Are you ever stuck for something to
paint and don't know where to look?
There are various sources where you can
find photographs that you can use, either because the
photographer has granted permission for this, or because they're
copyright free.
For starters, there's the collection of
artist's reference photos on Painting.About.com. While these
photos remain the copyright of the photographer, the
terms of use let you use them for paintings. There's also a
folder for sharing reference photos on the
Painting Forum.
Another good source of photos is
Flickr, but be sure to use the
Search Tool that enables you to find those photos labeled
with a
Creative Commons Attribution License. This license allows
for copies and derivatives to be made from a photo (which a
painting would be) and commercial use (which you'd be doing if
you then sold the painting or exhibited it in a show) provided
you give credit to the photographer. To check what copyright
applies to a particular photo in Flickr, look under "Additional
Information" in the column to the right of a photo, and click on
the tiny CC logo to check the Creative Commons License.
Then there's the Public Image Reference
Archive
Morgue File, which provides "free image reference material
for use in all creative pursuits". And
Stock.Xchng where some photos can be downloaded for free.
When you do a search, the free photos are listed first, and the
ones you'd need to pay for below a bar saying "premium results".
Artist
Jim Meaders says he uses
eBay as a source for finding old black-and-white and
sometimes color photos and that this can provide very
interesting subject matter. He says: "Almost all of the photos
I've bought are snapshots by individuals. I find the fact that
they're black and white to be a positive thing because it allows
me to create whatever colors I want in my paintings (even
abstract colors) without being influenced by the colors in color
photos."
Reference Photos for
Artists
search facility 