Featured Reference Photographs
What Makes a Good Reference Photo?
When conducting an online search for an image to use as a reference, consider the following:
- Lighting: Is the subject well lit? Is the photo over or under exposed? Too much shadow?
- Focus & Detail: Was the photographer too far away? Is there not enough detail? Or, was the photographer too close and you can’t see the whole body? Is the photo too blurry or distorted?
- Artificiality: Has the photo been altered? Are the colours realistic? Is the pose a natural position? Too staged?
- Ownership/Plagiarism: Is the photo famous? Is it from a free image database? What Creative Commons license does it have?
And remember, if you can’t find what you are looking for online, try taking your own reference photos.
How Do I Know If a Photo is Free For Me to Use?
- Did you take the picture yourself? Free!
- Does the image have a watermark? If yes, this image falls under copyright protection and you should not use it.
- Does the image have details about usage rights or the creator?
- Does the source specify that the image is in the public domain?
- Did you read about the Creative Commons license details? Are there any limitations on use?
- Did you check the image's metadata?
- Did you try a Google reverse image search to determine ownership?
When in doubt, don't use the image.
Citation Guideline for Images
Image attribution, or giving credit to the creator of the image that you are using, should include the following details:
- the creator/author,
- the title of the image,
- the source (website link or URL),
- and the license information.
Example in APA citation format:
Wang, J.C. (2008). Bur oak [Photograph]. Flickr https://bit.ly/2RZ6zIk
Example of Creative Commons license attribution:
"Ottawa, Parlamento," by Angel de los Rios, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.