Have you ever taken a picture and thought that would make a great painting! Well, you can share that photo with a community of artists who might feel the same way about it. Submit photos from your travels, of your pets or other animals, scenes from nature, water, landscapes, architecture, still life, and even people (with their permission.) This is not a photo-sharing site. It’s a reference-sharing site, so the photos don’t have to be great photographs. They just need to be a good reference for an artist to use.
What makes a good reference photo for an artist?
- Interesting and/or dramatic lighting
- Photos or people or animals that are good to study for anatomy, form, and movement. These could be portrait-style photographs or people and animals in motion.
- Places that are unique, beautiful, and offer some interesting lines and shapes
- Scenes that are local to you that might not be local to the artist, like beaches, quaint villages, mountains, etc.
Only submit a photo if…
- You are the photographer
- You are offering it freely to artists to use as references for paintings that will be sold and potentially licensed and reproduced. (If you wish to copyright your photo and limit use, please do not submit it on this site. This is a free resource for artists where use is not restricted.)
No Account? No Problem!
We understand that not everyone wants to create an account (it’s free and we only use your email to share updates). If you prefer, you can submit your photos directly to us via email.
Simply send your reference photos to [email protected]. By doing this, you acknowledge and agree to the following:
- Anonymous Submission: Your name will not be displayed as the photo author.
- Free and Royalty-Free: The photo you submit will be made available as a free, royalty-free image for artists to use in their creative projects.
We appreciate your contributions and look forward to supporting the artistic community together!
