Questions about paid stock photos usage

Hi! Long post ahead! I apologize if this is a silly topic.

​

I'm a (graphic) designer fresh out of college. As an undergrad I had experience working for a small business who, let's put it this way, didn't care much about whether or not they had rights to an image (and god forbid they had to pay for one). So when I was told to "find a way", I used free photos from websites like Pexels and StockSnap, and therefore never learned how to properly BUY a stock photo (oh boy, this is embarassing).

​

What I just now learned is that they're quite more expensive than I was expecting, and I'd have to charge more than I thought for my work. And that raised a lof of questions.

​

If anyone with experience (especially as a freelancer, since I'll be working as one now) could provide me with some answers for the questions below, that'd be REALLY appreciated!

​

1. I learned about models having to sign a contract so you can use the stock images featuring them, as well as brands, and even creators of certain designs (like phones, clothing, buildings...). And how free website wouldn't be able to protect me from these kinds of lawsuits. Is that really how it goes? Does that mean I should never use images from Pexels that contain humans, objects or buildings?

​

1. If I buy a photo from Shutterstock (or any other paid site), am I covered on the situation described above?

​

1. Does a design piece made for my portfolio (on Behance) using a stock photo classify as commercial use?

​

1. What are the best paid stock photo websites for a begginer freelancer to use? I'm thinking a cheap one would be ideal since I won't have much work right now. Or should I stick with the free ones for now?

​

1. Is it common to use a watermarked version of the stock photo in your composition (when designing a flyer or even when making a matte painting) BEFORE buying it, just to see what it would look like? Or is it frowned upon?

​

1. Is it dumb/ugly to show the client the version with the watermark before the final art is approved?

​

1. What happens if you buy a stock photo and the client asks you to change it despite having agreed to your first choice? Do you charge more explaining the new image must be bought?

​

1. Should I always buy the biggest (and most expensive) size available for a stock photo? I'm wondering because the client might need it in a small flyer today, but in a big outdoor tomorrow. Usually, if this happens, do you buy the image twice?

​

1. Should the price I'm asking for my work always cover a fix budget for stock photos, or should I just add the price for each photo I buy? How do I go about this when offering a bundle, let's say, 10 monthly facebook posts for a company? I don't know ahead of time which ones I will use stock photos for, and which ones I'll be illustrating myself. Any tips about the pricing when it comes to this?

​

Please share any tips you might have! Thank you for reading!

Great design resource

100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People (Voices That Matter) Submitted September 19, 2018 at 09:47PM by TheOtherHawkeye https://ift.tt/2DcNIRH