Personally this is my logic - all my writings are original, but images are largely taken from image search - and I tend to want the most appropriate image to illustrate my point, regardless if if the image is marked for fair use. Sometimes I cite the source of the image. but I don't do it these days because it disrupts my formatting (unless I note it at the end, but even then, I find it disruptive to the minimalistic style that I'm trying to achieve).
So yes, just about the same justification as yours. I still don't know what to think about consent when it comes to data that's open to the public like google images.
Include the source of the image, "in the image". I understand you completely about that, for me it's the esthetics's that play a important role in a post, so to "avoid" that "ugly"(at least to me), Source below the image or in the note at the end, I put it "in the image", people can open the image in a new tab and "land" on the source.
That's an interesting idea, but it doesn't satisfy creative commons where you have to link to the license also... but maybe footnotes at the bottom of the post are the best way to go (along with linking to the original image). Good thoughts all. Thanks.
Well I try to avoid creative commons as much as I can, even if I end up with "bad images", or I'll by some cheapo stock images and edit them to look better, or use images labeled for reuse, or ask a photographer friend, or look in my 23 Gb photography archive... so there are many ways to do it the proper way. At least for me...
But if you knew the author of the image, would you feel differently?
If you do not want people to steal your photos, do not upload them to the internet. It is the survival of the Darwin fittest.