When we first started the Pixels in Colour Instagram account, we were blown away by how many AMAZING and talented photographers of color we came across on the daily. Seriously, blown away!
If you’re looking to add a little diversity to your Instagram feed and get inspired at the same time, take a look at this list of our favorite photographers of color. Be sure to show them all some love!
A few years ago, I was working a job where I had to find stock images to go along with editorial pieces. I was also responsible for community management. This meant that I was able to hear everything that people were saying on social media: the good, the bad and the ugly. One day, I came across a comment on Facebook that went a little something like this:
“Do you guys only cater to white people? All the images that you use for your articles and on social, feature nothing but white people.”
Ouch!
Now, for those of you who are familiar with community management, you know that the first rule of thumb is to not take ANYTHING personal. Anything! But, how could I NOT take this one to heart?! There I was, an African American woman, with the power in my hand to make my fellow women and men of color feel welcome, and I was not using it. The nerve of me!
Soon after that comment came in and shook up my ENTIRE world, I immediately started looking for stock images that featured people of color.
I looked…
And I looked…
And guess what I found? Nada! Zip! Zilch! There was absolutely nothing! Actually, excuse my hyperbole. I take that back. There were a few images here and there. However, they were not of the same caliber as those that didn’t feature people of color. They just weren’t good! And I refused to have us out in the world looking crazy. Refused. As such, I continued to use the images that were readily available; the ones that did not feature people of color.
Yea, I know. It sucked. However, this experience taught me two important things:
LESSON ONE
People want to see themselves represented in the media. And rightly so. It’s not fair for brands to invite people into their “home” and onto their social streams, without taking steps to make those guests feel welcome and included. When people, like the Facebook commenter I mentioned earlier, visit a website and do not see anyone that looks like them, how do you expect them to feel? It’s no longer okay for brands to cater to one race, while excluding others; not when the world is becoming more and more diverse. Continuing to do so, is pretty much brand suicide.
LESSON TWO
There is a serious lack of high resolution images that feature people of color. If you visit many of the popular stock photography websites, you could easily spend up to two hours searching for a royalty-free image that features a person of color. Trust me. I’ve tried it and I reached a level of frustration I wouldn’t wish on my enemies (well, maybe one or two of them are deserving).
This is why I started Pixels in Colour. I want to make sure that all brands, big and small, have the resources necessary to be more inclusive. I want to ensure that people of color can visit a website and see someone that looks like them, that talks like them, that loves like them, that is like them. This shouldn’t be a luxury reserved for a select few.
Photographers, content creators and stock photography websites play such an important role in helping to repair this problem. By sharing diverse images and videos, we can help add beautiful shades of black, brown, yellow and everything in between, to a world that has been color-negligent for too long. People of color are far too beautiful to be forgotten and way too #woke to be slept on. It’s time to move towards a more colorful future and start painting the world in different shades of beauty. We hope you’ll join us!
If you’re in search of high resolution stock photos that feature people of color, browse our growing collection or check out these sites:
If you know of any other sites that are contributing to the diversification of images in the media, feel free to drop a link in the comments down below.
To get the most out of your membership on Pixels in Colour, we encourage you to upload images regularly.
All images uploaded should be of high quality and high resolution (at least 800 x 600). If you need a little help determining which types of stock photos perform the best, check out our article on Examples of Stock Photography that Perform Well.
Be sure to upload a Model Release form for every identifiable person in an image.
Don’ts
As specified in our Terms and Conditions, all photos uploaded to Pixels in Colour should not be sold (or offered for free) on other stock photography websites.
Please do not upload images that do not belong to you; doing so will result in your membership being revoked.
Do not upload photos that depict anyone in a deplorable or negative light. Images that are vulgar in nature or feature any nudity will not be approved.
We here at Pixels in Colour want to tap in to all of the diverse talent out in the world. As such, we are constantly searching for new Content Creators to add to the team. If you’re interested in selling your original images on our website, simply follow these steps:
Step 1: Select ‘Become a Contributor’ on the home page.
Step 2: Complete all of the fields on the ‘Content Creator Registration’ page.
Step 3: Once you have entered all of your information, select ‘Submit’. Your application will then be reviewed by a Pixels in Colour administrator and you will be notified via email once a decision has been made.
Special Note: Please be sure to check out our Terms and Conditions before applying. Happy snapping!
A Model Release is required whenever there is an identifiable person in a photograph. Without a Model Release, these types of images cannot be licensed for commercial use.
To help you determine which images do and do not require a Model Release, we’ve included a few examples below:
Model Release NOT required:
Model Release required:
Please be advised that these are simple guidelines. Each and every photo uploaded to Pixels in Colour will be inspected and judged on an individual basis. To stay on the safe side (and out of legal trouble!), we’d recommend obtaining a Model Release for all images that feature a person (one for EACH person captured in the photo).
Unfortunately, not all stock photography was created equal. As such, there are certain images that will perform far better than others. We’ve provided the following examples to help get you going in the right direction and hopefully increase your number of sells.
We are so thrilled to have your eyes (and, hopefully soon, your images ????) on our website!
Introduction
Pixels in Colour was started in 2016 as a way to add diversity to the world of stock photography. In short, it provides content creators of color a platform to upload and sell high quality images and also gives brands access to a robust database of diverse stock images, all in one place!
Why Pixels in Colour?
Too many times, we’ve heard brands say things like: ‘We don’t typically use images that feature people of color because it’s difficult to find them.’ If that is indeed the case, then Pixels in Colour seeks to solve that problem. We want to make it as easy as A, B, C for brands (big and small) to find royalty-free images that feature underrepresented people of color. Ultimately, Pixels in Colour represents the underrepresented in stock photography.
Why Should You Care?
The sad truth is that a lot of what we believe to be true, is due in large part to what we see in the media. If people of color are constantly being shown pictures, videos, movies and TV shows that feature only ONE race, then they start to believe that they don’t exist, that their voices don’t count, that they don’t matter. And that couldn’t be further from the truth.
We are ALL deserving of representation and that is the platform upon which Pixels in Colour stands. We hope that you join our movement and help us paint the world in more realistic shades of beauty.
Ouch!
