Thinking and Searching Conceptually

First you come up with an idea. Next, you start to visualize. Then, You make it happen. Done. Right?

Well, it can never hurt to one last look over and see if any new ideas or improvements jump to mind. This is especially true when selecting stock images for your website, publication or wherever you may be using them. And when it comes to stock photos, there is an excellent chance for you to make these images work for you on a deeper level by choosing conceptual images.

So, how do you find these conceptual images? It will depend somewhat on your choice of stock photography site and the quality of its keywording, but much of it will depend on you own thought processes.

For instance, if you were writing an article on mental health. You may decide that you just want an image of a frowning person and an image of a smiling person. This means you would probably just search for "frowning person" and "smiling person". It is a literal search and will likely give you the results you are looking for.

But take a minute and search for something a little more conceptual and it can open you up to some very intriguing images. Using our mental health example, you could try searching on the term "mental health" or "wellness", something along those lines. You should get a wide variety of images that can illustrate your point in ways you hadn't thought of before.

You might get results like a brain with puzzle pieces, a woman meditating, or pebbles balanced on one another. Or here's one for you: A studio shot of a woman nervously holding an umbrella. The nervous look on her face shows her anxiety, insecurities or mental health state and the umbrella symbolizes her treatment, whether it be drugs or counseling. Or maybe her defense mechanisms.

Photo: (c) Imagesource. Image #IS303-025.

Ok, that might be a little out there, but you get the point. You can interpret these images conceptually to fit your content. Stock images are often open to interpretation. They were shot that way for a reason.

*Bonus search tip: On most stock sites, when you click to see the image details, you will get a list of keywords for the image. The terms in this list will often be a link to more images with the same term. So, once you find an image you like, check out the keywords and click through to any that catch your eye. Click here to try it with our umbrella lady from above.