Free images10 April 2012
A picture is worth a thousand words - but what if you don't have any?
Searching on the web you may find sites which offer free images, but always be careful to check the small print to confirm that you may use the resources for your particular purpose.
Always include copyright information and a reference to the site where you downloaded the image if requested.
Here's a selection of some of the sites we've used in the past.
The best place to start is often http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/ - images there are offered under various licenses which let you reuse them for free. Be sure to check what type of license your chosen image is offered under, and stick to the conditions of that license.
Let us know if there are any other sites that you can recommend, or if you notice that any of the links below no longer work.
General
BBC World Service Flickr Account - a good site for images of current affairs and politicians. Issued under a Creative Commons licence.
Flickr's Creative Commons images
United Nations Image Gallery - you need to email and ask to sign up and use the images, but non-commercial, environmental usage normally free
Nature / conservation / farming
Space
Hubble Space Telescope Public Pictures
Trade
The Fairtrade Foundation photo library
Can't find free images?
If you're willing to pay, you can choose from a comprehensive range on Thinkstock. Even better, you can support Friends of the Earth at the same time by using the link below, which generates a donation from your order - at no extra cost to you.
If it's useful, please bookmark for the next time you buy images - and share with your friends.
Donate when you download with this link to Thinkstock.com
© Thinkstock
