There was a time in the world when photography was reserved for those with deep pockets and the know-how to operate a camera. Nowadays, photography and imagery is everywhere. That begs the question, with hundreds of millions of photos, graphics and illustrations out there, what are the best ways to find images?
Use a stock photo library
Stock photo libraries, such as Alamy, keep an archive of millions of images giving you abundant choice. Filter options allow you to fine tune your search results down to ethnicity, viewpoint and even the overall colour of the image. Furthermore, the search algorithm that runs the library is constantly being improved by in-house developers giving you better and better results every day.
We’ve compiled some search tips to help you find what you’re looking for even faster.
Get inspiration from artist spotlights
Artist spotlights come in many forms. You may be getting inspiration already from seeing your favourite artists featured in a magazine or by following your favourite photographer on Instagram. At Alamy, we’re always shining the light on our favourite photographers and curated collections too. You’ll be able to find these great images under the Spotlights section of the Alamy blog.
The great thing about spotlights isn’t just that you get to discover amazing imagery. But you also get to learn a lot of the photographer in question. With this, you may discover a photographer who shares all your tastes in aesthetics and is therefore a perfect match for your needs.
Check out our Fresh picks page
Sometimes, you’re a bit strapped for time and need someone else to do the legwork for you as you’ve only got time to review the best. Then I welcome you to the Alamy Fresh picks page. This is where the picture editors at Alamy come together to find and curate some of the best images in the Alamy library. This might be in the form of a single photographer, or it might be a curated collection made with current trends in mind.
But we know it’s easy to forget to visit such a page when you’ve got a busy schedule. That’s why email subscribers get a monthly Fresh picks newsletter straight to their inbox. Sign up here so you don’t miss out.
Use image categories to whittle down your search
It can be hard knowing where to start with images, especially when there’s so much choice now. Searching by category is a great way to get started while ensuring that your searches have some sense of direction.
There are a wide range of options with Alamy’s image categories to ensure you get a decent head start. You can find Alamy’s image categories here.
Follow us on social for more inspiration
If you’re a social media dweller, then following Alamy’s social channels is an easy way to keep up to date with the latest trends, stories and images. There’s a great variety of content which differs from channel to channel. But if you’re just after great imagery, then you can’t go wrong with these stalwarts.
The quintessential social media platform for images. But curation is the key to making the most of Instagram. If you want your account to become a truly reliable source of inspiration, I’d recommend not using it like Facebook by removing all your friends and family. Don’t worry, they’ll get over it or just make a second account. What you want instead is for your Instagram feed to only show images from artists and photographers who truly inspire you. This means there’s no sifting through your feed to get the good stuff because every post is exactly what you want, an inspirational image.
While Facebook may not be as much of a visual spectacle as Instagram, it does still feature a lot of imagery. Furthermore, you’ll get more context about any images shown plus you may even get a link to the image itself which isn’t really possible on Instagram.
The social media channel that prefers to be called a visual search engine. In fairness, I think it’s more accurate. Comments and engagement tend to be rare on Pinterest but it’s a great way of seeing a curated set of images – better than Instagram in fact! While Instagram only allows you to curate once (that’s your feed), Pinterest allows to make as many mood boards as you like.
We hope you find these ways of finding imagery useful and of course we’ll continue showcasing inspirational images on the blog. So stick around and see more at Alamy.