pictures under the heading free to use.
However, when I started to investigate, I discovered most of them were not free to use. One of them looked ideal for my article. It appeared to belong to the National Portrait Gallery.
On further investigation, the National Portrait Gallery informed me it did not own the rights to this image, and I should contact the owner.
Another idea for an article has been put on a temporary hold for the same problem.
I want to write about my time working in London’s Soho district in the 1960s, specifically about a thoroughfare named St Annes Court.
Again, I went online and was given several images of St Anne’s Court taken in the era I worked there. All under the heading free to use. Further inspection revealed that most of them belonged to Pinterest.
Finally, some time ago I wanted to write an article on ice age Britain. Again, I went online and was given many free to use image. Once again, many of the suitable images were not free to use.
I decided to contact one of the owners through a website on the image and asked if I could use it.
The owner replied he did not own the image and had no idea where he obtained it. So that article has been put on hold.
So, who can you trust when are looking for free to use images?
More stories from me.
When writers block hits, I resort to meandering.
