Multicultural Stock Photos for Churches

There is a whole host of conversations for web design, blogging content, and social media posts. One big issue is stock photos where some like ProChurchTools.com would say to not use them at all. We would definitely agree that many stock photos are overused in churches. Further, stealing stock photos is definitely NOT an option.

While the last article listed has a lot of great options to find stock photos if you feel comfortable using them, one new conversation now being had is the concern of diversity. While you may be able to find some reflections of different cultures on some sites, the general display is of white men and women in stock photos.

But there are now alternatives. Here’s one for you.

Nappy

Here’s the description from the site:

I love Unsplash, Pexels, and Shot Stash, but one of the things I’ve noticed is that all of their content could use a little more diversity. As an influencer mgmt agency for black and brown creators, we’re very intentional about cultural representation in the work that we do. And because of that, we aren’t always able to find the photos we need from those sites.

And that’s why we launched Nappy; to provide beautiful, high-res photos of black and brown people to startups, brands, agencies, and everyone else. Nappy makes it easy for companies to be purposeful about representation in their designs, presentations, and advertisements.

So if you are not a fan of stock photos, ignore all of this. But for those that do go for stock photos, what are your thoughts on the concerns of lack of diversity in media content from churches as well as what is being used for other stock photos?

Jeremy Smith

Jeremy is owner of ChurchAndMentalHealth.com and the Co-Occurring Program Coordinator and a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor at a community mental health center. Jeremy has a history of working as a ministry director for Youth for Christ for 8 years and then working as a mental health and substance use adult counselor in Colorado and Ohio, specifically running an Opioid Residential Treatment Center.