Popular Stock Photos Tips
Read these 7 Popular Stock Photos Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Stock Photography tips and hundreds of other topics.
Finding Culturally-Diverse People Pictures
In recent years, there has been a renewed appreciation for different cultures around the world. This understanding has extended to the field of marketing and advertising. These industries often want to reach diverse people with their products and services. That means, as you search online stock photography sites, you can now easily find culturally-diverse images for a variety of uses and for very little cost.
In addition to finding Asian, Hispanic and African-American people pictures, you are likely to find images filed under categories such as 'Christian stock photos,' so narrowing your search for people pictures is essential.
Animal Stock Photography is Popular
Animals are funny. Animals are majestic. Animals can be happy, sad, perplexed or surprised. Anyone who is a pet lover knows animals can make us feel a myriad of emotions. For this reason, animals are often a good choice in communication. If you are bored with looking at expression after expression in a collection of people stock photography, finding an animal -- especially a close-up -- may be an alternative.
Animals can communicate power, strength and determination. That's why Merrill Lynch uses a bull as its icon. But, animals can also convey softness, sympathy and hope. When choosing animal stock photography:
*Make sure the background is clear of any objects that are not part of the central message.
*Think of the emotion you want first, then search for specific animals that convey it. This way, you'll save time looking through the thousands of animal images that are out there.
*Look for photos that depict animals from a unique angle or perspective. Because animal shots are so popular, your image will have more impact if it truly stands out.
Adjust Your Monitor When Choosing Popular Stock Photos
If you are just a beginner when it comes to buying stock photography, you'll want to avoid some of the common problems associated with downloading images. One such problem can be caused by improper calibration of your monitor. Ask anyone who has downloaded a free stock photo -- only to discover late that it has an odd tone or color-cast in the image -- and you'll learn how frustrating and time consuming buying the wrong image can be.
If you want to better your chances of choosing the best stock photo for your use, consider calibrating your monitor for the best color. There are now a number of tools that can do just this. One tool is Spyder2 from ColorVision.
You may think you are seeing a white background or a blue sky, but once you use a particular stock shot, the exact tone you thought you had might not seem right. By adjusting your monitor, you can avoid problems like these when buying popular stock photos, whether they are of people, places, nature or food.
Sports Stock Photography Can Motivate an Audience
Once you begin searching for stock photography, you'll be amazed at the vast array of choices, especially people pictures. So, you might narrow your search by choosing a certain type of image. Because our culture is so sports-oriented, these types of stock photos can be used when you want to motivate an audience. There's nothing like a close-up of a soccer player scoring a goal to convey strength, grit and will. Or, what about a golf shot featuring a close up of a shot preparation? This type of photo can communicate focus and quiet determination.
When you search for sports stock photos, you may find some shots of famous people. These shots, from reputable stock sites, can be used according to the terms in which they are sold. But, you should always be extra careful when using people pictures of celebrities because they pay a great deal of attention to how they are conveyed in print and photos.
Additionally, when buying a stock photo of a person, check into whether or not a model release was signed. This can further protect you against any unlawful use of people pictures.
Nature Stock Photos Are Popular
Besides shots of people in many different situations, like at weddings or gardening or on skiis, nature photography is also popular. A great nature stock shot might add depth to your presentation page or an inspiring message in a newsletter you send to employees.
However, great nature shots are everywhere and can seem bland if they are too common. Choose nature shots that have these characteristics and they might have more impact on your target audience:
*A close-up of an interesting leaf that shows off both its surface and shape.
*A shot that features contrasting textures, like the bark of a tree against snow or a jagged rock that can be seen beneath calm water.
Or, you might want to enhance a nature shot for your own purposes by using a software program like Photoshop.
Finally, when you search for nature photos, narrow your search to:
*Snowfalls NOT people, if you want just nature.
*Mountains AND wildlife, if you also want an animal in the nature shot.
*Sunsets NOT oceans, if you want a sunset that does not have a water background.
The Power of Black-and-White Photography
Most images, photos and advertising products are full of color. Web designers have taken color to a whole new level thanks to specialized software design programs. Companies even spend a great deal of time deciding just which shade of red or yellow most effectively communicates their particular message.
You might be tempted to think that black-and-white stock photography is old-fashioned and therefore not an effective way to communicate a message to your audience. But, photographers have special knowledge and unique ways of using high-tech equipment so black-and-white images are intriguing and memorable.
Black-and-white images play not only with composition of the subject matter, but also with contrasting light with shadow. Because black-and-white photography is more rare in advertising, this type of image may be just the one to get your audience's attention. Good black-and-white photos present the "dance" of light and shadow without a distracting flash-like glare.
Software programs allow designers to take a color shot and make it a black-and-white image. This is especially popular with architecture stock photography and is a good illustration of the power of black-and-white images.
Simple People Images are Best
At first, as your peruse the people images that are available for sale on stock photography websites, they may seem boring. But, keep in mind that you will likely need to add something to the photo for your particular use -- a logo, additional image or tagline. Therefore, photos that may seem generic at first may actually be the best people images to buy.
Generic photos are adaptable, whereas lots of background objects in a camera shot detract from the message particular people images might convey to your audience. Background objects also distract the viewer from the main subject, the person and his or her expression.
| Guru Spotlight |
| Candi Wingate |
