​​Be Careful Where You Get Your Stock Images

Do you use stock images for your business?

Did you know that you can’t simply download an image you found from a search engine and use it for your website or social media? You could commit copyright infringement.

Click read more to get tips and where you can download stock images safely to use for your business. You can also watch my video at the end of the blog.​

What is copyright? Copyright literally means the right to copy but has come to mean that body of exclusive rights granted by law to copyright owners for protection of their work. [Source: https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/definitions.html]

​​The short answer is whoever created the image has the copyright to that image. In order for you to use the image, you’ll have to either get the commercial usage rights from the person or you’ll have to buy the copyright of that image, which can cost a lot of money.

Luckily we have a lot of websites that offer stock images for commercial usage. Unsplash, Pixabay, Canva are just a few websites that offer free stock images for commercial usage. You can safely download it and use it for your business. However, I always recommend reading their terms and conditions before you use them.

​​Another thing I would like to recommend is when you use the stock image, spend a little time editing it by adding your messaging and logo. This customization can help you stand out and it won’t look like the same stock image that thousands of people are using.

​I hope this tip helps.

If you are ready to up-level your branding images and want to learn more about how branding photography can help your business grow, click HERE.