Stock Photography

Measure twice, crop once--safety tips for using stock images

Like any powerful tool, if you use stock photography without taking a few simple precautions, you may lose a finger (or at least professional credibility!). But by following these simple safety tips, you, too, can use stock images—and keep your fingers and reputation in tact.

Safety Tip #1: Find images that fit your concept, not the other way around.

There is nothing lamer than hearing someone dismiss an idea because “I don’t think we can find a picture of that.” Don’t let the convenience of stock images lull you into thinking that stock images are the only avenue to explore. Can your concept be illustrated? Digitally rendered? Can it be a custom photograph?

You can even combine more than one stock image to perfectly represent your concept. For example, while you’ll be hard pressed to find an image of a llama wearing a bowtie, you can easily find an image of a llama and another of a bowtie. By carefully choosing and combining stock images, you can make some bold visual statements.

Safety Tip #2: Realize that stock images will never be custom.

Don’t you hate showing up for work in your new shirt only to discover that two of your coworkers were at the same sale? The same danger exists with stock photography.

Buying the rights to an image safeguards you only against that image being used by an identical business in your specified geographic region. Any second party can use the same image you’re using as long as they’re not in direct competition and/or in your geographic location. The results can be devastating.

Remember: There’s always a chance someone else will use your “rights-managed” image while you’re using it. And with “royalty-free” images, it’s a free-for-all. The only way to own a truly exclusive image is to have it custom-photographed.

Safety Tip #3: Don’t overspend.

Once you’ve found the image you want to use, take a minute to consider how you’re going to use it. Most stock photo companies offer several price options for different file sizes. You can download a low-resolution image for mock-up purposes for free. There are usually several image sizes at different resolutions to choose from, and the price goes up in proportion to the size of the image.

If you know you’re going to use the image in a large format, go ahead and spring for that extra big image. But keep in mind that anything being reproduced electronically (Web, PowerPoint, e-mail, or TV) can be 72 dpi.

Stock photography case study 1: How high is too high?

When Paragon Medical asked Big to develop a full-page trade ad to promote their company philosophy, we knew we needed more than the run-of-the-mill “doc shot.” We needed to communicate that Paragon Medical is never satisfied with its industry leader status. Instead, they stretch beyond what is possible by asking, "How high is too high?"

Solution

It would’ve been easy to jump online, find the token mountain climber or mountaintop image, high-five each other, and call it a day. But the mountain image only says “high.” And we needed “too high.”

So we found a stock image of a ladder and added that to our mountaintop. Then we had a truly original piece of artwork clearly illustrating Paragon Medical’s “never-too-high” approach.

 

Stock photography case study 2: The burning bush

When The Missionary Church USA headquarters came to Big for an ad to promote their pastoral training program, the challenge was to reach laypeople who may be feeling God's call to full-time ministry. We decided the most effective way to communicate this message was to put a modern spin on the classic "burning bush" calling of Moses — with the help of stock photography, of course.

Solution

The concept called for a single bush to be burning outside of a typical suburban home. But not just any suburban home. It had to be at night so the flaming bush would "pop," yet be light enough to see the house. Once we found that image, it was simply a matter of downloading the right flame images to build a convincing little fire.

The result? A creative, high-concept ad that reached the target audience with a familiar, relevant story.