25 Photographers of Color You Should Be Following on Instagram

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!

1. Wonguy974

Second stop in Alsace : Colmar and its pretty houses

A photo posted by Olivier Wong (@wonguy974) on

2. Xjesse_torresx

3. Rezaphotography

A photo posted by REZA (@rezaphotography) on

4. HurtingBombz

5. Snappedbycam

6. Andy.c.photography

7. Yamashitaphoto

8. Insta_kenya

A photo posted by Vincent Kariuki (@insta_kenya) on

9. J.mwai

A photo posted by Jacquie Mwai (@j.mwai) on

10. Tiger_bmw_4141

11. Jayeffex

A photo posted by Sanjay Chauhan (@jayeffex) on

12. Azlansulaiman

13. Lord.dixon

A photo posted by Ryan (@lord.dixon) on

14. Meetjulian

A photo posted by Julian Castaneda (@meetjulian) on

15. Quanatl

A photo posted by quan (@quanatl) on

16. Perrylperry

A photo posted by Andre L Perry (@perrylperry) on

17. Daemaine

A photo posted by Daemaine Hines (@daemaine) on

18. Gregnoire

A photo posted by Greg. (@gregnoire) on

19. Abrilliantdummy

20. Rayneutron

A photo posted by rayneutron (@rayneutron) on

21. Byseanbrown

A photo posted by Sean Brown (@byseanbrown) on

22. Seunx

A photo posted by S E U Nx (@seunx) on

23. _xst

A photo posted by xST / Shawn Theodore (@_xst) on

24. Dondregreen

A photo posted by dondre green (@dondregreen) on

25. _zion_

A photo posted by Ziona (@_zion_) on

Do you have a favorite photographer of color that you’d like to see added to the list?

Diversify or Die: Here’s Why Brands NEED to Start Incorporating Diverse Stock Images

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

  1. 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

  1. 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:

CreateHerStock
ColorStock

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.

The Dos and Don’ts of Uploading Images to Pixels in Colour

Dos

  1. To get the most out of your membership on Pixels in Colour, we encourage you to upload images regularly.
  2. 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.
  3. Specify how you would like to license your photos. You can learn more about the different types of licenses available here: What is the Difference Between A Commercial and Editorial License?
  4. Be sure to upload a Model Release form for every identifiable person in an image.

Don’ts

  1. 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.
  2. Please do not upload images that do not belong to you; doing so will result in your membership being revoked.
  3. 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.

Happy snapping!

How Can I Become a Pixels in Color Content Creator?

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.

Screenshot 2016-05-25 15.47.09

 

Step 2: Complete all of the fields on the ‘Content Creator Registration’ page.

Screenshot 2016-05-25 15.53.45

 

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!

When is A Model Release Required?

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:

photo-1453974336165-b5c58464f1ed

photo-1431578500526-4d9613015464

photo-1416838375725-e834a83f62b7

Model Release required:

photo-1451444635319-e5e247fbb88dphoto-1434210330765-8a00109fc773

photo-1437913135140-944c1ee62782

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).

Examples of Stock Photography That Perform Well

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.

People Photography

photo-1437913135140-944c1ee62782

photo-1421986527537-888d998adb74

Animals

photo-1460899960812-f6ee1ecaf117

Authentic Photography

photo-1434210330765-8a00109fc773

Nature

OnRKhvlFQ2uJNSx5O3cc_DSC00560

Silhouettes

photo-1428954376791-d9ae785dfb2d

Creative Photography
photo-1444760134166-9b8f7d0fc038

photo-1425315283416-2acc50323ee6

Desktop/Stationary

photo-1421757295538-9c80958e75b0

photo-1416339442236-8ceb164046f8

Food

Y51aFguqRcGTgsYRYBXV_20140104_085932

photo-1460400355256-e87506dcec4f

 

Welcome to Pixels in Colour!

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.

Sincerely,
Onye
Founder

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