Finding those striking images!
Every now and again we see an outstanding military aviation image, the kind that leaves the viewer wondering about it. Surprisingly they can come from unexpected places, often made available to the public through official channels. These official channels host both copyright and public domain imagery, so you do need to be aware of the status of an image before using it.
Current and Historic.
The repositories hosting these images tend to fall into two categories, current and historic. Although it is worth noting that there can be overlap, there can also be some replication of content. And it can be frustrating and take some time to find interesting and unique images, so patience and perseverence might be qualities to cultivate.
Where are these repositories?
Here is where it gets a bit convoluted, these repositories and archives are everywhere. They can be accessed easily, many of them have fully searchable catalog systems. They can be in a national archive, or on a government department system. Hosted by various departments both civil and military, the list is very long and you are likely to find new repositories all the time.
Start at a national level.
Almost every country has a National Archive, often they are catalogued and you can search through them. In almost all cases they are free to use and the images are copyright and royalty free. Just go for a look around Ebay, Etsy and any number of online aviation print shops – you’ll quickly find that some online shops have only free images from national archives.
What can I find?
You can find literally tens of thousands of images, covering any aviation related (among other subjects) subject matter you can imagine. the image at the top of this post was downloaded from the United States National Digital Archive. These archives are available twenty four hours a day, so you can be in them as long as you want.
Photographs Courtesy of United States Air Force
Dave Munro