BEYOND THE STOCK PHOTO: Tracking Down and Getting Permission for a Photo of a Rare Animal

By Abi Cushman

My book, WOMBATS ARE PRETTY WEIRD: A  [Not So] Serious Guide, is a funny, illustrated guide to the wonderfully weird marsupial known as the wombat. But although most of the book is illustrated, I wanted to show photos of actual wombats in the back matter so kids could see the real thing.

“No problem!” I thought confidently. I’d worked as a web designer for over fifteen years, so I was used to searching for images in the public domain or purchasing stock photos for use on my websites.

I just needed one photo of each of the three wombat species. Easy peasy, right?

Stock Photo Websites

Right off the bat, I found many fantastic stock photos of the bare-nosed wombat and the southern hairy-nosed wombat on iStockPhoto.com. And they were affordable as well.

 

Bare-nosed wombat                               Southern hairy-nosed wombat

Then I did a search for photos of the northern hairy-nosed wombat, and this is where it got tricky. Northern hairy-nosed wombats are critically endangered with only 300 alive today. This species of wombat does not do well in captivity, so there are no northern hairy-nosed wombats at any zoos. They only live in two protected areas in Queensland, Australia. Only government officials and a handful of volunteers are allowed into those areas.

Here is a video of the elusive northern hairy-nosed wombat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CszzMHDlZkU&t=37s

Northern hairy-nosed wombats look similar to southern hairy-nosed wombats, but there are slight differences, such as the shape and breadth of their snouts, their coloring, their size, and the length of their ears. After studying lots of images and videos of both hairy-nosed species, I started becoming adept at picking out the differences. So when I searched iStockPhoto for northern hairy-nosed wombats, I could see the results actually showed southern hairy-nosed wombats.

My next step was to try more expensive stock photo sites like Getty Images or Alamy. And lo and behold, success! Sort of. Both of these sites did have photos of the northern hairy-nosed wombat, but two of the images showed the wombat in a cage, and there was no way to crop it creatively so you couldn’t see the metal bars around it. Out of context, these images really didn’t fit in with the photos I had of the other wombat species, which showed them in a more natural setting, definitely not caged.

There was one photo where the wombat was not in a cage, but the image was kind of dark. I decided to save it as a last resort and keep searching for a better photo.

Public Domain Photos

My next step was to look for images in the public domain. Sometimes photos that government officials take are released into the public domain.

I looked on the northern hairy-nosed wombat page on Wikipedia, which often displays public domain images, and I found this:

By Eva Hejda http://fotos.naturspot.de/, CC BY-SA 2.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=262609

That looked like a southern hairy-nosed wombat to me, despite it being labeled otherwise. And there was no further information, like where the photo was taken, so I did not want to use it.

Next, I looked at the Queensland Government’s website, and to my delight, they had lots of very adorable photos of northern hairy-nosed wombats.Yay! Now to get permission!

I used their contact form and attempted to select the correct department. I mentioned that I’d written a book about wombats being published by HarperCollins (yes, I name dropped) and asked if I could use one photo for the back matter of the book. And then I sat back and waited for their response.

And waited. And waited.

After a few weeks of waiting, I decided to try a different tack.

Contact Photographers

I emailed a few photographers of northern hairy-nosed wombat images that I found on Google image search. In my emails, I name dropped my publisher again, and mentioned I’d be willing to pay them a fee for use of one of their photos.

And then I waited. And waited.

Get on the Phone

Well, I got tired of waiting, so I decided to call the Queensland Government. After being passed from department to department, and becoming increasingly aware of my American accent as I repeated my query each time to a new person, I was told that someone would get in touch with me via email.

And then, I got an email! But it wasn’t from the Queensland Government, it was from one of the photographers I had emailed, and he was willing to work with me! He had been a volunteer at Epping Forest National Park and had captured many beautiful photos of northern hairy-nosed wombats. After negotiating a fee, I was able to choose one from his collection. Success!

And then, wouldn’t you know, an official from the Queensland Government got back to me a few days later with an image. They asked that I credit the Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science, as well as the photographer. And guess who the photographer was? Yes, the same one I’d been in contact with.

So did I get double permission to use the photo? Yes. Could I have perhaps not had to pay the photographer a fee if I had been more patient? Yes. But did I mind? No, because I think the photographer deserved to be compensated for his work, and in our correspondence, he shared some great stories about the wombats living at the park.

And as a result of my extra effort in tracking down and getting permission to use the photo, I’m thrilled with the back matter of WOMBATS ARE PRETTY WEIRD. All the photos look great, and I have peace of mind knowing that they accurately depict each species.

 

About the Author: 

Abi Cushman is the author-illustrator of SOAKED!, ANIMALS GO VROOM! and WOMBATS ARE PRETTY WEIRD. Her upcoming books include THE QUIET FOREST, written by Charlotte Offsay, and FLAMINGOS ARE PRETTY FUNKY, the second book in the “[Not So] Serious Guide” series. When she’s not making books, Abi enjoys running, playing tennis, and eating nachos. (Yes, at the same time.) She lives on the Connecticut shoreline with her family.

To learn more about Abi and her books, visit her website at AbiCushman.com. If you like secrets, exclusive sneak peeks, wombats, and special giveaways, subscribe to her newsletter. 

Organize Your Work With a Writing Journal

 By Susie Kralovansky

​You might think you’re organized, but are you really, really organized?

I thought that I had a great filing system. It's one that I had been using for years.
Then, I read my friend  Nancy I. Sander’s blog on writing journals. Previously, I always began each project with a new folder where I stuffed every slip of paper, note, magazine article, and photos on my current project. 

My materials were together, but they were a mess. I was continually looking for a line, phrase, page, etc. that I knew I’d written, but couldn’t get my hands on.

​I assumed that this was just part of the creative process. It never occurred to me, until reading Nancy's first post, that there was a much, much better way to keep track of your work. I’m embarrassed to say that I have actually spoken at conferences on organization and writing. Yikes!

​Nancy is truly the master of organization. Imagine this - a Table of Contents! And notes!  

More importantly, imagine being able to  know exactly where your images, quotes, resources, reference tools,  opening and closing lines, etc. are!
Nancy explains her system in a series of seven posts. After these first few, each one will include organizational skills that every writer needs to know, right down to putting a sticker on the upper right-hand corner of your journal’s Table of Content since you will be flipping back to it so often.

One of my favorite posts was an explanation of the topics Nancy puts in her journal. This gem will always be on the inside cover of my writing journals.

​ ​I love notebooks, markers, stickers, and glue sticks. As a former librarian, I love cataloging information. This writing journal stuff was made for me. And now I can say (thanks to Nancy) that yes, I am really, really organized. 

Learn more about Susie Kralovansky and her writing process at https://www.susankralovansky.com/

Nonfiction can be - Funny??

By Linda Skeers

Many people are surprised to learn that I love writing nonfiction. A frequent comment is, “But you aren’t a serious person!”
 
Yes, writing nonfiction is serious business… but it can also be funny! Here are five tips (and mentor texts) to keep in mind if you want to add a touch of humor to your nonfiction.

Choose a fun narrator.
Instead of just presenting information in the typical manner, let your subject take over and share their own story!
One Proud Penny – Randy Siegel
PENNY proudly explains how it’s made and offers lots of fun details about money – in his own voice.
 
Gross is good.
Dig deep for the most fascinating, gross, unusual, weird and amazing facts. Your readers will thank you for it!
Ick! Yuck! Eew! Our Gross American History – Lois Miner Huey
This book contains lots of fun historical facts and doesn’t shy away from the gross stuff!
 
Add a fun sidebar.
Even if your subject is fairly serious, if you do find a fun fact or light-hearted example, put it in a side bar. This can be a breath of fresh air or some comic relief.
Hot Diggity Dog:  The History of the Hot Dog – Adrienne Sylver
Its sidebars are full of extra facts and anecdotes relating to the humble hot dog. Really stretch and think outside the box to come up with tidbits that will surprise and delight readers.
 
New angle or twist.
Look for a unique way to present your information. Turn your topic upside down and inside out and shake it all about! Love geography? Want to introduce readers to the Arctic? Instead of presenting facts and figures, make the reader feel as if they are there.
You Wouldn’t Want to Be…A Polar Explorer – Jen Green
This series focuses on the nasty and negative aspects of jobs, lifestyles, and places throughout history. Written in second person, it helps the reader get up close and personal with the subject.
 
Language, puns, inside jokes.
Use words and phrases that match your topic. And remember that kids LOVE puns and fun word-play!

I Fly: The Buzz About Flies and How Awesome They Are – Bridget Heos
Get it? BUZZ? Cracks me up every time!
 
No matter how serious you are, or how serious your subject is, a touch of humor can coax a smile, and maybe a giggle out of your reader. Go forth and be funny!

Linda Skeers loves to write funny nonfiction. You can learn more about her work at www.lindaskeers.com