Choosing Great Senior Stock Photos

I once did a senior stock photo shoot on a 92 year old that rode his bike 150 miles a week around the winding roads of Sonoma County. Another memorable photo shoot was of a 111 year old that wrote 12 published books starting at the age of 70 years old! When you get 40 more years of life at 70 years old, you can do a lot with your life if you choose to. These are the types of seniors that you want to represent in buying stock photos of seniors: seniors that are authentic and it shines through in the photos.

Choosing stock photos of seniors should be an easy process because there are so many amazing seniors that have lived and are still living amazing lives. Yet seniors for the most part are so poorly represented in the stock photography industry. I want to help you learn how to find captivating authentic stock photos of seniors to elevate your company's branding.

I did a quick search of all the major stock photography companies from cheap to high end, simply using the search word “seniors.” The images I see mostly do not represent the aging population. I see the same senior baby boomer models over and over (even on different stock photo websites), the photos are incredibly canned, there is a huge lack of ethnic diversity, some of the photos are very outdated, and the seniors are much too young looking which creates a lack of authenticity. And this is mind boggling to me as according to the United Nations, 1/7 of the world’s population is currently over the age of 60 years old. Why are seniors not represented more accurately in marketing when 15% of the population are seniors? 15% is a huge percentage of our population!

We see a lot of the exact same stock photos used by companies. The photos are widely used because companies might be paying for cheap stock photos (meaning under $50 a photo or have a very cheap photo stock subscription) and not willing to spend the extra money. Or when there are great senior stock photos, lots of companies are buying them because they are so good. When I say “aged senior” I mean over the age of 80 years old. It is the aged seniors that brings more authenticity to companies branding. Of course we all have a somewhat subjective view on what someone over the age of 80 years old should look like. I would say most of us expect someone over the age of 80 years old to have a good amount of wrinkles, maybe some age spots, likely glasses, and grey hair. And these are the seniors more companies need to represent in their marketing and the images do exist.

Since I have been creating films, books, and photo shoots for the healthcare and financial industries on the subject of seniors for over 16 years, I am conscious and have access to real aged seniors (not models) for stock photos. My company Senior Stock Photos represents the aging population by mostly photographing lively seniors that are not models over the age of 75 and have ethnic diversity. We have photos on real seniors doing fitness, activities, hobbies, with caretakers, using technology, and so much more.

There are ‘Royalty Free’ and ‘Rights Managed’ photo prices. When a company buys a ‘Royalty Free’ photo it means that the company can use the image in perpetuity. Royalty Free’ photos are cheaper than ‘Rights Managed’ meaning a high quality stock photo that represents seniors accurately and tells a rich story should cost anywhere between $100-$400 for one photo. ‘Rights Managed’ means a company has the option to buy a photo that the stock photo company will then pull off of their website so no other company can use the photo for an extended period of time. ‘Rights Managed’ photos cost more and could range anywhere from $500-even to up to tens thousands of dollars depending on how the photo will be used for the length of time and in what forms of media. I would say on average when a company buys a ‘Rights Managed’ photo from me, it usually costs around $1,500 and up, for just one photo.

This cost might sound crazy to some people, think about the cost of doing an actual photo shoot. I do films and photo shoots all the time for major corporations nationwide and the bare minimum (and I mean bare minimum) I charge for my day ray rate, equipment, and one photo assistant (this does not include travel) is around $7,000. Paying extra for a stock photo goes a long way.

To recap my tips for choosing authentic and captivating senior stock photos:

-Make sure the age of the seniors in your photos represent the correct age demographic as best you can.

-Have ethnically diverse seniors when possible.

-If choosing an interior photo of a happy senior, make sure there is a window in the image. Having a window in the images adds to the feeling of openness and space.

-Try and choose a senior photo that has an underlying real story when possible, like if you're looking for a senior that does a hobby, make sure they are a real painter as it will bring more truth to your branding.

-Remember, with the reputable stock photo companies, you usually have the option to pay more for a ‘Rights Managed’ photo where only your company can use the photo for an extended period time that your competitors can’t use. It is kind of like renting a photo and it is unique to the company's branding.