by Philip Johnston
Diary Building 101: Where to find great images
How I found this images for the example covers, and how you can get shots like these too…without needing a camera, or resorting to piracy.
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How I found images for the example covers
I used a wonderful resource called “stock photography”—it provides searchable web-based collections of millions of photographs from some of the finest photographers on the planet.
You simply search for what you need, pay a small fee for royalty-free use of the image, and then download the shot. There are some absolutely stunning music related shots in these collections—all the sample covers you can see below were created from stock photography:[/av_textblock] [av_hr class=’invisible’ height=’15’ shadow=’no-shadow’ position=’center’] [av_gallery ids=’713,716,719,720,721,723,724,727′ style=’thumbnails’ preview_size=’portfolio’ thumb_size=’portfolio_small’ columns=’4′ imagelink=’lightbox’] [av_textblock] Unfortunately my license doesn’t allow me to give away or sell these images for you to re-use, but it’s very easy for you to get similar images of your own (you could also easily find these exact images, if you wish)[/av_textblock] [av_hr class=’invisible’ height=’5′ shadow=’no-shadow’ position=’center’] [av_textblock]
Where to find your own stock photography
There are a dozens of excellent sites; two that I’ve used extensively are below:[/av_textblock] [av_hr class=’invisible’ height=’15’ shadow=’no-shadow’ position=’center’] [/av_one_full]
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More than just photographs
Many of these stock photography websites also feature illustrations and concept art—your cover can be surreal, or whimsical if you wish. Again, just search for “music” or “notation” or your instrument (best to run several different searches), and then have fun choosing from what turns up. Some examples of what’s possible are below:[/av_textblock] [av_hr class=’invisible’ height=’30’ shadow=’no-shadow’ position=’center’] [av_gallery ids=’726,725,718,717,722,714,715′ style=’thumbnails’ preview_size=’portfolio’ thumb_size=’portfolio’ columns=’4′ imagelink=’lightbox’] [av_hr class=’invisible’ height=’15’ shadow=’no-shadow’ position=’center’] [/av_one_full]
…or you could simply have no image at all
There’s no rule that says you have to have a picture. When the time comes to choose your image, simply click “I don’t have an image”, and you can use one of the imageless templates. (There have been plenty of award winning books that have no picture at all on the front cover.)[/av_textblock] [av_hr class=’invisible’ height=’30’ shadow=’no-shadow’ position=’center’] [av_gallery ids=’735,736,737,738′ style=’thumbnails’ preview_size=’portfolio’ thumb_size=’portfolio’ columns=’4′ imagelink=’lightbox’] [/av_one_full] [av_one_full first] [av_textblock]
…need tips on what makes a great covershot?
Read this.[/av_textblock] [av_hr class=’invisible’ height=’30’ shadow=’no-shadow’ position=’center’] [/av_one_full]