Where to get unique photos so that they stand out? Suppose you don’t have the time to take pictures for articles yourself or you think your photo works aren't good enough. There is also no in-house photographer. So where do you get good shots without paying exorbitant amounts and not violating copyrights? Let's look at several of the most popular options, the pros and cons of each.
Why add a photo to the text
In just 36 milliseconds, a person perceives 80% of the information from a photo — according to Kansas State University as referenced by their own research. Images not only complement the text and attract attention, but they can also evoke strong emotions, focus attention, and help to better remember information (if we're talking about charts, graphs, infographics, various cards).
Text containing images is always perceived as visually “lighter,” and unique images created or processed in a unified style distinguish your blog, website, or social networks among others. Therefore, you should complement the text with an image. You can take a photo yourself, entrust this to a professional, or choose a shot from a photo bank. Or trust its creation to a neural network.
Image photo banks
A photo bank (photo stock) is an aggregator service, a kind of intermediary between content creators and its consumers. Photographers and artists place their works on the photo bank platform, and users choose the images that suit them and download them.
Photographer: cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com/ru-ru/photo/5054214/
Pros of photo banks
- No need to purchase camera equipment yourself, waste time on shooting, and processing photography.
- The quality of images on photo stocks is always high — this is a mandatory requirement.
- Images can be edited, for example by adding logos if the license allows it.
- You can use free images or subscribe and download pictures at a relatively low price.
Cons of photo banks
- By purchasing a photo, you do not acquire exclusive rights to use the image. That is, the image may appear in any other blog.
- Copyright may be violated, as not all photo banks verify the authenticity of image authorship. Liability for copyright infringement can be avoided by downloading photos after payment to the photo bank.
Here are some popular photo banks where you can download images or videos both for free and for a fee.
A free photo bank with images in the Russian language. When searching for the right image, you can set filters: theme, size, color, image orientation. The bank contains photos, videos, music, vector images. Downloading images in maximum quality requires registration.
A free photo bank in Russian, with a database of numerous photos and videos. Some photos can only be found on this stock. Images can be modified depending on tasks. When downloading, it's suggested to acknowledge the author, but it's not mandatory.
A photo bank where you can download photos for commercial and non-commercial use.
The name of the photo bank speaks for itself: the main theme of photos is beautiful food. Regularly updated with new shots, images can be downloaded without registration — at a low speed. After registration, the speed increases.
A free photo stock with unusual and outrageous images, and includes vector illustrations. The downside — all works belong to one author, so the photo bank is slowly replenished. Interface only in English.
A free photo stock, requests can be made in Russian and English. In the latter case, there is a greater selection of photos. During download, you can choose the preferred size. Many food photos. All photos can be downloaded for personal and commercial use.
A photo bank with free and paid images in high resolution. Among the authors are trendy photographers and bloggers. There are ready photo collections, and works that are not available on other stocks. You can choose the image size when downloading. Mentioning the author's name is desirable but not mandatory.
The oldest Russian photo bank, which includes photos, drawings, and videos. You can buy a one-time license or subscribe to a download package.
Photogenica is a paid photo bank. To download the required photo, graphics, or video, you need to register and pay for the license. Then photos can be purchased individually, as a package, or by subscription.
A photo bank which includes photos, images generated by neural networks, vector graphics, videos. Up to 10 downloads per day are available for free. You can also create up to 20 images using a neural network free, and use an online editor. If more downloads are needed, a paid subscription is available. Mention of the author is mandatory.
In this photo bank for photo, illustration, video, audio, and vector graphic downloads, a subscription must be made.
Take all the photos yourself
You can avoid copyright issues and not pay for downloading someone else's photos and videos if you shoot them yourself. Good photographic equipment will be a plus, but you can do without a professional camera.
To conduct a photo shoot, study video tutorials or guides on setting up lighting sources. Choose a neutral background for shooting. It's better to shoot objects on a neutral solid background: white, light gray, or dark. Try shooting from different angles to choose the best one later.
Before publishing, you need to process the photos: correct the composition by cropping, add sharpness, adjust lighting, and so on.
Pros of self-shooting: no one can claim copyright. Your images will be unique.
Cons of self-shooting — it requires a lot of time, including preparation and post-processing.
Entrust the shooting to a professional
Photographer: Element5 Digital: https://www.pexels.com/ru-ru/photo/1051076/
Professional shooting solves several problems at once: copyright issues, quality and uniqueness of photos, as well as your personal free time.
Con — the cost of a photographer's work can be quite high. Moreover, post-processing may require a lot of time.
Generate an image using a neural network
Photographer: Matheus Bertelli: https://www.pexels.com/ru-ru/photo/16094054/
Neural networks are rapidly evolving, and today they can significantly simplify the life of an SMM specialist or blogger. For example, with Postmypost AI, you can write a text for any social media post or long-read for a blog. Then, using other neural networks designed for generating images, the texts can be supplemented with illustrations. The most popular neural networks for creating images are Midjourney, Kandinsky, Images AI, Lexica, Shedevroom. Just write a prompt, and the neural network will generate an image.
So, we have looked at several options for where to get photos for social networks. Each of them has advantages and disadvantages. Take photos yourself or download images from photo stocks, choose images for content according to your possibilities, desires, and tasks. And let your social networks be interesting!
