Photography is the cornerstone of our online presence. We are in a visual era where a picture can speak a thousand words. Some people just scroll and look at photographs without actually reading the article or the caption. Your content will not be seen without stunning photography. You can take your own photos or you can look for affordable stock photos. I prefer the latter.
What are stock photos?
Stock photos or stock photography are professional photographs. These photographs can be of commonplaces, landmarks, natural, events, and people. Stock photos are sold on a royalty-free basis for commercial purposes.
You will want to read the terms and conditions related to your favorite stock photo sources to ensure you can use the stock photos for your particular project. Some stock photo sites have limitations on how a photo can be used.
Where can I find stock photos?
There are free and paid resources for stock photos.
While the free options do have wonderful photos it is hard to trace them back to the original creator. I have heard of creators using stock photos on their websites and then being told to take them down to not having the rights to them. The photos had been stolen and put on stock photo sites without permission. This is why I prefer paid stock photography sites.
Depending on your niche and what exactly you are looking for in a stock photo you can use websites like Adobe Stock, Shutterstock, or Depositphotos. The problem I have seen with these larger stock photograph sites is the photos are seen everywhere. These websites are widely used for commercial purposes and most of the photographs will not look original. They definitely won’t help you stand out in a saturated niche.
Ivory Mix is my favorite site for affordable stock photos.
Have you ever heard of Ivory Mix? A few months ago another blogger mentioned the company. I absolutely fell in love with the photographs from Kayla. She has a unique sense of style and really listens to her customers. Ivory Mix is a small family-owned business that has been sharing photography and business advice since 2015.
The best part of Ivory Mix is the attention to detail Kayla brings to the table. She truly listens to her customers and will create stock photos based on our needs. She takes feedback to heart and will curate her monthly stock release to what her customers need. If she has customers looking for photographs in a certain niche she does her best to add photographs to fulfill that need. She also listens to color suggestions and props suggestions. It feels like I have my own photographer for my business!
You can shop bundles of photographs if you do not want to join the membership. Photographs are currently sold in a curated bundle. This is not everyone’s jam. However, I do believe, it is nice to have the photographs in multiple orientations and a few different styles that all coordinate.
Ivory Mix Stock Photo Memberships
The membership plans are where the most affordable stock photos are. There are three levels of membership.
The first membership level is the FREE Member. This is your best option to see if Kayla’s work is right for you and your business. By joining the Ivory Mix email list you’ll have access to over 350 carefully curated photographs. Ivory Mix stock photos will enhance your blog or your social media!
The second membership level is the Elite Member. This is a great option for affordable stock photos. You’ll have access to the entire library with unlimited downloads. More than 100 new stock photos uploaded are every month. You’ll always have fresh photographs for your business.
The third membership level is the VIP Member. This is the most expensive level but it still has very affordable stock photos. I have not seen another stock photo membership at this yearly rate. This is the only place you’ll find single stock photo options as well as exclusive photographs in the top blogging niches. There will be exclusive photographs in the business and finance niche, health and fitness niche, parenting and home niche, as well as creator (mock-ups). Having exclusive photographs will help your business stand out among the competition!
Ivory Mix curates affordable stock photos for multiple niches.
Recently, I signed up for the one year VIP membership and I am so glad I did. Every month I will have access to fresh stylish photographs that will help my business stand out among the competition. Rarely do I see anyone else in my niche using the photos and if they are it’s in a totally different way than I use them. These photographs help me stand out among the noise on Pinterest as well as on social media. I am excited to download the latest bundles if they work with my content. If not, I skip the download. There are so many photographs to choose from that I never come up empty-handed.
Where do you find affordable stock photos? Let me know in the comments!
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