Keep it Legal! Artist reference photo sites

Na'Pali Coast! I just saw it in real life a few months ago. Pictures never, ever do it justice! Just remember that if you are just a hobbyist and you make art for yourself and don't plaster it all over the internet (like me) you can use whatever the HECK photos you want!

Thanks Lisa......never heard of unsplash 👍

Unless youre selling it you can use any reference you please.
This a reminder for people learning their craft . Which is about 90% of people creating art.
If you practice creating subjects repeatedly ( which you should ) you will barely need refrence except for small reminders .

Great tutorial and very important! I use Facebook for reference photos. In "Groups" there are several photographers that allow free reference for artist but you must follow their rules. You can also check out what other artist did with their reference. Very inspirational.
Question: I take photos of the work I do. I took a photo of a ram at a farm & I did ask if I could take photos at the time. When I posted my final watercolor on Instagram, I was surprised that the owner popped up and said "That's my ram, Patrick!" Would I get in trouble if I had created sell-able art with the artwork?

Better draw a plain paper you will get the best reward

I copy other peoples work all the time because I don’t want to buy it but I don’t sell anything I just display it here for myself-if you don’t want your art copied don’t advertise it because somebody somewhere will copy it and you have nothing to gain by persuing that person because they didn’t have the money to buy it in the first place, like me , but I don’t sell it anyway and I always state it’s a copy.I can’t help it , I love art , I just can’t create it but I’m good at copying it and I’m not poor but I would be if I had to pay for it.

I will copy only only only if I am practicing and trying something out. For my eyes only.
Other then that I use stock photos.
There was one time that this did not happen. I was doing a painting of something I saw in a photo and got super inspired and was going to paint it for fun. Doing some color fun.
I took a picture of it and sent it to my daughter. Some friends of hers saw it and one friend begged to buy it.
I told my daughter absolutely not.
She was a dear friend of hers and I finally thought if I did not accept a dime from her, put on the painting where it was from and the photo I took it from maybe. But, I also told my daughter to tell her friend she cannot sell it. It only within Kelly's circle and no one else can have it. If she gets tired of it to promise to throw it out or give it back to Kelly.
Even with that I have not felt comfortable about relenting.

🤔☝️I can trace & tweak.& (NFS.)😉& Freehand. & I highly recommend? Don't try to sell any art work you do kids using any so called "Free" images.There's always some assholes out there playing legal games.☝️Protect yourselves.😉That's my advice. = if you buy a magazine?etc. Can you actually do what you want with the images you've already paid for?=simple answer?= (No.)✌️💖👍😎

This has been extremely helpful, thanks for sharing.

So I must ask if you design,create an image,let's say of an animal,then look at various images for markings,proportions etc....surely that is not copywrite?
And if you had a very good memory, looked at something then create a piece of work from your memory, is that copywrite?
I remembered a piece of work at a prestige art college in london with bugsbunny on it & it was called "sue me"..?
Make you think..
How does anyone know you've copied a image from the vast amounts of works people create...?
But still very helpful video.

Public domain sites like Raw Pixel ? I understand that these are domains that art sources that are now available as the artist / photographer has been dead 70 years. The copyrights are no longer viable with these reference sites and in most instances there are free domains. I also live in West Australia in the bush so I have dusted off my SLR camera, invested in a lense & now staring to take my own pics.

So... if I can't copy another artist paintings... does that mean that once you use that photographers image for your blue ring octopus painting.. then I can't?....because then I'd be copying you?

I'm curious about photography that's taken of Celeb's without there permission and sold at high dollar, why isn't that illegal and shouldn't it be if they want everyone to act a certain way, shouldn't they be held to that standard too?

🤔ever get them impression people assume you're stupid?because they're hoping you are?☺️☝️I do.🥱✌️😎

Here’s a question though, what about several reference pictures? I followed several online course from quite renowned artists who use several photo (between 10 and 15 or so) and settle on one photo for the overall artwork but then use the other photos to decide on the lighting, environment, mood, combine elements from the different photos into the main image, etc…. And make it ‘their own thing’. What’s your view on that?

I want to know if you change the picture then how will they know you used it? I mean like prove it!

If used the correct way, the art shouldn't look anything like the photo reference. Photo references are for ideas, perspective, sometimes color, and learning general shapes. I see Magenta in sun sets, so now I use Magenta more as a color, because it is pretty. I think this issue you are referring to is directly related to people that take hyper realism way to seriously. Use all photos and photography online as inspiration, but don't copy. When you say "change 60%" implicitly you are really saying, " you are copying this photograph but....". Doesn't matter how much is changed that person is still copying the photograph. Don't copy. By the same token telling an artists not to use our most powerful sense organ is a disservice to who we are. nobody can copyright a tree. Also assuming the photographer is going to come after you for drawing inspiration from a painting is absurd, that's exactly the wrong way to think about it. secondly, I really know people like it but hyper realism really needs to go the way of the dodo. I have never had much of a desire to be a fancy photo copier. Realism has its place, there are things I actually love about it, but let's move on. Use those techniques to create new things. leave photography to the photographers ;). Most importantly, Stop giving out advice to beginner artists that restricts the ability to be inspired and limits the most power sense organ that we have. Look at everything and don't listen to this person.

P.S. DON'T COPY, I am not promoting copying. "0-99% change either" copying is bad. ;)

I think you should make it clear that this applies to artwork that gets put up for sale. If you're drawing for fun, you can use any photo you want. And post it on social media. Basically, if you're not profiting off someone else's work, you're good. (And if a friend asks you to draw a copyrighted image for them, you'll be okay. Disney isn't gonna kick down your door because you drew a picture of Wanda Maximoff.)

3D models of any sort (from Bulldozers to Ballerinas) which you buy (or find offered for free) are a GREAT source of information.

What if you manipulate the photo enough where the original is unrecognizable?

In my opinion, the terms of use of facebook state that if you post something of a photo or paintings, you waive the rights, so that they may use it. I don't know if this is also the case for other Facebook users. I find this absurd that you can assert rights for, for example, the human face, this is not an invention after all. Yes, can't patent the wheel, fire, etc

A German artist, Gerd Stritzel, recently used a photo of a Maori elder named Rangi McLean and has been sent a cease and desist order for copyright breach. The use was without permission, and caused offense to the photo subject because this was seen as appropriation of cultural imagery of an indigenous people. The artwork was referenced from portraits shot by well-known Kiwi photographer Michael Bradley.

The German artist responded: "A painted picture with paint on canvas is not a photo. If photos are used for inspiration, that's fine, especially since my painting differs from the photo in colour, content and performance." He then said "Of course, using a photo and copy and paste would be a copyright infringement." (You can read more on the New Zealand Herald, and by Googling the names)
So I am pleased to see your video supports the rights of artists who have created the original works. I wish that message would sink in and other artists would respect copyright. I have had my images claimed by others as their own work, which was upsetting to say the least. And as far as cultural respect and sensitivity, I wish others would consider this as well when using reference photos, even if they are royalty-free or used with permission.

I mean I have used photos of people off Google for reference but I'm not planning to sell them..but I'm really wanting to get to a point of selling my art so I need legal ways to get references for doing that. Honestly I should just take my own photos..

I think this is a great video. I wish social media would strike down more accounts that steal and repost people's work and uses credit or notify me to take it down as an argument as why they can steal it.

An artist should get to know the community in which they live. Get out there, meet other artists, including photographers and build relationships. I have several photographers that have given me permission to use any of their photographs.

I have so many questions..

Thank you very much for this information. So useful!

Additional tips. You own copyright on ALL photos you take, take your own reference! I got tons of great florals this summer with just my phone while walking my dog. If you live near an aquarium plan a trip and take your own reference. Same for zoos, parks, botanical gardens, and museums!
Also ask friends and family to have and use copies of their photos such as their vacation photos. Great way to get shots of places they visited. Quality does vary however.
Noah Bradley also offers tons of free for all artists to use landscape and other references he photographed himself to ‘solve’ this issue.
Likewise don’t let fear stand in way of creating art or living joyfully either.
There is a point about copyright going to far and the legitimacies of studies.
Having said that might as well do studies of things you have the copyright for.
Start taking your own photos is the best bet of all combined with ones you are sure you have the rights too.
Also using any reference to study the structure then make original work from that informed imagination.
This applies most to direct copy art.
Also people can’t own a humanoid pose, camera angle, lighting scenario or colour pallet, etc. If your still concerned pose wise just use 3D model pose and/or take reference yourself in the same pose/angle even lighting! Again you own your own reference photos!

Can you use a photo for practice work that will not be sold?

There are a few Facebook groups that let photographers post their photos for free use. I have personally posted about 100 photos in one particular group: Free Reference Photos for Artists. Great group, although you do have do dig a bit, due to FB’s clunky photo options

Obviously, this means nothing, in the age of AI.

Thank you for this video. Recently I have been thinking a lot about this issue, mostly due to the surge of interest in AI “art combiners”. These AI graphics engines have likely been trained on countless images from the web. Is anyone looking out for the interests of the photographers and artist that may have been unwittingly forced to be an art teacher to a machine? It’s all done in the name of “research” I’m sure, but I would bet large sum that these algorithms will eventually be commercial products and at that point will it be too late to compensate or even identify the countless artist who have been abused?

Just use AI to make a new image based on billions of images from the internet, no copyright on those. I won't use them but you guys might as well, because soon everyone else will.
MidJourney, Dall-E2, etc. Type in "blue ring octopus, hyper-realistic, detailed" or something like that. A few seconds later it's done, copyright free. AI is going to kill off all the stock photo sites

Technically you can use the picture on the website for example if you drawing an octopus in your drawing and only using it for reference and not copying there are no copyright issues. Its when you copy a piece of art and picture.

If 1 person takes a photo of something & you take a photo of the same thing, and the photos look basically the same (a fall leaf looks like a fall leaf, looks like a fall leaf) how could anyone discern that their photo is being used in your painting?

I couldnt care less about stealing pictures for my own paintings. Such a pathetic rule. Lock me up if ya like.

but do you have to gain a certain level of fame as an artists before anyone cares if you used photo that wasn't licensed? most of us likely won't be in that group maybe?

I'm a photographer. I honestly didn't even know this was a thing. Ya learn something new everyday.

You need to make a distinction - Yes, you CAN use ANYTHING to create your own art!! You CANNOT sell this copied work - unless you get express permission from the artist and give credit to the artist. Very often you won’t know the artist name, which means you cannot sell your copied art. The old masters copied each other all the time! It’s practice! It’s learning! Use everything to learn! Just don’t try to sell it as your own.

Copyright is different in different countries and the right to fair use etc. is contested, something that is fair use in USA is different to say the UK or Australia or in Asian countries. and as both an artist and a photographer myself policing some of this is extremely difficult, especially in the NFT space. which is why i use my own locally taken photography as a source for my artworks.

From my understanding, it is perfectly legal to copy someone's else's photo for a painting. It is illegal to sell the painting without the photographer's permission. Is this the case? A painting can be sold if the googled image is under the creative commons license.

Okay, so do you all just do photo studies and call that art? Because I use references but never just one to come up with an illustration. But I'm not crediting anyone for that when poses and shapes can't be copyrighted which is what I will take from references.
Nothing I draw looks like the any one reference and it's legal. I've been able to copyright my work without any issues. Maybe just actually try and draw more creatively instead of copy what you see.
I think that is a better way to help artist then linking them to references they can copy that are public domain or paid to use.
That is such a weird concept for me ...

For personal use, you can use about anything on the internet, just not to sell or otherwise distribute.

What are your thoughts on using mid journey?

Am I allowed to draw the drawings exactly in my artwork?

How about photos from a zoo? That is where I get some of my ideas.

Meantime: AI companies do not give a damn about any of that and earn millions.

Soooo...editing till 3am has risks. In this case, I accidentally edited out the info about the Obama Hope poster. The point of that story was that I've had many artists tell me that the artist "won" his case. He did not. He settled out of court because he was going to lose. I don't know how much he had to pay at that point, but a year or two later (I forget the actual dates), he found himself back in court with a 25k fine and something like 300 hours of community service because he was found to have destroyed evidence and lied.
The other thing I found to be interesting about that case was that his style was not very realistic. I don't even know how they knew which photo he used given the style of the art, yet the photographer/owner of the photo still knew and was able to prove in court. It's never worth the risk in my opinion.

As for the "all great artists steal" crap people have said, no. Great artists steal ideas, concepts, and techniques and make them their own. That's not the same thing as stealing someone's photograph to use. Intentionally misunderstanding basic concepts is not going to keep you safe from legal action. Maybe that concept needs its own video.