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Images: How to Find Images (Planning)

A multidisciplinary guide to searching, evaluating & referencing different types of images

Why plan?

 

Searching for images is different to finding other sources like books, journal articles and reports. 

Use this page to learn how to find images effectively. 

Step 1: Identify what you're looking for

 

Are you looking for: 

  • photographs
  • plans
  • graphs / diagrams
  • stock images

Once you know the type of images you want, you need to identify the key features of the images you're after.

Some useful questions to ask yourself to identify these features are: 

  • What is depicted in the image? e.g. buildings, people, landscapes
  • What medium is it? e.g. photograph, hand drawing, cartoon
  • Other details. e.g. black & white, colour, angle

Example: 

I'm looking for...

Elizabeth Bay House Photograph Black & White

It's okay to not be very sure about what you're looking for. As you search and research your topic you will get a better understanding of what images are available & what image you want.

  • What object type is it? e.g. vase, clothing, furniture
  • What style was it made in? e.g. modern, renaissance, Asian
  • What medium is it? e.g. ceramic, woven, clay
  • Date or period. e.g. 18th century, 1700s, medieval

Example: 

I'm looking for...

Vase   Chinese  Ceramic Han dynasty

It's okay to not be very sure about what you're looking for. As you search and research your topic you will get a better understanding of what images are available & what image you want.  

  • What information is being represented? e.g. number of downloads, types of media
  • Any region, demographic or other details. e.g. Australia, children, men/women, etc.

Example: 

I'm looking for...

Clothing going to landfil Austr alia Between 2010 and 2020

It's okay to not be very sure about what you're looking for. As you search and research your topic you will get a better understanding of what images are available & what image you want. 

Step 2: Brainstorm keywords & synonyms

 

The answers to the questions from Step 1 will form your initial keywords, which you will use to search for your images. 

Think of synonyms for those keywords to give you more options for searching. Keywords that are similar or have similar meanings can also be added. 

Examples:

Keywords & synonyms for a picture
Elizabeth Bay House Photograph Black & White
Elizabeth Bay

Photo

Landscape

B&W

Greyscale
Keywords & synonyms for an object
Vase Chinese Ceramic Han dynasty

Pottery

Pots

Asian 

Asia

 Terracotta

Second dynasty

100 AD
Keywords & synonyms for a graph / diagram
Clothing going to landfil Australia Between 2010 and 2020

Fashion

Waste

 Oceania 21st Century

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Tips 

Some resources to help with brainstorming: 

  • Google & Wikipedia
  • Dictionaries & Thesauri
  • Reference books & Encyclopedias

Tips for searching & combining keywords

 

 

Only use one keyword from each of your categories in each search 

e.g. search:

Chinese ceramic vase 
or 
Asian ceramic pottery

Avoid long searches such as:

Chinese Asian ceramic terracotta vase pottery pot

 

If you are not getting many results, try only using 1 or 2 keyword categories

e.g. if searching Chinese ceramic vase doesn't work, try searching just Chinese ceramic

The images you get from a simpler search might not be exactly what you want, but could be similar enough to be used. 

Knowing where to search

 

Once you have your keywords you can start searching for images. The type of image you are looking for will determine where you search. 

Explore the Where to find images page to learn what these different places are.