This is one of my favorite blogging tasks, picking an image to use. I don’t always post an image. When I do, it on purpose and with the intent to leave the reader with a lasting emotion.
As a visual thinker, I have an image in mind when I begin a post subject. As I begin to search for that image I will often end up with a completely different one. Here is an example. Yesterday I posted ‘Strange behaviors of crowds: a cautionary tale‘. The post image I wanted to find contained a person using a mobile device while listening to a speaker. I then started searching my favorite stock image site. What I ended up with was an image that was even better. Rather than focusing on the subject of the post, I used an image of a microphone against a red curtain. I wanted the reader to understand that they have the following: a voice, power, and a responsibility.
If I can’t find an image, then I make my own. I use Gimp 2.6, a robust free open source image tool. I also take lots of photos wherever I am at, often with a future post in mind.
I also will grab photos off stock sites as I search. If they catch my eye I save and store them for later use.
How do you choose images for your site or blog?
