Stock Image Resources

What You Are Allowed to Use

Just because an image is on the internet, that doesn't mean it's free for anyone to use. You have to be diligent in selecting images you have permission to use, especially if it will be used in an any official capacity (such as any publication, electronic or otherwise, created as part of your job as an MESD employee). You can use Google image search tools to narrow results by usage rights, but Google uses algorithms that are not completely accurate to determine usage rights. You must still check usage rights for images individually.

Categories That Are Safe to Use

PUBLIC DOMAIN:
This label typically applies to images that are very old or are generated by public institutions. In the US, images are generally safe if they were created before 1924. Photographs taken by government employees as part of their jobs are usually in the public domain as well (such as USGS images). Almost any NASA image without humans in it are public domain, and most images with humans are too (but some are restricted).

CC0 (cc-zero):
Creative Commons licensing covers a variety of rules around image usage, including when you need to add an author attributions, under which conditions you may use the item, whether you may alter the image, whether you must make your derivative creation also available to the public, and whether you can use the image commercially. The "zero" designation gives you the most freedom—images may be used commercially or for any other reason, don't require attribution, and derivative works don't need to be placed under creative commons licensing.
 

Giving Proper Credit (attribution)

For images that are not Public Domain or CC0, that you still have permission to use (such as other Creative Commons licensing structures, or photographers / organizations that have clearly posted rules for use of their images), you must credit the image correctly. Usually this means using a person's name:

• photo by Ansel Adams
• photo courtesy of Ansel Adams
• photographer: Ansel Adams
• © Ansel Adams

If the image belongs to an organization, such as NASA or USGS, you can credit the organization instead.

DO NOT credit a website where literally anyone can post a photo, such as Twitter or Flickr—"photo courtesy of Twitter" is meaningless. If you find an image you want to use on such a website, investigate its origins until you can find the name of the photographer or organization that owns the image. Then ask for permission before using the image. If you cannot identify the owner of the image, don't use it.

Where to Find Public Domain and CC0 Images

Beware of advertisements for non-free image services such as Shutterstock and 123RF appearing on many of these sites. "Royalty-Free" is not the same as free of charge.