OctOPUS Blog - What you can do with Public Domain Photos and Where you can find them

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If you make Photobooks of topics of interest, people will read and buy them.  With Photobooks you can offer download versions - but people really want the hard copy.
 
Where do you find good photos free - other than those you took yourself?
 
Making a Photobook can be easier than you think.  You can laboriously write a book - all your own work.  I wrote “Make a Great Photo Album (or Digital Scrapbook) yourself” about 18 months ago.   It needs updating.  “Turn your Wedding Photos into Cherished Memories” is still in the draft stage.  It’s been like that for months.   And it will stay like that for a few more. 
 
You can do far more by cribbing, modifying and republishing.   You can do it legally and honestly with public domain information.  Or you can supplement your own work with free sources, especially if you are - as I hope you are - making photobooks.
 
I have subscribed to Tony Laidig ’s Public Domain Codebook.  I cannot reproduce that - it’s copyright - but he give a lot of very valuable ideas and I recommend him.
 

Public Domain Photos

Let’s face it – If I do anything photobooks will be a major part. So where do you find public domain photos?  Not from Flikr. 

Here are some good sources – remember that laws vary – and US sources are more liberal than European ones.  In particular the US Government provides a great fund of useful stuff.

 Start here:

US Official Sources

 US Government Graphics and Photos

-        http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Graphics.shtml

Picture of Yellowstone came from here

National Park Service Digital Image Archive

-        http://photo.itc.nps.gov/storage/images/index.html

Online Archive of California

-        www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu//

General Sources

 Wikimedia Commons Public Domain Collection

-        http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

The picture of Rochester Castle came from here

Old book Illustrations

-        http://www.oldbookillustrations.com/

 Yoto Photo (Site currently being redesigned)

Making a PhotoBook

Of course this is where OPUSalbums.com comes in.  Just to remind you of our ranges

OPUS Photo Art       Hard black cover, D/s Photo Art/Archival Paper, Replaceable sheets, A4L,A3L, 12x12,8x8

Print&Bind              Plastic black cover, Glossy Photo Paper, Replaceable sheets, A4

FlexAlbum              Hard black cover, Replaceable sheets, paper bought separately, A4, A3L

Pics Book Jr           Hard cover (choice of colours), Permanent bound,  paper bought separately, A4, A3L, 6x4L

Pics Book                 Hard cover (chice of colours and windows, Permanent bound,  paper bought separately, A4L, A4P, A3L, A5P, 12x12,

For all about our albums see http://www.opusalbums.com/albums

>>>>See our full Public Domain Source List by Clicking here<<<

Sorry - you'll have to give us your e-mail address to see this list