where to find the best images for instagram
If I could provide small business owners with only one tip for their social media it would be to invest in high-quality imagery; Whether that is professional photography, stock imagery or creating your own branded images and graphics, having your own library of on-brand content provides endless opportunities to show up and share your story.
While there may be a trend towards being “real” or “authentic” online, that isn’t an invitation to show up like a slob. If you use Instagram (or any other social media platform) to promote your business let the “realness” shine through in your post captions and videos - not in the form of dark, grainy, or blurry photos. Or those with your ex cropped out. Yuck!
As a rule of thumb, if it’s not good enough for your website, don’t share it on your socials.
BRAND PHOTOGRAPHY
The very best thing you can do for your business is to book a brand photography shoot. Having great shots of yourself will make it more likely that you show your gorgeous mug on your feed - allowing people to get to know you and the person (or persons) behind the brand.
A brand shoot costs you surprisingly little compared to the value you'll receive and, because they are your own images, there usually aren’t restrictions to how and where you can publish your images (unlike some stock photos).
Speaking from personal experience, when I share my own photos those posts perform better than almost all other posts (except for my *hilarious* memes, that is).
Maybe I’m born with it, maybe it’s Photoshop! Images by Leah Ladson Photography.
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Melbourne
Leah Ladson Photography (the legend behind many of the images you see on this website)
Nicole Pas Photography (the other legend behind may of the images you see on this website)
Lauren from Me and My Girl
I have also heard great things about Sophie from Sister Scout Studio
ADELAIDE
Kate from Hello Urban Safari
Sydney
Jade Warne from Hipster Mum Photography
Nikki at Heist Creative comes highly recommended from another social media agency I know.
Brisbane
Amanda Campeanu does beautiful brand photography and flatlays plus she provides fantastic advice about posing for photos.
Stock Images
If you really don’t have the budget for a professional photography, or you want to supplement your brand images with lifestyle content, stock images provide a great source of content. There are so many great free and cost-effective stock image websites out there.
Here are some of the many options available to you:
Styled Stock Society
For a small fee, you can gain access to a library of stock images, with new additions each month. Collections include a variety of styled desktops, florals, lifestyle images, and mockups. Find out more about becoming a Styled Stock Society member.
SHE BOLD STOCK
A stock library that specialises in imagery for service-based for female entrepreneurs and solopreneurs. This website has an extensive library of styled stock photos and graphics and caters to women of colour. Find out more.
Creative Market
Sign up to the Creative Market mailing list and each Monday you’ll receive a range of ready-to-use design assets such as fonts, images, templates – some free and some highly discounted. Not only is this a good way to populate your image library, but you’ll also be supporting independent creatives. Win-win.
Wellness stock shop
If you’re in the natural health space and are looking for images of crystals, doTERRA oils and lithe ladies mid-yoga pose, the Wellness Stock Shop may be just the remedy you’re after. This would also be a great stock image site for anyone working in the nutrition space.
Canva
The good folks at Canva have an abundant stock library that is bursting with literally every kind of image you can think of and, if you upgrade to a Canva Pro account, you get many more.
Images from Styled Stock Society
Free Images
There are so many free stock libraries out there. It’s important to check the attribution requirements and permissions around the use of the images. These are some of my go-to accounts that provide free photos for commercial use:
In addition, many of the paid stock libraries release a few free images each month to their email subscribers. This is a good way to test the waters and see if you like their style before you commit.
Instagram templates
Finally, in our list of image options are the done-for-you templates. These are a huge time-saver and a great source of ideas and inspiration. While you can find templates in Canva, if you’re looking for something unique (that not everybody is using), Your Social Team sell incredible done-for-you templates for Instagram posts, stories and Reels plus Reels caption templates that you can fully customise with your own brand fonts, colours and images in Canva.
I personally use these myself and love them!
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