Tips for choosing stock images
Stock images are supplied for public use under a license. Using stock photography can be a good way to reduce your website project’s budget and timescale, but keep these tips in mind when choosing stock images:
- Check the licence for each image you download to make sure it covers what you want to use it for.
- See if one of your competitors is already using the image online with a reverse image search in Google Search (instructions here).
- If you use a free photo, check that the photographer knows that the photo has been added to the site and is being given away.
- Avoid photos that look staged – ask yourself, “Would this happen in real life?”
- Avoid photos where someone’s facial expression looks fake.
- Avoid photos where the person is clearly a model, i.e. they have perfect hair, teeth and clothes.
I’m happy to help if you don’t have time to get stock images yourself (or if you feel that it’s not your forte). I don’t usually include creating or sourcing images as part of a website package, because a lot of clients have images already. So let me know if you’d like me to add this service to your project.