How to Source Qualty & On Brand Stock Images

Jul 16

So you’re looking to add beautiful images to your website or use as content on your socials? If you haven’t done a brand photoshoot yet, don’t stall the launch of your website, you can still add stunning photography until then. I’m gonna walk you through what to look for in stock imagery. Photography is 80% of your website, so it’s a pretty big deal, you don’t want to skimp on this part.

BUT…I get it.

Stock photos have gotten a bad rep as “cheesy”, and often for good reason. But it doesn’t have to be that way. These are the “non-cheesy” stock images. As a small business owner you have a huge need for photography, especially for your website. Budget and time constraints make it difficult to hire a professional for every photo need, and that’s where stock photos come in. But once you can afford it, hire a pro photographer and do a full brand photoshoot — it truly is the best way to get photos for your website that are true to who you are. And let’s be honest, photos hold a huge presence, so you want to get this right.

Tips for on-brand images:

01 ✴ COLORS & FILTERS

You should have specific brand colors, so try to choose images that have similar or complimentary colors to your color palette. You can even place the photos next to your palette and see if they look good together or clash. Pay attention to any filter effect on the photo as well and let this be consistent throughout your imagery.

02 ✴ EMOTIONS & MOOD

Your brand colors should have been crafted in a way that reflects your brand strategy and the emotion it evokes. So, think — Does it make you feel emotions that match your brand vibe?; What is the overall mood of this image? Excited? Calm? — If your brand was a location; Do the items and style of the room match your brand? Look at facial expressions too! Ensure your images are portraying the feelings you want others to feel after working with you.

03 ✴ YOUR DREAM CLIENTS

Look at images through the eyes of your dream client’s. How does it make them feel? Is it conveying the message you are sending? Would they be attrached to it or see themselves in the photo? If people are in your images, try to use people that actually reflect your dream client (how they are dressed, where they are, what they are doing, etc.).

04 ✴ COHESIVENESS IS KEY

Do they all work together? Do they look like a collection with similarities? Double check by placing them all together — Do any of them stand out like a sore thumb or doesn’t belong? You want your images to look like a curated and cohesive, professional vibe.

Free stock images:

O Yeah, I’m a sucker for free stuff! Especially when it’s the early days in your business and your budget is already stretched. But it is key to use high-quality stock images from reputable sites (like the list below). A really important note is to make sure they are actually free stock images and not just images you’ve found on the internet or google somewhere — that is a HUGE no no (violates copyright laws) and could be thrown in the slammer, no just kidding, but you could be sued. Just check out the licensing page and read their licenses carefully so you completely understand the terms.

✴ Pexels

✴ unsplash

✴ dupe photos

✴ kaboom pics

✴ split shire

✴ negative space

✴ Pic jumbo

✴ pixabay

✴ life of pix

paid styled stock images:

There are so many small businesses that sell packages of beautiful styled stock and mock-up images. You can also sign up for a subscription with some and give monthly libraries of images (roughly $20/month), which is rad! Just make sure it matches your brand. Here are some of my faves: