Which pictures can I use without first getting permission?

answer: 

Unless you get permission from the original photographer or copyright holder you can only use the pictures you have personally taken or if a photo is in the “public domain” because the copyright has expired. If the picture you want to use is in a book, magazine, newspaper or on the internet this is not “public domain”. Most photographers retain the rights to photographs they take even if the picture is of you or your family. You need to obtain permission for any photograph or hand drawn picture from the photographer or artist who originally took the picture or created the work.