Thing 3: Image Banks

I've started using image banks for work (I don't have a Flickr account and I usually don't share lots of photos I've takes... well, that is partially true, because I do have a Facebook account where I used to post photos, and I also have Instagram, but those are my photos and I can decide if and how I want to share them, right?). Mostly, my learning how to use image banks was linked to my teaching practice, we felt the need to teach students how to legally use visual material.
Hence, I had to do a lot of research for image banks and repositories that allow license selections.

I had to learn about CC and the different types of licences. And I have to admit that I'm still a bit confused at moments. I always have to get back to the Creative Commons site to understand if a license is right for what I need to do (better: if what I need to do can be done with a specific license).

So, I explore image banks to identify those that include public domain and CC licensed images.
I stumbled upon Google Images and Flickr, the easiest choices when you try to find images. Both have the possibility to select the type of licence that best adapts to what you want to do. But (there is always a "but") the language used to describe the various types of licenses is not always the same. This is where I get confused.
The wording might be confusing, and the treatment of the images can vary a lot. I found Flickr easier to understand for two reasons: the word choice is closer to the one used in the CC licenses, and every image is then associated to the license symbols.
This is why I prefer Flikr to Google Images

Then, I found Pixabay, where all images are in the public domain. Well, I found the perfect image bank!
There's probably more to explore out there, but for the moment I am happy with the images that I can find on Pixabay. It's an easy site to teach to students, and the proper usage of the images is clearly defined. You may not be able to find the exact image that is needed for your purposes, but then go out and take your own photos!

Using image banks is like riding a bicycle: when you learn how to do it, you cannot un-learn it!

www.Flickr.com - uploaded by paukrus