Create Your Own Stock Photos
Stunning photos, graphics or artwork are your best chance at capturing the attention of potential clients or customers, but where do you get those kind of photos? You can't just take them off the internet without permission, and although there are stock photo sites you can take photos from, they tend to be either an expense you don't need or they're highly overused.
Good thing it's easy to make your own photos, graphics or artwork, depending on your style and needs. To make things even easier, why not create your own stock photos to save time?
To get started, create a file folder on your computer and name is something like Stock Photos. This will make it easier to find your pictures when you're in a pinch. Then head over to the BeFunky Photo Editor to get the party started.
1. Go through the photos you already have.
It's likely you already have a ton of amazing pictures from past vacations, holidays and family events. Maybe it's a picture you took on the beach, or a sunset from your bedroom window. I'm sure you may have stopped to capture breathtaking and even boring moments throughout your life that you can reuse.
2. Keep your camera on you at all times.
Since most of us have smart phones with good quality cameras built right in, it's easy to take pictures wherever and whenever. You can also get in the habit of carrying a camera on you, too, whether it's a DSLR or a smaller point-and-shoot. When you're out make sure to take pictures of different things from graffiti, to stores signs, to traffic lights. You never know what will work in a future blog post or website page.
3. Create your own still life photos.
Still life photos are very easy to set-up and take at home. By spending a day running around and staging a few props at home, you will save a lot of time in the future. They can be simple photos of your laptop, kitchen tools, art supplies or whatever else it is you blog about regularly.
4. Include pictures of yourself.
Make sure to have some go-to pictures of yourself. Eventually you'll need to show people what you look like: in your social media profiles, on your blog or in a bio. Selfies work fine, but don't be afraid to try other ways of getting in front of the camera. You can use a timer or even get your friends in on the fun and have them take a few pictures. Once you have a few photos to work with, keep some of them relatively normal looking but also create a few artsy ones.
I've uploaded a selfie to the Photo Editor here and played around with the color filter to get a sharp, snazzy look for my photo, but feel free to experiment with your own effects.
5. Add your art.
Another great visual for your blog may include art you've created. Illustrations, paintings and even little doodles can add a lot of fun and color to your blog. The best part, you don't even have to be a brilliant artist to show off your creations!
6. Save them.
Once you've gathered up your pictures, move them to your Stock Photos file. Make sure to edit them with the BeFunky Photo Editor before you save them, which will save you precious time later on.
It's also a good idea to give them very descriptive names to make searching for them easier, just like on a stock photo site. For example, a picture of a pink flower should be named pink flower, but you can also name it something longer like pink-flower-garden-spring-bouquet. That way, when you search your stock file it will come up under a number of key words.
Ideas for your stock photos:
- Food and Beverages - baking, cupcakes, kitchen tools, vegan dishes, vegetables, fruit, pint of beer, wine, water, candy, stove, grill, full stocked fridge, grocery bags, vegetable garden, fruit tree, birthday cake, etc.
- Seasonal - Christmas ornaments, gifts, bows, Easter eggs, turkey dinner, Christmas lights, fireworks, pumpkins, poinsettias, snowflakes, cabin on the lake, canoe, candles, umbrella, four leaf clover, confetti, roses, sparklers, etc.
- Business - laptop, bookshelf, handshake, business suits, smiling people, chalkboard, boardroom, trophy, notebook, money, tablet, globe, etc.
- Street photography - pedestrians, bike riding, traffic jams, buildings downtown, store fronts, etc.
- Hobbies - cameras, paintbrushes, markers, pens, knitting needles, yarn, sewing machine, garden tools, sport equipment, musical instruments, jogging, etc.
- Fashion - makeup brushes, closet full of clothes, jewelry, painted nails, flowers, lipstick, magazines, etc.
- Animals - pets, dogs, cats, fish, wildlife, squirrels, ducks, birds in flight, butterflies, bumblebees, etc.
- Nature/Outdoors - trees, flowers, animals, lakes, sunset, streams, meadows, rain, beach, park, picnic table, sports field, etc.
Whip up a couple of your own stock photos right here:
