Do you ever try to find relevant stock photography for your presentation or concept and find yourself giving up, saying, “Not another white dude pointing at a dry-erase board” or “Not ANOTHER pair of white hands on a computer keyboard” or “That skinny white lady’s teeth are impossibly straight and what is she even doing”? Yeah, me too.
That’s why I asked Twitter and Facebook for recommendations for business stock photos that meaningfully include people of color and a more diverse representation of the human experience. And, Twitter and Facebook delivered! Here’s what my friends on the interwebs suggested:
- Picnoi (http://picnoi.com/) – “The majority of people in the world are of color so there is no reason why stock imagery shouldn’t include them.” Free.
- Nappy (https://www.nappy.co/) – “Beautiful, high-res photos of black and brown people.” Free.
- Women of Color in Technology (https://www.flickr.com/photos/wocintechchat) – Self-explanatory. Free.
- Stocky Bodies (http://www.stockybodies.com/page/gallery) – “Created in response to the stigmatised representations of overweight and obese people in the media and popular culture; showing subjects engaged in everyday activities, such as bike riding, shopping for fashionable clothes and performing their jobs.” Free.
- Colorstock (https://getcolorstock.com/) – “Our catalog offers images of Black, Asian, Latinx, and other ethnically-diverse people at work and at play, reflecting their nuanced lives in realistic ways.” Fee based.
- Representation Matters (http://representationmatters.me/) – “Ethnic and social diversity and healthy body image.” Fee based.
If your current image sources aren’t cutting it, check these out for a little more variety. Enjoy!
Pro tip: Pay attention to costs, licensing restrictions, and required attribution before using any images. Requirements vary by site.
What stock photo sources would you add to this list? Please leave a comment below!
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