Where do I find great stock photography for my blog?
I opted for a photography subscription to build up my photography bank. Later on I purchased a camera that took quality photos for flatlays and custom branded photos. Do not hold off launching your blog because you don’t have custom photography. Invest in quality photos through a stock image subscription company or stock image search bank.
- Pixistock – Beautiful feminine images
- Hautestock – Designer Quality Images
- CreateHerStock – Beautiful Images of Black and Brown people
- Envato – A variety of high quality images to choose from in it’s search engine
- Creative Market – Lots of graphics, collections and images for individual sell
- Unsplash – Free but often really good photographers post their stock images here for brand visibility and exposure. These can also be over used across the internet so be mindful if an image is seen too many times it can cheapen your credibility and trustworthiness as a blogger.
Pro Tip: Create a Pinterest board to keep track of images you like. Download any purchased images and store them to Dropbox because the files sizes are too big to keep on your computer and will take up a lot of room on your hard drive.
Should I invest in custom photography?
Custom photography adds a personal touch but is not always necessary. Remember, your photos should amplify your business personality as well as your message.
At the very least, invest in a good quality branded headshot.
Pro Tip: Potential clients judge your personal abilities and evaluate your trustworthiness based on the quality of your headshot. Want to look professional? Don’t use a snapshot or selfie. Match the style of your photos to the personality of your blog.
How do I make multiple sources of photography feel cohesive on my blog?
Manipulating your images so that they can appear to be from a collection of photos from the same photographer or artist is known as curating. When you are looking to create a cohesive feel on your blog consider manipulating your images in one of these three ways:
- Use an overlay w/ color
- Stick to Black and White images only
- Add a filter with a LUTs to auto adjust various aspects of the images
