Using Pictures with your Writing
Pictures have a number of uses in writing. They can be used to illustrate what you are writing about, to give graphical instructions, to show the reader specific objects or places or merely to add to the aesthetic effect of your page, especially when used on web pages.
Technical writers in particular, rely on various forms of pictorial illustration to supplement the written textual information.
That’s why modern technical writing and browser software will permit the use of not only the traditional line illustration drawings, but 3D renderings, photographs, animations and Flash type objects.
It’s always tempting to use a picture. It can make your work look more professional and appealing. You should, however, make sure that it’s appropriate. A picture with no relevance will be seen for what it is: a space filler.
Taking Your Own
Now that most mobile phones have cameras built into them, it’s never been easier to capture a moment quickly for use later. If you get the chance, take pictures to help you visualise a place or an event later when you are writing. Remember the old saying, ‘a picture speaks a thousand words’, and it could be just what you need to help create them.
If you are considering writing articles, having your own unique pictures that you have taken specifically for an article may help get your article published. If editors don’t have to source pictures for your article and have your permission to use your photographs as part of the article, this will make the task easier and will circumvent any potential copyright issues over the use of stock photos.
Using Stock Photos
Stock pictures are generally existing photographs available for use under license. They can save you time and money although you may not be able to get the exact picture you are looking for.
If you are looking for pictures or photographs to supplement your writing, for example, to use in a newsletter, there are a great many websites that can supply photographs both copyright-free and for a fee.
For general photos that you can pay for individually, try looking at istockphoto . They have a massive selection of photos that you can download in a variety of formats, depending on what you need it for. If your writing is related to graphic design, then you’ll probably already have heard of it.
An excellent source of scientific photographs is sciencephoto . This is a fee paying site, but some of the imagery is fantastic. The site is varied and searchable and covers almost every scientifically related topic imaginable. If you are taking on a scientific or medical assignment, this site could be a gold mine.
For an excellent explanation of stock photography, packed with links to picture sources, take a look at the Wikipedia entry for Stock Photography.