Mastering Stock Photography: A Comprehensive Guide for Students and Universities
As a college student, you're no stranger to the power that pro-quality visuals can add to your projects. But do you truly grasp the rules of using someone else's photos in your schoolwork?
In today's digital age, navigating the vast landscape of image sources, from Google images to stock photo sites to AI image generators, can be daunting. But this knowledge is not just a legal necessity; it's a vital skill set for your academic success.
Our ultimate guide to utilizing stock photography in school projects and educational purposes covers everything: laws governing image use, types of image licenses you can find, best places to get safe-to-use stock imagery (including some cool university and student discounts!), and more tips for students using stock images in their work effectively and responsibly. Let's get started!
Using Stock Imagery in Academia
Faculty and students use photography and other visual elements, such as graphics or illustrations, across multiple educational contexts. Institutional communication, class presentations, and assignments in almost every field imaginable include imagery to supplement the text and deliver information more efficiently.
However, the use of third-party visual content is always governed by various, often overlapping rules: copyright, license terms, attribution requirements, and the Fair Use doctrine, to name the most important. These rules apply even if you are using the image for educational purposes.
Third-party images are governed by different laws and rules: copyright, license terms, attribution requirements, and fair use doctrine are the most common.
These rules still apply when using images for educational purposes.
Even today, these are concepts not everyone is familiar with or knows by heart, and some ignore these matters altogether. Yet the consequences of failing to abide by these governing rules of image use are considerable.
The Dangers of Copyright Infringement for Students
Recently, a study conducted by postgraduates at several universities in Malaysia found that 64% of student responders would use copyrighted images without permission in their school projects. This is very worrisome.
Using a copyrighted image without permission is akin to plagiarism but for images. Copyright infringement is a crime punishable by law.
Copyright infringement = plagiarism but for images.
Imagine this: You're a graphic design student working on a website for your final project. You find the perfect images on Google and use them without a second thought. A few weeks later, you receive a cease and desist letter from the copyright owner demanding thousands of dollars in damages.
The consequences are more serious than you probably imagine. Not only will you likely receive a disciplinary sanction from your school, but your academic reputation will be tarnished, and it can also lead to legal ramifications for you and your institution.
Avoiding these pitfalls is as simple as educating yourself (or your pupils) in proper image usage.
Understanding Image Copyright Laws
When it comes to using photos, it all starts with copyright.
According to the U.S. Copyright Office, copyright is a type of intellectual property that applies to original works of authorship as soon as they're expressed in a tangible way. By general rule, copyright is assigned to the person who creates the work.
Copyright is a photographer or artist's intellectual ownership over the images they create
All photographers and visual artists own the copyright of their original images and reserve the right to let others use them at their discretion.
To legally use someone else’s photo in your school assignment (or in any other way, really), you need to have their express permission. It’s the only way.
Let's say you found a pic on a website that didn't have the “©” symbol of copyright or any accompanying text saying it was copyrighted, so you saved it to your computer and inserted it in your paper. And later on the owner of that picture sends you a takedown request and pursues compensation for your unauthorized use of their work. You will be considered liable even if you didn't see any copyright disclosure because most copyright laws in the world establish that an image is copyrighted unless expressly said otherwise.
If there is no copyright information but also no notice of an absence of copyright, you must always assume the work is copyrighted.
The good news is that there are ways to get this permission easily, via image licenses—which we’ll discuss very soon—images with no copyright attached, and exceptions that let you use copyrighted pictures without permission.
For more information, here is our full guide to understanding image copyright.
The Case of Non-Copyrighted Images
There is a scenario where an image is not bound by any copyright. In such a case, the image enters a realm known as the public domain. This means it's like a free bird, ready to be used by anyone without any copyright restrictions.
Some images have no copyright attached and are free for anyone to use
Pictures enter the public domain in different ways. The main two are:
- The copyright has expired – Most copyright laws worldwide establish an expiration date for copyright, usually a few decades after the original owner has passed. Unless someone (such as surviving relatives) maintains the copyright active and in their possession, it will be eliminated after some (long) time. This is why many archival photographs from centuries ago are now free to use.
- The copyright holder has voluntarily ceded the work into the public domain. Artists can resign their copyright, enabling everyone to use their creations without restrictions. You can usually find such donated images on free photo download sites.
For one, archival images tend to be historical, from 80+ years ago. They have styles and topics that are only suitable for some projects. The fresher images donated by artists can be visually more appropriate, but the selections could be better and more varied. More importantly, you must do thorough background checks to ensure they're copyright-free because the sites offering them usually don't verify.
Exception of Copyright: Fair Use for Educational Purposes
Most copyright laws include the figure of fair use, which allows people to use copyrighted work (including pictures) without permission, provided the use is for the benefit of the public and not for personal gain. Educational purposes- using images to teach in class or as part of a class assignment, among other examples—are considered plausible fair use.
Copyright law allows using copyrighted images without permission in cases of “fair use”
Now, if you were to have to do, for example, a full report on the latest COVID-19 pandemic as part of a course in medical school, you may think, “My report isn't for profit and lots of people can learn and get informed on an important matter from it; that makes it fair use, so I can just go ahead and use any pictures I want without worrying about copyright and permissions.” Well, not quite so.
The problem with fair use is that it's open to interpretation. According to the copyright alliance, laws examine different aspects to determine if it's fair use, including what you are using the photo for, how much, if anything, you change or add to that image, and whether the picture is artistic or documentary, among other factors.
It leaves room for copyright holders to question your unauthorized use of their work. If it gets to that point, authorities will revise said use, considering factors like the amount of work you used, for what purpose, and in what context, to define whether it's acceptable fair use.
Fair use is open to interpretation and includes the possibility of having to defend your unauthorized use of copyrighted pictures
If you're sure the fair use definition covers your use, you can go for it. But there are much better ways of getting legally safe images for educational work without the risk of having to defend yourself.
Stock Photography: Safe-to-Use Imagery for Education
Stock photos are photographs that have already been taken and made available for others to use with permission from the copyright owner.
Stock photo agencies compile thousands, often millions, of stock photographs in large online catalogs that users can browse, select images from, and download for use in their projects.
Stock photography is professional quality, readily available, and copyright-cleared for educational use
Stock photo sites house extensive and diverse collections, ensuring you'll find the perfect image for your needs. Premium sites offer high-quality, professional pictures, and the necessary permissions are automatically issued upon download, simplifying the usage process.
Free stock photo sites also exist, and their libraries can be just as large and diverse, although usually of lesser quality.
The images are copyrighted in both cases, but you are granted permission to use them when you download them.
Image Licensing: Legal Permission to Use Photos
When using pics that you didn't snap yourself, the key is to get the owner's permission. In the world of stock photos, this permission is called a ‘license.' It's like a contract between you and the copyright owner or a middleman like a stock photo agency. This contract allows you to use a specific picture in certain ways while ensuring you don't use it in any other non-approved way.
Image licenses legally establish the permissions you have to use a picture and the legal validity of the copyright clearance
Types of Image Licenses
We don't want to overcomplicate this, as many image licensing models exist. We'll talk about the two most common ones that serve you best.
Free Use License (Creative Commons & similar) – Remember before we said that even the images available “for free download” on the web are likely still copyrighted? Those pictures are under a free-use license, which lets anyone use them in specific ways without paying for that right. Creative Commons, a nonprofit organization that aims to help people share knowledge and culture responsibly, produces some of the most used free-use licenses online.
While all free of charge, they all differ in what you can and cannot do with the images. Some require attribution, for example (more on this later), some prohibit commercial use, and the most permissive one, Creative Commons Zero (CC0), has virtually no restrictions.
If you want free stock photos for your school assignment, check what license they're under, and prefer CC0 images whenever possible. Still, most providers of free photos do not verify whether the person donating them is the copyright owner, among other essential details that make the license valid. This is why free-use licenses are not the safest option.
Free licenses are very flexible but often unverified – carrying the potential risk of copyright infringement if the license is invalid
Royalty-Free License – Most professional photos on the web are under this license. Don't let the name fool you: these images are NOT free. You have to pay for them. However, they are extremely affordable –we are talking about less than thirty cents per image sometimes– and there are great discounts and special deals for education (more on this later).
Royalty-free images are suitable for commercial, personal, and educational use, with few restrictions. All the rights are cleared and legally backed, so you don't have to worry about anything. You only pay for them once, then get to use them as many times, in as many projects, and for as long as you wish.
As if that wasn't good enough, a massive pool of royalty-free photos is available online, just one click away from being yours.
Royalty-free licenses are just as flexible with the added value of being legally backed by the copyright owner or a middleman agency
Best Sites to Find Stock Photos for School (+ Special Discounts)
Stock photo sites are companies acting as middlemen between photographers and image users. Their job is to verify that the photos are legally sound and to issue lawfully valid licenses enabling you to use them. They make the entire process safe for all involved. Additionally, they add value by vetting images for technical and artistic quality.
Despite what you may think, the best stock photo sites are affordable. The level of service and peace of mind you get from sourcing images from such a site far exceeds the meager cost of the photos. Even better, some special deals are perfect for students and teachers.
- Shutterstock – Up to 25% Off in stock images
- iStock – Up to 25% off
- Adobe Stock – 30-day free trial (up to 40 free images)
- Stockphotos.com – Club Unlimited (Unlimited image downloads for $99,90)
- Canva – Canva for Education (free Canva Pro account, free resources)
All the details of these offers, below:
Shutterstock Special Discounts – The stock photo site Shutterstock is very popular in the creative community because of its extensive royalty-free image library and affordable prices. While they don’t offer special deals for pupils or teachers, they have some of the market's lowest prices and many subscription options, starting at just $29/mo.
Even better: We have exclusive Shutterstock coupon codes to get its cool photos at a discounted rate: 25% off the 25-image pack and 15% off all subscriptions and packs. They’re perfect deals to solve your school project’s visual needs.
iStock Freebies + Special Discount – The renowned stock photo agency iStock doesn’t offer discounts specifically for education, but it’s the ideal resource if you want high-end imagery for a project! They also have a selection of free files you can explore, download, and use for free.
Even better: We have some great iStock promo codes to save money in photos: 25% off large credit packs and 15% off on all subscription plans and credit packs! Don’t miss them.
Adobe Stock Free Trial + Adobe Creative Cloud Discounts – If you are an Adobe fan and work with Creative Cloud apps, the best way to go is Adobe Stock, the company’s proprietary stock media library, packed with crispy, fresh photos ready to use. The Adobe Stock free trial gives you up to 40 images of your choice for one month, free of charge.
Even better: you can combine this free trial for Adobe Stock with the special Adobe discount for students and teachers, which lets you get a 60% discount on an All Apps plan!
The Club by Stockphotos.com – If you are teaching or studying for a visual or creative-oriented career (graphic design, marketing, etc.), you should consider the Club plan from Stockphotos.com. This is our trusted stock photo agency. It has a varied library and prices tailored for budget-conscious users. The Club is an annual subscription that gives you 2000 image downloads for $99,90 (just $0.049 per image).
Furthermore, the first year of subscription includes 10 extra downloads. And every year, you get 10 video downloads free of charge.
Even better: our special Stockphotos.com coupon adds 10 more free downloads to your subscription!
Canva for Education – The all-in-one design platform Canva –which includes a stock image library plus icons, graphics, videos, and more creative resources– helps pupils, teachers, and schools with special deals under its Canva for Education program.
Through this system, teachers can get verified to obtain a premium Canva account for free and invite their students onto the platform, including a virtual classroom space. Schools can also sign up for an institutional account and extend its benefits to their whole campus.
Additionally, the platform includes lots of free design resources for students and teaching materials for educators. If you want your own individual account, it’s also a very good option at only $6.50/month.
Canva Pro plans include unlimited downloads and access to all the website’s resources, even the latest generative AI tools!
The New Realm of AI-Generated Images
Generative AI is the last cry in technological development, and you have likely already heard about it and maybe dabbed in AI image generation with applications that let you enter a written description and synthesize an original, custom image based on it that you can then download and use.
AI-generated images are practical but their legal background is still in the works and copyright matters are far from settled
At first glance, AI-generated images may seem the perfect solution to your visual needs as a student or professor. And indeed, they can be. However, there are some key considerations to remember when using these images.
The applications are trained using others' images, often copyrighted. For this intelligent software to comprehend text prompts and convert them into precise visuals, they've been trained with countless, if not billions, of existing pictures, most of which are copyrighted and were used without permission.
There is an ongoing legal debate about whether this falls under fair use, and collectives of artists already claim copyright infringement against these tools. At this point, it is unclear whether these tools are copyright-compliant. The exception is some apps that are trained with authorized content only. Adobe Firefly, iStock Generative AI, and Shutterstock Generate are a bit safer. They are not free to use, however.
The tools don't always grant you copyright ownership over your creations. As this is an entirely new media format, some developers have established that they cannot say whether you have copyright ownership over an image you created with AI.
Equally relevant, copyright law authorities are already leaning towards calling them non-copyrightable (as humans do not create them). So, who owns the picture you made? Nobody knows. Who could claim copyright against you for using them? Also unanswered. It might be okay, but it might be risky all the same.
The Rules for Using Photos in Your Work Responsibly
After learning everything about the types of safe images to include in your projects, it's time to discuss how to ensure you're using them appropriately.
License Terms
As we remarked throughout this guide, licenses vary in what they let you do with images and what they require from you to use them. We can't stress enough how important it is to read the license carefully and ensure your purpose for the photos is covered. However, this is much easier for educational use than other intentions (commercial use, for example). A few key points to verify are:
- Is the image released for commercial or editorial use? This distinction is essential, even if you don't plan to use the image for commercial purposes. Commercially suitable photos often come with model releases, providing extra protection. On the other hand, editorial-only photos have a different set of usage rights and requirements. Understanding these differences is key to using images legally and appropriately.
- Is academic use permitted? This is a crucial point to verify. Look for terms like ‘educational use,' ‘student projects,' ‘student work,' or ‘teaching materials' in the license. This ensures that the image is suitable for your educational projects.
- Is the image's legality verified? In the case of free licenses, more likely than not, the answer will be no. Then, it'll be up to you to do background checking on the reliability of the website chosen, the validity of the license agreement, and, wherever possible, the verification with the copyright owner. If you don't do this, you're at your own risk. Royalty-free photos from stock photo sites are verified and legally backed, so there is no stress.
- Do I need to provide attribution? Whether the license is free or paid, it may or may not include the requirement for crediting the author and sometimes the source (complete with the website name and URL). On a side note, academic best practices call for citation and attribution of all external resources you include in your work, so you should attribute stock photos either way. However, checking for legal requirements and what details, if any, they request is still important.
Sensitive Use
One extra thing worth considering when creating your assignment for school using stock images is that many of them –particularly royalty-free images– include a Sensitive Use clause in their license. This clause forbids or sets limitations to using the photo in connection with topics and concepts that are illegal, morally questionable, or otherwise controversial: crime, violence, drug use, racism… but also religion, politics, mental health, diseases, and more. If your project focuses on one or more such topics, you must use visuals that allow it.
Image Attribution
As we mentioned before, whether the image license demands it or not, it's academically desirable to credit all the third-party content you include in your projects. When it comes to images, this means adding attribution details.
The appropriate way to credit stock photos is by including:
- Author name
- Title of image
- Year of creation of the image (if available)
- Image URL
- Name of the website where you sourced the picture
- Link to said website
When you use verified stock photo sites, all this information is readily available on the image page and often in the image file's metadata.
Using Stock Photos Legally is Always a Must in Education
Knowing and respecting copyright and license terms when using images is the mark of a great academic.
We trust our guide has empowered you with all the necessary information to ace the visual aspect of your school work without compromising your reputation and using other people’s work responsibly as well.
Do you have any questions about using photos for education that we haven’t answered? Drop them in the comments; we’ll be happy to help!
