Contents
Overview
Another source for imagery is stock photography websites such as GettyImages.com or iStockPhoto.com. These websites are full of photographs and vector graphics to be used in advertising, corporate media, brochures, campaigns, and other design applications. The advantage of these sites is they seem to have endless search detail. Here is the iStockphoto image acquired from a search for “writer, table”.
The disadvantage is that the photographs are generic, and have the impersonal feel of an advertisement. No one ever looks as happy as a model in an advertisement; most people are physically attractive and there is an overall “generality” to the photographs.
No one talks on his cell phone with such a big smile as this man! Stock photographs are staged. These images should be used carefully, as the level of authenticity of the action within the image is noticeably low.
Exercise
1. Go to Getty Images (http://GettyImages.com) and search in Creative Images for an image of what you are doing right now. In my case, that is “person typing at computer indoors.” You might type “person reading book on couch.” Try adding specifics like your hair color or the types of clothes you are wearing.
Click on the Filters button on the left under the search bar and check Choose Royalty-Free Collections.
2. Refine your search with their search phrases.
3. Ask yourself if anyone ever looks quite that content, pensive, or photogenic while reading a book unless they are acting for the camera. One strategy for using stock photography is to radically alter the original image, either through extreme image adjustments in Adobe Photoshop, or by tracing the image in Adobe Illustrator. As a transformation to the image, this kind of treatment usually results in using the image under the clause of fair use. The following image was created from a collection of stock photographs. Notice how any photographic information has been modified and abstracted in an illustrative form.
Free Image Sites
Another option that has been improving in the last number of years are websites offering images at no cost. Sometimes you are required to credit the photographer, so watch the licensing info.
My current favorite is Unsplash, but there are others. I keep a list of some on our Design Resources page.