There is a group of high-quality digital photos called stock photography that can be licenced. Pictures from the stock library can be used on websites, blogs, social media, paper ads, and other places.
Most stock photos come with a royalty-free licence, which means you only pay once and can use the picture as many times as you want. Not all stock photos are licenced this way, though. For those, you’ll need to talk to the photographer about the price and how you can use the picture.
Why using stock photos is a good idea
If you use stock photos, you can get many perks, such as:
Stock photos are simple to discover and share. There are lots of websites and picture agencies that sell stock photos. You can choose from a lot of different photos.
Affordability: Stock photos aren’t too expensive, especially when you compare them to how much it would cost to hire a photographer to take unique pictures for you.
Quality: Stock photos usually look good and come from an expert source.
Range: Stock photos come in a lot of different styles, topics, and arrangements. Stock pictures are available for just about any subject you can think of.
How to Pick the Best Stock Photos
When picking stock pictures, you should think about the things below:
Subject: Pick pictures that are related to the subject of your blog post, website, or social media post.
Style: Pick pictures that go with the look of your website, blog, or social media post.
Composition: Pick pictures that are well put together and look good.
Licence: Pick pictures that have the right kind of licence for your needs. If you’re not sure what kind of licence you need, it’s always safer to choose a royalty-free licence.
How to get the most out of stock photos
Here are some tips on how to make good use of free photos:
Use the right size and resolution: Make sure you take the picture in the right size and quality. It will look distorted if the picture is too small. It will take a long time to load if the picture is too big.
You can change the pictures: You can change the style of stock photos to make them look more like your website or blog. But before you change the picture, make sure you know what the licence says. You may not be able to change the pictures in any way with some licences.
Thank the photographer: If you use stock photos, it’s always a good idea to thank the photographer. The name of the photographer and their website are generally in the photo description.
Some companies that sell stock photos
Here are a few well-known websites that sell stock photos:
Stock Photo
iStock Picture
Stock Adobe
The Getty Images
Make it Canva
In the end,
Stock photography is a great way to make your website, blog, social media posts, and other marketing tools look better. You can choose and use stock photos well if you follow the tips above.
Here are some more ideas on how to use free photos:
Make sure the stock pictures you use are appropriate for your audience: Pick out stock pictures that people will find interesting and fun to look at. If you are writing a blog post about fashion, for instance, you could use stock pictures of stylish clothes and accessories.
Use high-quality stock photos. Don’t use stock photos that are blurry or have a low resolution. If you use good stock photos, your work will look more polished and expert.
Make sure the stock pictures you use match your brand: Choose stock pictures that fit your brand’s style and tone as a whole. Like, if your brand is weird and fun, you could use stock photos with lots of bright colours and silly pictures.
Do not use the same stock pictures twice: Don’t use stock pictures that have been used too much or are too generic. Pick out stock pictures that are more unique and interesting.
Don’t put too many stock photos in your writing; use them sparingly. If you use too many stock pictures in your content, it might look spammy and not professional.
If you follow these tips, you can use stock photos to make content that is visually appealing and interesting for your readers.