How to source great images on a budget

If you have a website, you will already know the importance of great content, and that includes photography. What is not as widely known is how to source fantastic images without breaking the budget or infringing the copyright of another company.

There are a number of excellent sites offering royalty free images, and it is always worth checking them out when you need a good quality picture for your website or an article.

The important thing to remember is that you do not need to have a huge budget, or to hire the services of a professional photographer in order to include excellent photography in your content.

Here are some tips to help you source the best images on a budget.

Take your own photos! This may sound obvious but it is free, you will own the copyright, and they will be unique. Not everyone is a photographer so if you want to give it a try, why not practice first? Try out different ways of taking interesting images that represent your company and brand. Look at the photos on other successful websites and try to replicate them. You don’t even need to buy a hugely expensive camera. These days, our mobile phones are equipped with excellent cameras which produce high resolution results.

Do an image search to check if your royalty free image has been widely used. The biggest downside to royalty free images is that they are not unique. Use the Google image search to find out whether an image has been widely used before you download it. There is no point using an image that has been seen too many times before, or which represents another brand.

Don’t use images from a general image search on Google! Not all these images are copyright and royalty free. There has been an increase in litigations against companies using images without permission. Be very careful, especially when using photography for commercial purposes.

Think creatively. Being creative will open up ways to use photography that is eye-catching and moves away from the norm. Think about how to cleverly present your company, products and services in an artistic and eye-catching way.

Look for photos, or take photos that match the colour scheme and theme of your website.

Change your photos or move them around regularly. Many website have the same photography they started with, in the same position. This will make your site look stale and old over time. Simply adding a new image, you took for free with your camera, can change the whole look of your site.

What are your favourite websites for sourcing free royalty free images? Let us know.