Insights
7 Tips on Selecting Stock Photography.
![](https://clyde.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/camera-on-deesk-scaled.jpg)
We've all been there — in the midst of building a presentation and noticing a need for stock imagery to give the work more pizazz. The visual impact stock photos can have on a body of work should not be taken lightly, and the truth is, many people are finding and using stock photography in the wrong way. Humans are visual beings that consume around 100,500 words a day, and the average consumer has an attention span of about 8 seconds. On the other hand, it only takes a quarter of a second to process visual cues. This means that visuals can instantly communicate your message with minimal effort. With this in mind, it's important to know how to select stock photography so you don’t muddle your messaging. Here are ten things to consider when selecting images:
1) Know where to find solid stock photography.
When using photos from the internet, it’s important to stay on the safe side so that you’re not in any legal trouble down the road. There are many websites — like Pexels, Unsplash, and Pixabay — that have generous copyright licenses and are free to use, modify, or distribute. There are also paid sites like Shutterstock, iStock, and Getty Images that are available with a subscription (these websites have different licensing restrictions than the free sites, but often have a wider selection). No matter where you land, you can be sure that these images will have the professional quality you’re looking for, without running the risk of copyright infringement.
2) Understand licensing agreements
Whenever you use a stock image, it’s crucial to understand the licensing terms associated with it. Unfortunately, like most legal documents, licensing agreements can be confusing to the average reader and terms often vary from site to site. It’s important to know the three most common licenses used these days: Rights Managed, Royalty Free, and Extended License.
- Rights Managed photography allows the one-time use of the photo as specified by the license (if purchased by a user). If the user wants to use said photo elsewhere, an additional license needs to be purchased. This gives creators more control over their images.
- Royalty Free photography allows a user to license the image once and use it perpetually without having to renew the license.
- Extended License will give the user additional rights in exchange for an additional license fee. It allows the user to “extend” the viewership of material to a larger audience than may have initially been intended.