Unearthing the Perfect Image

How to use keywords to find the image you are seeking

Finding the appropriate stock image for your campaign can be a challenge. Even with the plethora of imagery that is available online, the perfect shot can be elusive. If your search return doesn’t bring up the image that you have in mind, it doesn’t necessarily mean the image doesn’t exist. Searching with different sets of keywords will bring up different search returns. For example, if you are searching for ‘homebrewing beer’ and your search return comes up zero, try a different set of keywords. Using the keywords ‘homemade beer’ instead of ‘homebrewing beer’ may return the image you are seeking. Most stock agencies have a set list of keywords they utilize and may not use the term you are searching with. If the search term you initially use doesn’t return the desired results, try alternative words that convey the same meaning. Various spellings, as well as alternative search terms, will also bring up different results. For example, if you are searching for an image of someone barbecuing, try ‘barbecue’ ‘barbeque’, ‘BBQ’, ‘grill’, ‘grilling’, ‘burger and grill’, ‘hot dog and grill’ ‘person and grill’ ‘person and barbecue’ ‘person grilling’, etc.. Check out: thesaurus.com to help spawn alternative keyword search ideas.

Great imagery isn’t only available at the big stock agencies. There are many photographers who license their work independently. Independent sources are an especially useful way to find specific imagery that might not find it’s way into a stock house. For example, if you’re looking for a specific type of tree that only grows along the Pacific coast, conduct a Google images search. This will bring up any properly tagged image that fits the bill. You can then contact the photographer directly to license the image. Wikimedia: commons.wikimedia.org is also a great resource for finding specific imagery that may not be found at a stock house. For example, mineral collector Robert Lavinsky, PhD, donated his entire photo database of mineral specimens to Wikimedia commons for public usage.

Lastly, remember to always properly license your imagery and be sure to credit the photographer whenever possible.
Unearthing The Perfect Image article by Alisa Steck is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.