1. Take Your Own Images

When you take your own photos, you create original images and you own the rights to these business assets. Or hire a photographer to help you build a high quality image library for your business or organization.

2. Use Free Stock Photos

If you don't have the budget to purchase stock photos for a project, check out one of the many stock photography sites that offer free or low cost images: Unsplash, Pexels, Freephotos, Flickr and Pixabay. Review their image terms of use and include the photographer’s name in a cutline.

3. Purchase Stock Photos

The perfect stock photo is out there. Explore collections such as Getty Images, iStock and Adobe Stock to find just the right image for your next creative project. Review the licensing agreement to understand how the image can be used.

Stock image sites allow you to download low resolution watermarked preview images to try out before purchasing the license. Resist the temptation to publish a preview image on your website, social media page or blog. It is copyright infringement. You may be contacted by the stock photo company's legal department to remove the images and pay a penalty fee that is more costly than simply paying for the license.

Image attribution: Adobe Stock