It’s important to include visual content (such as photos and videos) in your blog posts, and doing so is the fastest way to amp up your blog’s engagement.

But there are stumbling blocks on the road to visual content bliss; a few of them are addressed below.

Where can I get good photos?

There are many sources where you can obtain photos and videos legally.

Free sources

• Missouri State’s marketing images
• Missouri State’s YouTube channel
• Any photos that were used for your website over the course of the Academic Website Project
• Any photos your unit commissioned and purchased for a University event (like a speaker series or career fair)
• Photos you take yourself with the permission of the subjects (more on that below)
• Free stock photo websites

Paid sources

• The office of photographic services has an online gallery; photos can be ordered directly from photographic services
• Paid stock photo websites
• Hiring the office of photographic services to cover an event or class or take photos of individuals
• Commissioning a video from the office of Web and new media

Not a source

Never use an image you find through a basic Google image search or any other photo, video or song you don’t have written permission to use. (Someone somewhere owns that content.)

Which photos are the appropriate quality for my blog?

Professional photos aren’t necessary for your blog or social media accounts. Feel free to use images you took on your phone or tablet. Blog readers appreciate immediacy and authenticity, so it doesn’t have to be perfect.

One tip: Photos that feature engaged people or unusual details tend to be the most appealing for blog or social media distribution.

What about privacy? Do I need people’s permission to share pictures of them?

In most cases, yes. Obtain written permission to use the following:

• Any image, voice, video or likeness containing identifiable human subjects (including students, University employees or non-University people)
• Audio or video recordings of lectures or other presentations require written permission from the speakers
• Images or video of someone else’s intellectual property such as artwork, writing, music, etc. require permission from the owner (more on intellectual property and copyright guidelines)

You don’t need written permission for someone’s likeness in a situation where that person wouldn’t have an expectation of privacy, such as:

• When the photo or video is of a large group or crowd at an event or game
• When the photo or video’s focal point is a building or non-human subject

When in doubt, obtain written permission. For convenience, the office of photographic services supplies a likeness release form.

For more on these guidelines, see the office of Web and new media’s policy.