Pier Bird Colony
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Reference Photos for Illustrators

A reader believes a picture when its world feels specific: this roof shape, this kind of fence, this bird. These reference photos for illustrators give you real villages, old towns, animals and small details to draw in your own style. Try the Snowy Japanese Village (218 photos), Traditional Korean Town Streets (221 photos) or the Weka Bird pack (139 photos and 3 video clips).

42 products

Specific beats generic

"A village in the snow" is an idea. An old village with a snowy forest behind it and a small mountain town nearby is a place. The Snowy Japanese Village pack was shot around Shirakawa-go and the Nagano area, and it gives you all three. Traditional Korean Town Streets does the same for hanok houses, tiled roofs and narrow alleys. Draw from places like these, and your setting stops looking like every other setting.

Settings with a story already in them

Animals with real gesture

Animals are hard to draw from memory, because the gesture is what makes them alive. The Weka Bird pack shows this New Zealand bird from many viewpoints, with short photo sequences of it walking and sniffing, plus 3 video clips. The Gannet Bird Colony (369 photos and 2 videos) shows a busy colony on a steep cliff. For more, see animal reference photos and bird reference photos.

Small details readers notice

Small things carry a scene: a manhole cover, a rusty hinge, an old plaque by a door. Rusty Street Elements (70 photos) collects exactly these: fences, chains, pipes, metal bars, doors and windows. Tropical Flowers (121 photos, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore) is made for drawing and painting studies. Its photographer notes that the shallow depth of field suits studies better than photobashing.

Your illustration is yours

Artwork you create from these photos is yours, and you can sell it: book pages, covers, prints and editorial pieces. The rules are different only if you reproduce a photo itself, for example as a photographic background on a book cover. Then the pack's content type decides. Commercial photos can be used for nearly any purpose. Editorial photos can't be reproduced in advertising, promotion or products for resale.

Frequently asked questions

Can I sell prints of an illustration I made from a pack?

Yes. The illustration is your own artwork. Only the photos and packs themselves can't be resold.

I am illustrating a historical story. Are these places accurate to the period?

The photos show each place as it is today. The Viking Village, for example, is a film set, not an excavated site. Use the packs for buildings, materials, light and atmosphere, and check period details in historical sources.

Do the animal packs show movement?

Some do. The Weka Bird pack includes short photo sequences of walking and 3 handheld video clips. The product page lists the photo count and any videos.

Can I try a pack before I buy?

Yes. The Pier Bird Colony pack (59 photos) is free, as are several other free reference photo packs.