Not too long ago I shared some of my favorite styled photo resources. As with most things, you can find a wide price range of options to buy from. My most favorite resource tends to be on the pricey side so I often find myself waiting for a sale or for a freebie in a newsletter. When I do purchase a photo, I like to know that I am getting my money’s worth, not only in aesthetics but in usefulness as well. Today I am sharing with you how I get the most out of my styled stock photos.
Choosing Photos To Buy
The first thing I do when buying a photo is check the quality and usefulness. Is the lighting good? Is it realistic to a degree? Does it contain elements that I like? Do the colors coordinate with my brand and the look that I am going for? Is the price right? Can I justify spending X amount on that photo? Can it be used in multiple ways?
There is one final crucial question. Does the seller allow you, the buyer, the right to crop the photo, use overlays, and add fonts to their photo? You will be able to find this information on the seller’s website and/or under each photo’s listing.
If the answer is yes to the above questions I purchase the photo.
The Photo’s Mine! Now What?
This is where the fun begins and you can flex your creative muscles. I’ll be using the photo below as an example. I’ll be using Pic Monkey as well. You can use any photo editing service though.
Source
Open the photo in Pic Monkey.
Open the cropping tool.
This next step is crucial. Using the drop down menu choose “Original Proportions”. Move the crop area around and find different items to include in the photo.
Play around with it and remember to get creative. Once you are happy with your choice, click on the green “Apply” button in the crop tool. Save your photo.
There you have it. A different and unique view of the same photo. I start over and crop each photo differently, saving each one as I go along. You can add your own overlays as well to make the photo unique to you. Notice the iPhone screens below. Here are some of the edits I got from just one photo.
By purchasing one photo, I was able to create 9 other photos that I can use on my blog or use in other ways as I mentioned in this post. I can easily justify spending a certain amount if I know that I can get multiple edits out of one photo. The key is to think ahead before buying a photo. Imagine the crops and edits you can do to get the most out of your styled stock photos.
Are you a fan of styled photography? Would you edit your stock photos like this to get more bang for your buck?
