Rosemary Watson from Rosemary Watson | Productions tells us all about using styled stock photography for your business!
All you business ladies, put yo hands up! (sing that in your head while imagining me in a leotard and heels). I’m Rosemary Watson, the Lady Boss behind Rosemary Watson | Productions– a boutique Production Firm that specializes in visual storytelling for inspiring brands. I help entrepreneurs with inspiring missions by developing a killer brand identity and website, and visual content that tells their story to their ideal audience.
One type of content I produce is Styled Stock Photography. You’ve seen it all over Pinterest and on other people’s blogs -it’s those dreamy desktops filled with gorgeous flowers and gold accessories that make business owners hearts’ beat faster. They make your readers imagine you in your fancy office all put together in style, typing with a latte in your hand; instead of the reality that you are blogging on your bed next to a giant pile of laundry with kids smooshing pop tarts on your comforter (#mombossproblems). Styled Stock is definitely getting more and more popular as business owners and bloggers are catching on to how many ways they can use these photos that have been made to look like your dream workspace. The great thing is, there are so many different photographers that are offering this photography that all have different styles and viewpoints so there are a ton of options to perfectly fit your brand. Whether you are looking for a soft, pretty, feminine look; or bright, fun, playful style photos; or clean, modern style photos- we got you, girl.
There are seriously a million ways to use styled stock, but here are my top five ways I see these pretty little photos used the most:
Website Hero Images
When I design websites for my clients, the most important element of their site is their “Hero Image”. It is the first thing that catches a reader’s eye, and if you want something more unique than you logo to represent your brand, you need a gorgeous hero image in your life. If you are strapped for time or cash and can’t get a professional photoshoot done for your site, grab a fabulous styled stock photo and BAM you’re set.
Showcasing Digital Products
These are perfect for any paper or printable goods designers- you can showcase your art on one of these desktops to highlight your work and make it look polished and professional. Having the styled photograph just makes the artwork pop.
Blog Posts & Pinterest
One of the top traffic drivers to blogs is Pinterest, so you want to optimize your blog post images to be easily found on the giant inspiration board on crack that is Pinterest. When people are scrolling through their feed on their phones or procrastinating work on their desktops you need an image to grab their attention and make them click through. By using a visually interesting styled stock photo and overlaying text to describe the post you entice them to read more on your blog.
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If you want to see more examples of how effective this is, visit our shared pinboard Color Me Girl Boss– it’s literally filled with pins that used this strategy.
Social Media Content
Do you ever have those days where you are just STUCK and have nothing to post on Instagram or Facebook? Maybe your kids were sick and you didn’t leave your freaking house for a week and no one needs to see photos of your war-torn home.
Well, styled stock photos to the rescue! If you have a good stash of these babies you can whip one out to keep your posting consistent and visually aligned with your brand. Add an inspiring quote on top and it’s Social Gold.
Announcing A Launch
Did your site get a makeover? Are you launching an E-book or an App? Or maybe just an iPhone wallpaper? In any launch, you want to get creative and showcase your shiny new designs in style. Grab a few styled stock photos of computers, iPads, and iPhones and overlay the screenshots of your site or app to use as promo images.
The best part of Styled Stock Photography is that you can alter the images you purchase to create fresh content by adding new text and graphics, rotating or cropping images to focus on certain parts of the image, adding a color overlay or layering multiple images together. So you can re-use and re-mix the photos you purchase to work for you over and over.
Where To Find Styled Stock Photography
My favorite places to find stock photos is on Creative Market & Etsy- there are a TON of talented stylists and photographers out there! Here are some of my favorite shops with delicious styled stock photos
I am so freaking excited to share my new Stock Brand Subscription membership on September 1st! For $29 a month, members get a fresh new collection of 20 Styled Stock images to use every month. It’s an affordable way to get your photo library filled without having to take the time to search for images or shoot them yourself. AND if you use the checkout code COLOR you can get your first month for just $19. BOOM. I just rocked your world.
Have fun in this brave, beautiful new world of Styled Stock Photography, friends.
