In today’s world with society’s constant use of and reliance on the Internet, people judge a business by its “online cover,” aka its website. Naturally, the first and most prominent thing that catches the eye is visual picture and color. So many businesses are uneducated about the correct way to use stock photography, which can be something easy to learn that makes an immense difference in boosting a business’s appearance. Here are some expert tips from Noelle Federico, Business Manager and CFO of Dreamstime, one of the world’s largest photo agencies.
DO: think of possibilities (crop, combine pictures). Sometimes you don’t find exactly what you had in mind, but don’t get stuck. Think of post processing possibilities, crop, combine two or more different pictures, there are many options to achieve the expected results.
DON’T: use clichés. Even if it seems an easy and fast way to illustrate your project, don’t get too obvious when choosing the images. Try to engage your public, make them think for a second on the illustration, interact with them. Think outside the box and the response will be better.
DO: research. Photographers, in most cases, are just photographers, not specialists in your field of activity. When searching for something specific, be sure you are illustrating it correctly, perform your own research on the subject.
DON’T: hurry (treasures are hidden sometimes) Take your time and see as many images as you can before deciding to buy. Treasures are hidden sometimes. Think of more keywording possibilities for the desired subject.
DO: request what you need: If you still can’t find what you’re looking for or you have an unusual request, ask for it.
DON’T: copy competition. Don’t use the same images your competitors use. Try to be different, not just with images used, but rethink the whole idea if it has been used by somebody else .
Noelle Federico teaches branding and marketing to small businesses people and is the author of Notes on Branding.
