Every day on Hive authors are using stock images. I use them on occasion myself and when I add that source link as a thank you to the creator of that image on the free stock photo sites I wish I could give them a percentage beneficiary from that post. Except they probably don't have an account on Hive, so I can't.
Yet Hive has lots of talented artists and photographers. What if they wanted to offer some of their work up for use by other Hivers for the chance of a return of a percentage beneficiary every time someone used that picture? We could then be supporting our own content creators and giving these artists an ongoing income stream for their efforts.
Enter the Stock Images community.
The concept is that artists can post their art or photos in a post in the community that they are happy for others to use, then others who are looking for images can browse through what is available. If they use one they can make the creator of that image a beneficiary of the post it's used in.
Currently we don't have a search method within communities, but there is a search for the Hive site. So here are some suggestions and recommendations for artists if you wish to post in the community and have others find your images:
- Make a clear title as to the type of pictures contained in the post and include “Hive Stock Photo” or "Hive Stock Images" as part of the title. For those searching, if they use this search term it should hopefully bring up these posts. Then they could add keywords for the type of image they're searching for.
- Use the tag #hivestockimages so we have another way to find you post for indexing and archiving.
- Compilation posts on a certain theme would be better than posting one picture at a time with that same theme.
- On the other hand, a post with multiple pictures containing mixed themes may not be very helpful for those looking for something specific.
- Add in your post what your requirements might be for people using you pictures. Do you want them to credit you or more specifically the post they sourced it from so others can find that or similar images? You can also state if you're willing to have authors contact you with special requests.
- Try to stick to quality rather than quantity. You will develop a reputation on the images you're submitting and if to many low quality images keep appearing then prospective clients may avoid looking through your work to find the gems. We reserve the right to not include low quality images in the index, particularly as availability of choice expands.
Rules
I'm not big on rules, but I should probably make clear some that could cause problems if ignored:
Absolutely no plagiarising! Be upfront about your images. The preference is that they are entirely your own, but if you have created something new from a royalty free stock image let people know that this is what you've done rather than claiming it as entirely your own.
For photos which include recognisable people, make sure you have permission, preferably model release forms, from those depicted to use their image. Be especially thorough when it comes to minors.
There is a possible infringement of copyright for registered brand names and logos, so these should not be visible in photos offered up for stock use.
For those wishing to use the images of creators and photographers posting in this community, consider making their creator a beneficiary recipient of your post. Look through what the artists have on offer and credit or source the images as requested in their post.
This post will remain pinned in the community and any updates will be added. If you have questions or suggestions, please make them in the comments.
This is all done on a voluntary basis, to provide a meeting place between creators and authors. The community can't make any guarantees, just offer this opportunity.
The image used in this post was created by @sitaru and you can find it along with others here. @sitaru will be 10% beneficiary of this post in gratitude for the creation of these logos for the Hive community.