Using Images in Your Story
Everyone loves good images and they are always welcomed in the published stories at MGS. Images can be photos that you own, or copyright free photos that you can get online (i.e. image of ship they immigrated on), or even a pedigree chart or family group sheet image from your genealogy software.
Photos that you own are easy to use in your article since you own the copyright and you choose where and how to publish it. Copyright free images are available online, but please ensure you give proper credit. Archives, Museums, etc. often allow the use of images, but you need to ask in advance for permission and ask them how they would like the image credited. Use their recommended image credit format.
On Google Images select Settings-Advanced Search and filter by ‘Usage Rights’ to find images marked as shareable. Read the different levels of copyright and attribute your images as appropriate.
When telling your story, it can sometimes disrupt the flow if you stop to give a list of genealogy data of a particular family. Putting this into an image is a great way to keep the story flowing while still giving the data that is important to understand the family relationships without bogging them down in facts within the story.
Most genealogy software allows for family group sheets, pedigree charts and other charts that can be published. If you don’t have software to create this, putting that data in a Text Box will achieve the same purpose. Some people use MS Excel, or create slides, or use other software to create an image. All these methods are acceptable. A pedigree image, a family group sheet image and/or data in some other image form are all welcome additions to an article that tells a story.
Copies of documents are often very interesting and instructive, and let’s face it —genealogist’s love old documents! Including an image of an old birth certificate or a family business calendar or other document can add to the story. There is no limit to the number of images you might want to include, and they are all welcome.