This text was taken from a live workshop presented by Jeremy Cherry on “Selecting effective stock imagery.” You can watch it on-demand for free.

Images tell stories. They are often how we connect–beyond culture, beyond language. And stories make us human. These stories go beyond brand and tell human stories that connect us.

One source for imagery to use in your publication is stock imagery. Stock imagery is a supply of photographs that are often licensed for specific uses. Stock imagery can include photographs, video, graphics, and illustrations. These can all be used together to connect with your readers. One of the most accessible options in stock imagery is royalty free–meaning you don’t have to license the imagery for use.

Some reasons to choose stock imagery include:

• budget
• your location
• type of work
• resources
• sensitivity
• privacy
• representation

There are a lot of sources for stock imagery.

When selecting a source for stock imagery you need to keep in mind what the source specializes in (i.e. graphics), the variety of imagery, what representation or diversity they offer (i.e. a particular people group), how they handle licensing and/or attribution, and how they handle pricing.

Here are handful of helpful tools:

• Canva – a free, mega-tool for design and collaboration
• Unsplash – a free, repository of photographs and visuals that is community-sourced
• Duotone – a web-based application for photo coloring and toning. It is directly connected to the Unsplash library. It’s a great way to put your own stamp on stock images.
• Noun project – a free, open-source community of quality icons and graphics. You can find collections and sets of icons.
• Pexels – a free, open-source community of photos and videos.

Watch the on-demand workshop for more practical tips and tools related to selecting stock imagery for your publication.

Photo by Daniel McCarthy @themccarthy on Unsplash