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<\/p>\nIf you\u2019re a designer turning out visual assets all day long, you\u2019ll know the pressure of finding the right stock shot. The deadline is looming, you\u2019ve got a ton of work still to do – it\u2019s time to grab a ready-made stock shot.<\/p>\n
The benefit of having an account with a stock photography library is that the work has been done for you – you just need to find the right picture. It saves the hassle of hiring a photographer to take a picture for you.<\/p>\n
The down-side is that stock shots that work for your client\u2019s business will also work for thousands of others – so you\u2019re likely to end up with imagery that feels generic and familiar.<\/p>\n
Bad and boring stock photos can really impact on the effectiveness of a business\u2019 marketing, and can even damage the perception of its brand.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve seen it a million times: perfect models, with perfect hair and teeth, smiling and looking up to a bright and cheerful future, on a sun-kissed day. Thing is, if you\u2019ve seen it a million times, so has everyone else\u2026 and the time comes when no one really sees it anymore.<\/p>\n
Then, of course, there is the nightmare scenario: your client notices that you\u2019ve used a shot that isn\u2019t exclusively theirs\u2026<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
People are very sussed about what is and isn\u2019t genuine, these days, and photos which are obviously staged simply don\u2019t resonate emotionally with customers. Real photos of real people is where it\u2019s at!<\/p>\n
Many established clients will have their own design guidelines set down. For some, this may be little more than a colour palette and a general \u2018feel\u2019, for others, this can be a carefully-designed, highly-detailed list of motives and objectives.<\/p>\n
Such guidelines can, sometimes, feel like handcuffs – but they have rarely been put together arbitrarily. The client knows what works for their customers.<\/p>\n
The creative challenge for the designer is to come up with something fresh and exciting within that framework. You may even find a good set of guidelines helps<\/em> you, because knowing what you can\u2019t use helps you zero in on what you can!<\/p>\n Think it through. Get the writers\/designers to give you as detailed a concept as possible. Discuss with the rest of the team the best way to visualise what you need, so you have an image in mind before you take a look at what is available.<\/p>\n Once you have a great concept that everyone gets behind, you\u2019ll be driven to find the right assets to bring it to life.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not expensive to set up your own photo studio – a pull-down back-drop, a few lights and a decent camera cost surprisingly little these days. So, taking your own good quality portraits, product and specific action shots has never been easier.<\/p>\n But, if you don\u2019t have the room, time or spare budget for that, never fear – you can still do it yourself.<\/p>\n Thanks to the mobile phone and social media revolution – people are happier than ever taking and sharing photos – which means we\u2019re used to seeing photos that aren\u2019t perfect. You don\u2019t need to be David Bailey to take good photos, so go for it. Pictures you take yourself will be unique and offer your design that element of authenticity.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t spend time editing the wrong shot – spend your time finding the right shot. This requires patience, but it will pay off.<\/p>\n The photos in stock libraries are well-tagged, so using the correct and precise search terms will find you what you want.<\/p>\n Research your keywords. If you know the names that go with the real job roles and processes your client uses, you will be better-able to research the right image.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t just limit yourself to a single library. It might cost more to license the right image from a library you don\u2019t already have an account with – but, if it\u2019s the right image and nothing else will do, cough up the readies rather than do a substandard job.<\/p>\n Obviously, if it\u2019s the client\u2019s or boss\u2019 money you\u2019re spending, it never hurts to check with them first: \u201cDo you want it good, or do you want it cheap?\u201d<\/p>\n If you search for a \u2018fruit picker\u2019, say, in a stock library, the first images to appear will be the first ones that any designer is shown if they\u2019re looking for a fruit picker.<\/p>\n The libraries don\u2019t share information of how their algorithms work, but it\u2019s reasonable to assume that they will show the most popular, most oft-used photos first. Given that everyone has deadlines to meet, it\u2019s reasonable to assume that a lot of designers will be happy to use the first images that pop up, simply to save time.<\/p>\n Therefore, the first images you see, are the ones most people use. So don\u2019t use those. Dig deeper.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve found an image you like – drag it into Google Images<\/a> and see where else it\u2019s being used. This is a brilliant tool to help you avoid the obvious and keep your designs fresh.<\/p>\n Stock shots are, by their nature, generic. They\u2019re meant to be suitable for as many likely commercial and editorial uses as possible because the more often a photo is used, the more the photographer and the library gets paid.<\/p>\n But this very generic nature is one of the things that marks out a stock photo.<\/p>\n People react to photos that feel genuine, so don\u2019t use a photo of someone clearly pretending to be happy – use one of a person laughing uncontrollably.<\/p>\n Shots of workmen in crisp, clean uniforms are obviously staged shots of actors. There\u2019s nothing wrong with showing someone with dirt under their nails when they\u2019re really doing a day\u2019s work – if that\u2019s what\u2019s appropriate for the client.<\/p>\n Photos that look more like news photos – shot on the fly with little regard for framing or lighting – rather than perfectly-posed sales brochure photos – are more effective.<\/p>\n If you choose an image that looks like a photo a real person has taken it – that isn\u2019t perfectly composed, or exposed – then that communicates a lot of value to a potential customer.<\/p>\n Photos taken in real locations, using available light, appear more natural than photos shot before an infinity wall, under studio lights.<\/p>\n Every business wants to be represented by young, happy, beautiful people – the implication being that buying a product or service will make their customers young, beautiful and happy. It\u2019s the basic psychology that has underpinned visual marketing since the Madison Avenue days.<\/p>\n But, increasingly, there is a reaction against that homogenised way of depicting customers. In a diverse world, people want to see themselves reflected more inclusively and more accurately.<\/p>\n It\u2019s much more about being authentic than being perfect, these days.<\/p>\n Do you have accounts on all<\/em> the main libraries?<\/p>\n There\u2019s Getty\u2019s iStock<\/a>, or the British equivalent: Alamy<\/a> or, alternatively, there\u2019s Shutterstock<\/a> – all of which have millions of images – but they are the world leaders and the first port of call for most designers.<\/p>\n So, go elsewhere – there are smaller, more responsive, often curated collections, like Death to Stock<\/a>, or Creative Market<\/a>, as well as digital asset specialists like Envarto\u2019s Elements<\/a> and Adobe\u2019s Adobe Stock<\/a>.<\/p>\n There are many sites like Unsplash<\/a>, and PicJumbo<\/a> as well as SplitShire<\/a> and Pixabay<\/a> (for a small selection from the many) which allow you to download and use shots for free – but you\u2019ll need to carefully check the terms and conditions of their licenses, to be sure any commercial use is covered!<\/p>\n Inevitably, these smaller sites have fewer photos to choose from, and they will solve your problems less often. But they provide a very real alternative to the usual stock shot libraries and, between them, constitute a significant treasure-trove of possibilities.<\/p>\n Also, do you have<\/em> to use a photo? These libraries also contain vast numbers of icons, illustrations, vectors, animations and video clips – all of which offer an alternative to bland stock shots.<\/p>\n If, after all this, you still absolutely cannot find the image you need\u2026 patch one together yourself.<\/p>\n Alter the colour balance and contrast, or apply a few filters to make it look older or grainier, if that helps. You can crop it to change the composition. This is basic stuff that can help make any standard stock shot look more in-keeping with the style you\u2019re creating. But, if you need something more radical, you\u2019ll need more advanced Photoshop tools, and a bit more time.<\/p>\n If the right face comes with the wrong body, but the right body has the wrong face, then open up the lasso tool and start cutting out. If the right arm has the wrong hand, find a better hand from somewhere else, and stitch the two together.<\/p>\n If the concept is right, but the assets are wrong, the best use of your time is to make<\/em> them right.<\/p>\n Make sure you understand the licensing terms and conditions when you download an image. Is the image for Editorial use only, or can you use it commercially? How long are you licensing it for and for which media?<\/p>\n This is crucial. The penalties for misusing visual assets are crippling.<\/p>\n So, make sure you are entirely sure that the specific use you intend is covered in the license you\u2019re paying for (especially if you\u2019re getting it free).<\/p>\n So, take the time to read their terms and conditions and then, if you\u2019re not sure, drop them an email or pick up the phone and ask.<\/p>\n It\u2019s better to be told \u2018no\u2019, than to get a solicitor\u2019s letter.<\/p>\n Have we missed your favourite stock shot site? Is there a well-kept secret out there you can help to share with the world? How do you turn stock shots from bland and boring to brilliant?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you\u2019re a designer turning out visual assets all day long, you\u2019ll know the pressure of finding the right stock shot. The deadline is looming, you\u2019ve got a ton of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21462,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-21458","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-web-design"},"yoast_head":"\n2. Have a great concept<\/h2>\n
3. Take your own shots<\/h2>\n
4. Keywords count<\/h2>\n
5. Reject the low-hanging fruit<\/h2>\n
6. Don\u2019t be cheesy<\/h2>\n
7. Be authentic<\/h2>\n
8. Go elsewhere<\/h2>\n
9: Frankenstein it<\/h2>\n
10. License it<\/h2>\n
Over to you…<\/h3>\n