A Useful Guide to Free Photos, Media & More

NASA

NASA IMAGE GALLERY

www.nasa.gov

So, here's where the science nerd in me surfaces. The United State's government agency NASA has great images if you're working on projects that relate, and even if they don't relate.

For example, I helped a friend create a short meditation video once, and I used gorgeous photos taken by the Hubble Telescope, courtesy of NASA. It was a soothing experience, watching the beautiful, interstellar images while listening to the meditation.

Simply use the GALLERY submenu items to explore the digital content. You'll be surprised at the extent of images and video available. The best thing is, it's all Public Domain content. If you're a citizen of the United States, thank you, because it's your tax dollars that have paid for this content, paid for the time of the government employees who collected or created this content, and that's why it is in the Public Domain.

This means you are free to use the content in any way you wish, even modify it, without attributing anyone. So, if you want to make a Photoshop mashup of yourself standing on the Moon, your foot hovering over the footprint left by an Apollo 17 astronaut, have at it.

Okay, I know I said I'm not on Flickr often, but many of the photos on that platform are from the U.S. Government, including NASA, so those images are safe to use. Remember, it's the photos by individuals who can change their mind about the level of creative licenses they'll allow you to use that worries me. People can change their minds, and decide to sell that lovely photo to a stock photography company, and you might not know this until you get an invoice from the company claiming you owe them money, and even threatening lawsuits if you don't pay.

As U.S. citizens, we're already paying for the rights to use government-made content when we pay taxes, although it may not be too far a stretch to compare the IRS to a money-hungry, consciousless stock photography company threatening penalties if you don't pay.

By the way, I want to take a minute to brag here: I've had the privilege to speak with several astronauts during my writing career. These include: Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman to travel in space; John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth; Terry Virts, a Little League coach and astronaut, and Story Musgrave, a cowboy astronaut who repaired the Hubble Telescope.