Sharing Pictures via Flickr

If you haven’t already read the post by Roni Loren about a lawsuit over a picture she used on her blog, please do.  Yes, the chances of getting sued over an image you copied from Google images is pretty small, but I was struck by Roni’s comment: “It was a lot of stress, lawyers had to get involved, and I had to pay money that I didn't have for a use of a photo I didn't need.”

Roni said later on in the post: “If you want to give back and not just take--open up a Flickr account and list your own images as creative commons so that you can share the love.” 

I don’t consider myself a photographer, and I hardly even pick up our good camera to take a picture.  Lazily, I use my phone, because I can email myself the pics. But as I looked through my own blog this weekend and saw how many photos I’d taken and posted, I realized that many of them are good enough for other blogs.  Like these: 

So I took the time to start adding photos to my Flickr account that others might find useful, tagging them so they can be found in a search and making them available for sharing. It seems like an easy way to help other bloggers.  Share the love!

And please check out this post by Marisa Hopkins, who shares her own stories of being on the opposite end of this issue -- having her artwork used not just by bloggers, but stolen and used for profit.