How to Choose the Perfect Stock Photo Every Time [SlideShare]

Trying to think of a list of things I hate more than finding a quality stock photo is laborious. 

I mean, I hate pumping gas, morning breath, and the horn that goes off in hip hop songs, but then again, I'm pretty sure I still hate stock photo hunting more.

Between the headsets and the freakish corporate smiles, finding something that you feel comfortable using can often times feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. 

The good news is, you're not alone in this. 

A ton of marketers (including us) are forced to weed through the trenches to turn up a visual that makes sense, which is why we created a list of tips aimed at simplifying the process. To make things easier, we've organized them in a SlideShare, along with some resources (both paid and free) to help you turn up even better photos.

But first...

To ensure we're on the page, take a minute to scroll through this quick montage of awful stock photography:

Actual caption: "Funny man with watermelon helmet and goggles looks like a parasitic caterpillar." (I can't make this stuff up.)

Actual caption: "Geeky businessman licking his keyboard against hearts."

Actual caption: "A couple of nerd office workers showing a very popular science fiction salutation."

Actual caption: "Multi ethnic business team."

Okay, okay, I'm honestly sorry I put you through that. On to the tips...

How to choose the perfect stock photo:

5 tips to help you make a selection:

1. Focus on relevance. [Tweet this tip]

2. Look for candids. [Tweet this tip]

3. Avoid clichés. [Tweet this tip]

4. Look beyond page one. [Tweet this tip]

5. Look for text-friendly photos. [Tweet this tip]

5 resources for uncovering even better stock photos:

1. Shutterstock

2. Death to the Stock Photo

3. StockSnap.io

4. Unsplash

5. picjumbo