Summary

The website content discusses the benefits of exploring beyond Unsplash for diverse and unique free images, particularly on Flickr, and emphasizes the importance of proper credit and adherence to license terms when using these images.

Abstract

The article encourages content creators to venture beyond the convenience of Unsplash and explore the vast array of free images available on platforms like Flickr, which offer a wider range of content, including that which is not typically found on curated stock sites. It highlights the ease of finding images on Flickr that allow for commercial use and points out that these images can be more varied and unique, providing a fresh perspective for written content. The author, who writes erotica, appreciates the more explicit content available on Flickr, while acknowledging Medium's guidelines on acceptable imagery. The article also advises on the importance of giving proper credit to photographers, linking to their work, and following the specified license terms, both as a matter of good manners and to avoid the pitfalls of piracy. It suggests that a great lead image, combined with a compelling headline, can significantly increase the visibility and impact of one's content.

Opinions

The author finds Unsplash too convenient and its images overused, leading to a loss of impact.
Flickr is praised for its diverse range of images and the availability of free commercial licenses, offering content not found on Unsplash.
The author values the explicit content available on Flickr for their erotica writing, within the boundaries of Medium's content rules.
Properly crediting photographers and adhering to license terms is seen as a professional and ethical obligation.
Engaging with photographers by commenting and linking back to their work is encouraged as a way to build community and potentially gain traffic.
A compelling headline and lead image are considered crucial for content visibility and engagement.
The article suggests that a good image can inspire story ideas and should be bookmarked for future use.
The author expresses a personal disdain for copyright infringement and emphasizes the importance of integrity in content creation.

Break Away from Unsplash!

There’s a million fabulous free images out there

Yes, I know it’s easy. Unsplash is baked into Medium. Just enter a search term, pick the shot, it is auto-inserted into your text, along with the image credit line.

Too easy!

And the effect is that after a few weeks of reading Medium stories, the same images crop up again and again. After a while, they lose that Wow! factor, no matter how good they are.

There are other sources out there, and if you are really keen, a subscription to one of the professional stock sites wouldn’t go astray. Unsplash etc. are a gateway to the heady — and expensive — stuff.

But you can get the goods for free

Flickr is where people upload their happy snaps. A wide range of cameras, people, and skills on display. Bit of a mixed bag, really.

There is fine art amongst the dross. And better yet, a lot of them have free commercial licences. Just like Unsplash. There are also categories of photographs that the free sites won’t touch.

Just head over to Flickr.com, enter your search term in the box, select “Commercial use allowed” — or whatever license you need; US Government images are all in the public domain and may be used without restriction — and see what pops up.

I can virtually guarantee that they will be a much wider variety and quite different from the carefully curated collections on stock sites. As an erotica writer, I’m always interested in images that go a little bit further than the tame shots that the stock sites put up for free.

Medium allows “non-graphic erotic images”, which leaves a considerable grey area, but I interpret to mean that explicit images of genitalia or congress are out. Just quietly, but Flickr has quite a lot of explicit content, so be careful about what you put up.

Give proper credit and observe the license terms

As always, provide a link to the creator. I generally link to the image page, to the exact license type (there’s a link provided on the image page, usually something like “some rights reserved”, and you click through to see the details), and to the creator’s page on Flickr.

I also leave a comment on the image page, thanking the photographer and giving a link to where I’ve used the shot. Just good manners, and who knows, you might get a bit of traffic coming back.

As an aside, on Flickr, the photographer will often upload a series of images from the same shoot. If the image that comes up in the search isn’t quite what you want, it’s worth clicking through to see what else the artist has made available.

Go for the Wow!

Some images just jump out and grab you and pull you into the story.

Those are the shots you want. Your writing may be fantastic, but it’s not going to reach out and grab anybody scanning the Medium home page, is it?

The more images you look through, the more chance you’ll have of finding the one.

And even if a great shot is not quite what you want for this story, it might come in handy for something else down the track. Bookmark it for later use.

A really good shot will generate its own story ideas. Just let your subconscious chew on it for a night or two, and the words will arrive.

Be professional

Great content is always good, but few but fans will ever see it if you don’t also provide a good headline and an eyecatching lead image. Just a few minutes of research will provide both, and a guaranteed jump in reads.

Give credit for your images. As a photographer myself, I detest seeing writers ignoring copyright or license conditions. Piracy is never a good look, and if you don’t have the honesty and the moral virtue to do the right thing, then your message will likely be discounted as well.

And, if I have stolen the moral high ground, I don’t want anybody finding an excuse to notice my feat of clay. I want them to be admiring the good bits.

Britni

Britni Pepper writes for Kindle Direct Publishing. She runs a blog where she reviews erotica and rambles on about this and that. She may be reached on Twitter and Facebook.

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