Probably 2-3 times a month I get asked a similar set of questions about images and the web. Someone needs an image for a posting, blog, etc. and they wonder if they can just use an image they found on the web and/or the images they post can be protected. Yes, often the same person who thinks about downloading an image from the web is often the same person worried about posting their own pic to the web.

This morning I was forwarded a link to a blog posting at BlinqPhotography.com which does a nice job addressing these two questions (plus they have a great portfolio of sports images).

A resource for finding images that I use is iStockPhoto. If you are new to purchasing images, read the licensing agreement carefully. Online services have royalty and royalty-free images for fixed prices, but often allow you to purchase a license agreement that reflects your usage. An image that was purchased for posting to a web site might not be licensed for you to use in a printed brochure.

So! Support your fellow artists by purchasing their images for a project and protect your customers by purchasing a license that covers their usage.