Eagle Tip - Picture This, Part 1

Like most things in our world, Eagle courts of honor have become multimedia affairs in recent years. For example, slick (and easily produced) slideshows do a great job of chronicling the journey new Eagle Scouts have taken since their Cub Scout days.

But you might want to include other pictures in your ceremonies or printed programs, such as photos of bald eagles or American flags. Where can you find such photos? A great place to start is Wikimedia Commons (http://commons.wikimedia.org). Created by the same community as Wikipedia, the site features tens of millions of images, many of which are in the public domain or can be used freely in certain circumstances. The bald eagle shown at the right is an example.

Using Wikimedia Commons is as easy as using any search engine. Once you’ve found an image you like, click on it to see a larger version and, just as importantly, information on how it can be used. Here, for example, is the usage information for the bald eagle photo shown here:

This image or recording is the work of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain. For more information, see the Fish and Wildlife Service copyright policy.

(There are many other sources for free images, but I like Wikimedia Commons’ combination of a searchable directory and clear rights information.)

So how do you download an image you like? Below the preview version you’ll see one or more sizes listed. Simply right-click on the size you want and choose Save Link As from the context menu.

Republished with permission of Mark Ray at http://www.eaglebook.com/