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Stock Photo Questions & Answers

How to Pick Authentic Hispanic Stock Images [+ Where to Look]

Amos Struck

January 2, 2021

It wasn’t long ago that Hispanic stock images featuring diverse occupations and experiences were nearly impossible to find. As the community has stepped up to make their voices heard, businesses are taking authentic representation seriously, and more realistic Hispanic stock images have become available from sources like the 99club from Stock Photo Secrets. 

In this guide, we’ll discuss the value of authentic Hispanic stock images, how to tell the difference between them and inauthentic stock images, and where you can find photos that more accurately represent those in the Hispanic community for your marketing and visual content purposes.

No time to read the whole text? Check out the top 10 agencies that offer diverse stock photos for your project. And here’s how to pick authentic Hispanic stock images for your next project:

1. Know where to look

There are dozens of free and paid stock photo sources. Licensing on these platforms varies, so while some can only be used for personal projects, these sources have commercial, royalty-free licenses available for stock images:

Getty Images – Original Hispanic Imagery

The Getty Images Nosotros Collection was developed specifically with the Hispanic community in mind. You can find Hispanics in a variety of occupations, interests, and more within this collection. Read our full review of the Getty Images. Get to learn more about how this content sets a standard for authentic Hispanic representation, and then receive 30 percent off your purchase of an Ultrapack through Getty Images with our exclusive discount.

Try it now with Hispanic-related keywords (find them in point 3 of this guide!) in the search bar below!

99Club from Stock Photo Secrets Shop – Affordable Latino Stock Photos

The 99Club from Stock Photo Secrets offers you access to millions of beautiful, royalty-free images for just $99 a year. Tens of thousands of images are added each month to keep up with the latest stock photography trends, so you’ll never run out of authentic Hispanic stock photo options.

Use the search to look for specific stock photos of Hispanics, like “working Hispanics,” and then use the “refine search” feature to narrow down images further by age, gender, and the number of people you want to see in the photos.

Use specific keywords (go to point 3 of this guide if you don't know them) to discover great Hispanic imagery with this search feature right here!

Photocase – Cool Hispanic People

Photocase is a German stock photo agency specialized in artistic, authentic stock photos and the ideal address to avoid cliches.

Read more about what sets Photocase apart from some of the other stock image providers as a top resource. And don't miss the advantage of this offer for 5 free credits + 10% off from Photocase.

Enter related keywords (that you can find below in point 3 of this guide) into the search field and hit the button to see what awesome photos turn up!

Shutterstock – Hispanic Family Stock Images

Whether you’re creating ads, branding materials, or content for a social media campaign, you can find a wide age range of Hispanic representation on Shutterstock to use for your projects.

Currently boasting a collection of over 280 million images available for download, with another million added each week, it’s hard not to find what you’re looking for in this massive library of content. Images through Shutterstock can be found as low as $0.22 each!

Take advantage of 15 percent off your order at one of the largest stock photo libraries in the world with our exclusive discount.

Fetch some good search terms from point 3 of the guide and use them in this Shutterstock search bar to discover millions of Hispanic-related images in their library!

iStock – Exclusive Hispanic Stock Photos

iStock has a wide variety of authentic Hispanic stock images, especially those of traditional Hispanic foods, at affordable prices. Many of the photos and vector illustrations found on iStock are exclusive to their platform, so you won’t be able to find them anywhere else.

You can purchase stock photos and vector illustrations for commercial use starting at $8 each, or you could go the more affordable route with a subscription at 20 percent off with our coupon code.

Check out their cool Hispanic-related collections right now with this search feature, simply enter your desired search term (find them in point 3 of this guide if you don't have any) and hit the button for results!

Adobe Stock – Beautiful Hispanic Images for Creative Cloud Users

From the creators of Adobe’s popular design software comes Adobe Stock, with a fantastic collection of Hispanic families and other authentic Hispanic stock images.

You can subscribe monthly to this platform to get all the stock photos you need for your projects – but don’t take our word for it. Try it out with Adobe's FREE subscription, which includes 10 high-quality, royalty-free images.

See all the Hispanic imagery they have to offer by entering some valuable keywords (we give you tips on them in point 3 of this guide) into the search field and hitting the search button!

When looking for Hispanic stock images for a project, check more than one source listed above for the best results. Each source has its strengths, so while one may be perfect for finding images of Hispanic men in the workforce, it may not have the best photos of traditional Hispanic dishes.

2. Beware of stereotypes

While there are more authentic Hispanic stock images created for business use than ever before, hundreds of thousands of photos still inaccurately represent the Hispanic experience.

From depictions of hypersexualized women to overtly masculine “macho” men, there is a common degrading stereotype regarding the Hispanic community. Using images that show Hispanics in this way can work against you, as this depiction is unrealistic and, unfortunately, overused, especially in American media.

The Hispanic market is full of real, hard-working men and women with diverse interests, jobs, and roles in society. Consider this as you are selecting Hispanic stock images to represent them.

3. Use specific search terms

The more specific search terms you can use when looking for photos, the more accurate the results will be. It will help cut through some of those stereotypical Hispanic stock images and give you what you really need.

For example, let’s say you are creating a website geared toward female, Hispanic entrepreneurs. A search of just “Hispanic woman” may return hundreds of thousands of photos, which can take hours to browse through, and many of which will be unusable. If instead, you search for “Hispanic businesswoman,” or “Hispanic woman on phone,” the pool of images is much more narrowed, and returns images like the one you can see below.

If you’re looking for images of traditional Hispanic foods or cultural experiences as opposed to people, being specific with search terms will help you weed out inauthentic images.

For example, a search for “tacos” will result in thousands of images, some Americanized, some authentic, and everywhere in between. The more specific query “tacos al pastor” will result in images of an authentic dish developed in central Mexico:

Copyright 2019 / Stockphotosecrets, all rights reserved.

4. Look for natural poses

Many stock photos have an unnatural feel to them because of awkward, overly posed stances and inauthentic smiles. These are not good images to pick because they feel fake, and the Hispanic market will not connect or identify with these stock photos and images.

Copyright 2019 / Stockphotosecrets, all rights reserved.

The goal of using stock photos is to reach a specific target audience, like the Hispanic market, without using your time and resources to conduct a photo shoot on your own. However, if you choose the wrong Hispanic stock images, you’ll end up turning that target market away.

Here are some tips for finding natural poses in stock images:

• Look for movement. It’s difficult for people to look posed and unnatural when they’re moving as the photo is taken, like in this picture of a Hispanic family from Stock Photo Secrets on your right side. 
• Look for interaction. Images of people interacting with other people or objects like laptops feel much more natural than a photo of someone giving the camera a thumbs-up does, like this image of a Hispanic man working on a desktop does from Stock Photo Secrets on your lower left side.
• Look for relaxed body language. Stiff shoulders and awkward placements – like crossed arms – are a dead giveaway for overly posed stock photos. Instead, look for more natural, relaxed body language. 

5. Consider the brand they’re representing

Copyright 2019 ASIFE / Photocase, all rights reserved.

There are a lot of “pretty” stock images out there, but it’s important to consider who you’re trying to represent when you select images for your project.

This is where image colouring, light, and subject matter come into play. If your brand or the brand you’re working with is geared toward construction workers, it doesn’t make sense to have a picture of a young couple walking down the street – even if it’s a good-looking picture.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when selecting authentic Hispanic stock photos for your brand or the brand you’re working with:

• Pick images that reflect the brand’s ultimate goal. Think about the age, gender, occupation, and interests of the brand’s target demographic when selecting images. If the audience is primarily urban, it wouldn’t make sense to have several images of models in fields or more rural areas.
• Select photos of your target audience – not you – would resonate with. You might really like a photo, but that doesn’t mean your audience would relate to it. Always think about the person who would be looking at the picture when selecting stock photos for your project.
• Choose high-quality, well-lit images. While free stock photo sources may be tempting, there’s a reason they are free. Sometimes they download at a low-resolution or are poorly shot. Ensure the photos you choose are of good quality and easy to see.

Representation matters: Choose authentic Hispanic stock images

Hispanics make up the largest ethnic minority in the United States. They deserve to be authentically represented by businesses that market to them, and with so many sources creating realistic Hispanic stock images today, there’s no excuse not to use them.

When selecting images for your commercial project, know where to look for authentic Hispanic stock images, beware of unrealistic stereotypes, use specific search terms, look for natural poses or body language, and consider the brand they’re representing to pick the best ones possible.

Want a wide selection of Hispanic stock photos at a low yearly price? Join the 99Club from Stock Photo Secrets for affordable, high-quality images when you need them. 

Remember you can check out all the Hispanic photos available right now, just by entering some of the keywords we gave you above into the search field right here, and hitting the search button!

If you have any thoughts on authentic Hispanic stock images, we want to know! Leave a comment below.