stock photos

Recently I heard about an entrepreneur who had been using photos from another website (without permission) in the early days of blogging. Many years later, the site owner chose to sue her for thousands of dollars for copyright infringement!

The site owner who had the photos taken from them without permission is in the right. The entrepreneur should have talked to the site owner before using the photos to determine if she had the right or not. It’s important to remember that we do not have the right to post any picture we find. We must have permission from the owner of the photo to post it. This is typically done with licenses.

So how do we find good photos we can use?

Photos that make us stand out from the rest of the online world. Photos that aren’t from the same Canva pool everyone else is swimming in?

Take your own photos –

which isn’t always feasible.

Or purchase stock photos

Purchasing stock photos might seem like it’s the same as using Canva pro photos, but it’s not. Purchasing stock photos typically means that less people are pulling from the same source. This means that you will stand out more. Also, you can purchase in sets or using a membership, download images that fit your aesthetic and vibe. This makes your photos cohesive through all platforms.

Something to check when purchasing stock photos is what the license allows you to do. For instance, some licenses allow you to use it for your personal use only, meaning you can only use it on your own personal posts, not for clients. Other licenses allow you to use it for personal or commercial use, meaning that you can use it for clients as long as you don’t give the image to the client directly or sell it. This is something I recommend checking before you purchase depending on your needs.