Monday, April 6, 2009

Life Photo Archive

Life recently partnered with Getty images to make the Time Life photo collection available online. These images accessible to everyone online, and their private use is being encouraged. Images can freely be used in email, blogs, social networking sites, and anything that is for personal use. The only restriction thus far is that photos cannot be reproduced for commercial ventures (not that this has stopped some sites). The new online photo archive also features sections of prints which can be purchased online. Though, at the price of $99.99 for some prints, that's not something I'm going to be investing in anytime soon.

In addition to the mass number of photos now available online, the photo archive has some neat historical features. For example, the current featured photos on the site are pictures from April 4, 1968, the day that Martin Luther King died. All the photos in this set include captions, describing the night and people's reaction to King's death. These photos provide vivid imagery of the minutes and hours after King's death have the potential to be used as a valuable historical resource.

The slogan of the site "Your World in Pictures" is pretty accurate. The site includes historical photographs, contemporary images, and 3,000 new photos are added daily. Regardless of it your interested in castles, boats, cute animals, celebrities, or history there are photos to suit your interest. Overall, the Life photo archive can be used both for personal interest, enhancing research, and teaching students about both history and current events.

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