The Good, the Bad, and the Ridiculous: Stock Photos

After spending some time looking at stock photos, there is a likelihood that you will come across some that are so ridiculous, they make you chuckle. You might even find yourself saying, “Why is this even here?” or “What is that?” To answer those questions: no one knows but the creator.

A stock photo is a professionally taken photo that is used for design purposes—mainly for websites, that are free of charge if you wish to use them. If you see a photo that makes you wonder why it is there, chances are someone requested it to be taken for one of the projects that they were working on. Just think about it, a professional photographer had to set up that goofy picture and take it once, if not multiple times to get the right result, funny to consider, right?

You might be curious if these photos get used at all. They do, but not by businesses that are using stock photos for design purposes because they are simply unusable. They are used by people that find these funny pictures and post them to the internet for other people to see. In rare cases, businesses might use them for promotions. In other words, these photos are used merely for comedic purposes only.

Here are examples of ridiculous stock photos:

The Good, the Bad, and the Ridiculous Stock Photos

No words on this one. 

 

The Good, the Bad, and the Ridiculous Stock Photos

Name a way you can use this picture, I’ll wait.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ridiculous Stock Photos“Draw me like one of your French girls.”

 

The Good, the Bad, and the Ridiculous: Stock Photos

Why was she on the chair in the first place?

The Usable Stock Photos

When choosing stock photos, you should be careful of what you use, as there are some you should stay away from. So what kind of stock photos should you use? Here are some criteria that make a stock photo good for use:

  • The Right Background: Having an appropriate background is important when choosing stock photos. Avoid using stock photos with white backgrounds because it makes the photo look fake and unprofessional. Also avoid pictures with flashy backgrounds because it takes away from the focus of the photo.
  • Simple: Keep your stock photos simple, yet elegant. For example, if you are looking for ice cream, find one scoop of ice cream in a dish and not a banana split with all of the toppings on it. Make sure what you are trying to find is simplistic example for the point you are trying to get across. This will help the person looking at the picture to gain a quicker understanding.
  • Realistic: Try and find stock photos that do not look like stock photos. This may be difficult, but finding photos that look real improves credibility. The higher quality the photos are, the more it improves professionalism.

Stock photos are great to use if you are planning out a basic design and do not have any photos to use yet. However, it takes a lot of searching to find a usable stock photo. After you do, fitting that photo into the proper design may be difficult. At Vision Advertising, we know how to implement stock photos correctly. From websites, to blogs and even social media, we will turn your design wants, into reality. Contact Vision Advertising today for a consultation!

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About the author : Alex Geyer

Alex wears many hats, and not just because he’s bald. A writer by his background, Alex writes “social media content” for Vision – anything from social media statuses to blogs to whitepapers and beyond. In addition, he builds and maintains all search engine advertising for Vision’s clients, along with social media advertising for others. In his free time, he starts and stops writing novels, compiles tabletop roleplaying system conversions, and cooks a mean Chicken and Dumplings avec Peas. A videogame enthusiast, he is also developing his first video game with the startup game studio, Pretty Weird. He is terrible with plants*.