"But I just need a photo of a woman sending an email. That can't take more than 10 minutes."

That's the way many people think about selecting stock images. And yes, that's how long it takes to find a generic shot that's in the ballpark, but could be way out in left field. (Meaning, it doesn't work very well.)

The truth about choosing stock images

A lot goes into finding a photo that truly communicates the intention. Who is the audience? What is the emotion you want to convey? What is the environment you need to portray? Does the photo look natural, or affected? What is the verbal message that will accompany the image?

Four hours to find eight winning images

I was looking for photos for a promotional campaign. It took me four seconds to find people in an office setting. But it took a full four hours to find the right attitude, time period, expressions, naturalness, lighting, ambiance and angle. It was a lot longer than I expected. I really got into it and had lunch at 3:30. Because when you're on page 3 of a search and there are 105 more pages to go . . .

Now, I'm not a designer but I definitely appreciate the time it takes to do the visual research.

Great designers won't settle for ordinary

They wait for the intuitive knowledge that they have a potential winner. Only then does it become a candidate for closer inspection.

In my search, I faced the additional challenge of finding shots that worked with specific captions. I would be pairing people with phrases, and they had to work naturally together.

Do yourself a favor: When a skilled graphic or web designer tells you it will take x number of hours to research your stock photos, you should probably say yes. It will be time well spent.

As a footnote, consider illustration. When everyone is using stock photos, a well crafted illustration really stands out.

© Miller McMillan