Did you know the images and pictures you download from Google Images (or other image search) are protected by copyright law? You cannot use them freely in your own work. You need to check the permissions for the images you plan to use.
There are 3 ways to avoid stealing images from the internet:
- Create your own images - see below.
- Use Creative Commons Images - next week I will share more about this.
- Pay for the images - can be expensive.
How can you create your own images?
- Draw, paint, illustrate (if using in a digital project snap a picture to upload)
- Use a digital tool like Canva, Google Drawing, Adobe Spark or MS Paint
- Be careful not upload a copyrighted image into the image you are creating.
- Take your own photograph. You can take pictures of almost anything but here are some guidelines:
- You do NOT need permission to take and use a picture of an object.
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You do NOT need permission if it’s a photo of a person at a PUBLIC EVENT and you’re using it for editorial purposes (newspaper article, educational publication).
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You do NOT need permission if it’s a photo of a person, but they are NOT RECOGNIZABLE in the photo.
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You DO need permission if it’s a recognizable photo of a person.
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You DO need permission if the photo was taken on PRIVATE PROPERTY or at a PRIVATE EVENT.
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You MIGHT need permission if the photo is taken of STUDENTS IN SCHOOL: Their parents may have already given permission.
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You MIGHT need permission if the photo was taken in a STORE or contains a COMPANY LOGO.
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Free Photo Release forms can be found online.
As always, if you have questions, please ask me!
Credit: Jennifer Gonzalez @CultofPedagogy for inspiration and materials.
