Saturday, January 9, 2010

Stock Photos That (Don't) Suck

Stock Photography Sucks...Or Not!
How many times have you heard that stock photography sucks? I know I have heard it far too many times, and I think that complaint is just wrong. A more accurate statement, in my humble opinion might be, “I hate how long it takes me to find a really good, creative and appropriate stock photo!” Another sentiment that kind of rubs me the wrong way is “Stock photos cost too much!” I would suggest rather a more accurate statement should be, “I don’t have the budget to license appropriate imagery”.

Some Alternatives To Stock Photos That Suck

Let me put humility aside and offer a few of my own alternatives to “Stock photos that look like stock”, that do exhibit creativity and relevance, and offer a superlative value (the licensing fee is far less than the time, effort and money that would be required to think up the idea (hey the ideas do take time and work to come up with), hire the models, find the locations, secure the props, make the exposures and labor over the digital manipulations.

The Social Media And/Or Networking Photo


Teamwork (or lack of it…)

Health And Beauty Products


Anxiety, Stress or Fear (you gotta love the expressions!)



What The…?


I have to admit, that last photo isn't mine, though I do represent it for stock. It was shot by a friend of mine, Ginna Fleming.

Incredible Stock Photos, Keywording And SEO
All kidding aside, there are an enormous number of incredible stock photos out there. The trick for those who need stock is to find the darn things. I am attempting to help out art directors and designers, art buyers, and everyone who needs quality imagery, by getting my images online and doing a good job of keywording and SEO. Am I a nice guy or what?

1 comment:

live chat and customer support said...

how is that creative? those images you show are exact examples of stock photos that suck!

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