As a professional creative, there are times when you need the perfect image – be it for a new marketing project, website design, or any other creative project you might be working on. The problem we all face is finding the right stock photo, that’s not cheesy or overused. There are sites out there, like Death to Stock Photo aka Death to the Stock Photo, that provides such images but their curated collections can be somewhat limited. What you need is an alternative to Death to Stock Photo but perusing through the internet leaves you wondering if there are any. Fortunately, there are a growing number of stock photo sites providing images that are unique, compelling, and relevant to today’s audience – in other words, anything but cheesy. Photocase is one of our favourite sites for high quality, unique stock images that rise above standard stock photography and provide a great Death to Stock Photo alternative (If you’re not familiar with Photocase, check out our review of them here).

Why Is It Important to Use Good Stock Photos

It really doesn’t matter what type of project you’re working on; high-resolution photos are essential. Imagine what web design without photographic visual design elements would look like, or how interesting would that blog be without the perfect image that ties it all together? Commercial projects of all types, from social media marketing to content creation and other creative endeavours, all demand compelling, captivating images to capture the audience’s attention and meet the expectations of search engine algorithms. If you’re looking to power up your Google Ad campaign, try reading this article called Choosing Stock Images to Boost Your Google Ad Performance. You see, most of us are highly visual. It’s images, pictures, illustrations, and videos that capture our attention long before the text on a page – no matter how fantastic the font style. Presentation matters for creative digital marketing and graphic design pursuits, and you depend on stock photo sites to deliver the high-quality images you need to bring your creative design projects to life. The problem is that we’ve seen it all. We’re constantly online. Current research says on average, we each spend 6.5 hours online. Obviously, that number is more for some and less for others, but you get the point. We’re plugged and connected, through our Android phones, tablets, laptops, and all the other devices that make up our digital landscape. We’re viewing blog posts, watching videos, browsing websites, and devouring information at every turn. So much information that some estimates indicate we’re consuming 50% more information than we were several decades ago and much of this information is visual. With so much visual stimulation, the brain automatically starts to filter what it wants to see – including filtering out all those images we’ve seen a million times before. Unique images are what rise above the rest and stand out. Have a need for “weird” stock photography? Read where to find them. Professional photography is one road to capturing attention with unique images but it’s also something that really isn’t a priority in the budget of most businesses – especially when stock photography is a more affordable option. The issue is there isn’t a shortage of stock photo sites, and many of them feature the same cheesy, irrelevant images that have been overused to death. This is what promoted the birth of Death to Stock Photo. Built on the platform that their domain could provide the unique visual content that professional creatives were looking for, they soon began to stand out. However, there are some downsides to their platform, and not everyone was as equally impressed with their collection. So, those of us in the industry of compelling visual content began to look at what alternatives to Death to Stock Photo existed. Of all the stock photo sites out there, Photocase rises above as the alternative to flat, cheesy stock images you’re looking for.

Photocase as an Alternative to Death to Stock Photo

If you’ve ever Googled “stock images”, no doubt Photocase made it into the top tier of your search results. This is because the site has been around for over 15 years – basically forever in terms of the average lifespan for today’s digital business. Photocase is a German stock photo site, with a focus on providing images that lean toward the unconventional, with an undeniable authentic flair. In other words, the images that Photocase offers don’t look like stock photography. Despite the years, Photocase has been dominating the stock image game, their collection has remained relatively small, at least compared to some of the larger sites with literally hundreds of millions of images cluttering the space, making it next to impossible to sort through all of them to find the unique image that stands out. Photocase’s collection of curated images contains what has been described as a Berlin-style vibe. Each image that you’ll find on the platform offers up the perfect alternative to Death to Stock Photo. Their curated collection is artistic, infused with authenticity, and unlike the stock images that you’re going to find on any other platform – including Death to Stock Photo. To sweeten the pot, Photocase is also one of the more affordable options in unique stock photography – something that really matters to smaller enterprises and entrepreneurs. In contrast to Death to Stock Photo, which offers monthly membership packages based on enterprise size and need, Photocase offers on-demand purchasing. This enables you to purchase images individually or to buy bundles of credits to use toward image purchases, which can be a much more economical solution for businesses and professional creatives with limited budgets. Read more about how Photocase is an affordable alternative to premium stock images.

How Critical Is Photography to Marketing?

Your power to make a visual impact through marketing is pretty much at an all time high. Digital consumers are peruse social media and websites specifically looking for something to stand out and capture their attention. It’s true that you could accomplish this with a variety of visual media. Seemingly little details, like the color or font used in your marketing, have a significant visual impact. Still, your audience craves visual stimulation that’s more relatable. This is where stock photography comes in. Photography, especially stock images that are an alternative to Death to Stock Photo – like the ones you’ll find on Photocase, perform on multiple levels for your marketing strategy. How do unique stock images elevate your visual marketing performance? Here are just a few of the ways.

• Accelerated Information Processing: The human brain processes visual information faster than the information it receives through text or auditory means. A compelling image, that captures attention, is a sure way to swiftly deliver your marketing message and help people quickly form a connection with your brand.
• Attention-Grabbing: Take a minute and scroll through social media. How many of the images, save the ones of your friends, are cheesy stock photos you’ve seen countless times before? The repetitive use of these images is one of the downfalls to so many marketing campaigns. When we see a familiar image, we automatically think we’ve already read what’s attached to it. Unique stock photos grab attention and generate clicks.
• Emotional Connections: Today’s consumer isn’t interested in flat, lifeless brands. With all the digital stimulation, they’re looking to connect on a more personal level, and doing your part to connect with them on an emotional level is one of the most effective ways to accomplish this. Stock images that rise above the ordinary can spark an emotional connection that overused stock photography could only dream of.
• Non-Verbal Communication: Do you know that only a small percentage of the way we communicate with each other is verbal? The rest is done through body language, facial expression, touch, and interesting visual cues – like the ones you’ll find on sites that are alternatives to Death to Stock Photo.
• Engagement and Sharing: The whole point of a marketing strategy is to get your brand message across to a wider audience and generate more interest in your business. In today’s digital environment, this is accomplished by generating engagement and encouraging social shares. Powerful images, that are unexpected, compelling, and speak to the person on an emotional level encourage these interactions.

Not Sure If a Stock Photo You Choose Has Been Overused to Death?

The very nature of stock photography means that the images are available for anyone and everyone to use. This is a major benefit for those who lack the budget, or even the desire, to work with a professional photographer for their image needs. The downside? The chances of each image being used repeatedly by hoards of other professional creatives are huge. The images and designs used on your website or in your content should say something about your business as an individual. How can you accomplish this with stock photos that have made their way around the internet so many times that they’re associated with multiple industries and numerous marketing messages? The simple answer is that you can’t. Sites like Photocase, which offer an alternative to Death to Stock Photo, feature images that you haven’t seen floating around the web. If you’re curious just how widely used an image is, you can do a reverse image search by uploading the image in Google, and then watch the results pour in. Reverse image searches can also help you find just the right stock photo for your needs. Learn more about our reverse image search to find out how. But we’re really not just talking about the overuse of a specific image here. We’re also referring the overuse of common themes and styles of photography that have been overdone to the point that they all start to blend together. Not sure what we’re talking about? How many images of bland handshakes accompanied by fake smiles have you seen? How about the smiling woman wearing a headset, or the countless images of word tiles have been used to spell out just about anything you can imagine? Images that are staged, too highly focused, or feature people in unnatural situations are all overused, and do nothing to highlight the authenticity and personality of the brand you want to highlight. Instead, you might start by initiating more specific searches for stock photography and viewing the photos you choose through the eyes of the consumer. Remove yourself from the situation and consider what you would think about a brand that used the image you’re looking at. Does it convey the message and emotional appeal you’re looking for? If not, scrap it and start fresh. As far as determining if a photo has made its way around a few too many times, rather than go through all the steps to determine if an image you choose has been overused to death, step away from the standard stock photo platforms in favor of sites that provide images that are removed from the ordinary and offer you the opportunity to breathe new, fresh life into your visual marketing and creative strategies.

Who Says Stock Photography Has to Be Serious and Boring?

Ok, let’s be completely honest here. We’re in the business of stock photography and support those like Photocase who do an exceptional job of providing their user base with authentic, timely, and artistic images. Still, the stock image industry as a whole has a reputation for being a bit boring. Does it really have to be this way? Absolutely not! Stock images don’t have to be stale, serious, or boring. In fact, they should be anything but. In one marketing study, 67% of consumers stated that the quality of an image connected to a brand, or their marketing campaign, was among the biggest influencers in their purchasing decisions. This realization is a big part of the reason why Death to Stock Photo became so well known in the industry, almost from the day they arrived on the scene. Professional creatives were craving something different, off the beaten path – and most importantly, an option to support truly talented photographers who knew how to capture the emotion and make connections through their work. At the time, they filled an important need but there were other sites who had been quietly doing for years, exactly what Death to Stock was becoming so well known for. Photocase is one of those sites that has always focused on quality over quantity in their curated collections andhas always appreciated the value of a true artistic eye behind the camera taking a stock image. Aside from a collection of stock images that are far from boring, Photocase offers both a basic license and an extended license, so once you find an image that stands out from the rest, you have more options as to how its used for your business. If you’ve been a little hesitant to invest in stock photography, it has likely been with good reason. You’ve probably seen some horrendously unflattering stock images – the ones that make you cringe a little in embarrassment for the person or business using them. You’ve also developed a very passive attitude toward bland photography that misses all the marks on standing out. Of course, you don’t want people to feel the same way about you, so you’ve avoided stock photography like the plague. This exactly why we’re happy to feature stock photography sites like Photocase, who break free of all the stereotypes by supplying images that are far removed from the typical boring, serious photos that line the catalogues of other sites. If you’ve taken a look or two at Death to Stock Photo but wondered what else was out there, Photocase is a breath of fresh air that supplies inspiring, creative, and realistic images for all your stock photo needs.

Learn More About Photocase as an Alternative to Death to Stock Photo

Has your curiosity got the best of you yet? There’s nothing to lose by taking a trip to Photocase and checking out why we think they’re the best alternative to Death to Stock Photo around. Before you begin your next marketing or creative project, take some time to browse the curated collection on the Photocase platform, and you’ll understand exactly what we mean. Photocase has been in the business of providing unconventional stock photography since 2001. Thanks to their quality over quantity moto, and their easy to use the platform, they’re the stock photo site that we look forward to working with for years to come. If you’re someone who has relied heavily on free stock image sites due to budget restrictions, Photocase is not only one of the most affordable platforms that don’t make you buy into a monthly membership, they’re also offering an amazing promo. Check out this link to find out how you can get 5 free credits and 10% of your Photocase order. We promise you’re going to be as enamored with Photocase as we are, and we’re pretty sure they’re going to become your go-to resource for unique, authentic images that are a great alternative to Death to Stock Photo.

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