free photos

[Taurus41]

Can any one please tell me where I can get some free photos which I want to use for paintings.

I am looking for photos of dancers.. tango, slasa, flamenco etc.

The paintings will go into galleries and be up for sale, so the photos have to be free of copy right.

Thanks

Tz

[moccasin]

Tz, I hate to be the one to break this to you, but ALL photos have copyright. Use mine without permission and the boys with baseball bats will be coming after your knee caps. :eek:

What you are looking for is permission (written) to use the photos for reference for your paintings. The proper way to do this is if you find a photo you wish to use, then write an email or something and ask permission to use it. Expect, perhaps, to have to pay for it in some cases.

For some unknown reason, some painters have failed to recognize photography as an art form and seem to think any photo is up for grabs. 'Tis not so. They are as much an art form as the paintings the "other artists" create and are automatically copyright protected.

You may wish to check the Reference Image Library here on WC, as these images are free to use for reference for other WC members, however the nice thing to do is to email or PM the photographer and let them know you will be using one of their images and offer to show them the final painting as a courtesy to a fellow artist.

Good luck finding your images.

Cheers,
Sue :heart:

[Oldthumbs]

You could try the Wikimedia Commons (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page) web site, but even there you need to be on your toes to know what you can use how.

Also, the U.S. Library of Congress Prints and Photograph catalog (http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/catalog.html) may have something, but again, do your homework on the copyrights.

Ray

[rltromble]

As Sue said you can check out the WC library. Other then that you can buy the royalty from the photography. Go to any search site and type royalty free photos. Istock.com is about as cheap as you are going to find. The best way however is to take your own.

[Windy]

Try morguefile.com too. Just make sure you read the rules for using.

[jcboyd]

The following information is posted at the top of the site listed below.

I have thousands of free pictures here. Please use and enjoy them. To view the photos: Click on a category below, or use the search interface for keywords. If you want to use these images: Go ahead.

If you want to use these images: Go ahead. I've placed most of them in the public domain. Which means you can use them for any purpose you want, including publishing them, selling them, integrating them into your own work, etc. However >>> While most of them are public domain, a few aren't. Be sure to read the license under each of the enlarged pictures. If you have any questions, please ask. And if you plan on using something here commercially, please use some due diligence.

http://www.pdphoto.org/PictureHome.php?cid=75&mat=&md=cid