Find more representative stock photos by searching for the whole scene—the people, activity, setting, and relationships—then checking whether the image gives its subjects agency and depicts them credibly. Adobe Stock and Getty Images offer dedicated diversity-focused discovery resources; Unsplash is a free starting point under its license. Treat licensing and representation as separate checks: permission to use an image does not make its portrayal a good fit.
Where to search for diverse stock photos
Adobe Stock: browse by people and theme
Adobe Stock’s People & Diversity hub groups assets around themes including multicultural people, inclusive workplaces, community, representation, and diverse teams. The hub includes photos, video, and other asset types; Adobe says assets can be licensed on its site or through Creative Cloud applications.
Getty Images: use identity-focused guidance
Getty Images’ DEI toolkit organizes guidance and collections around identity dimensions such as race and ethnicity, gender, disability, body type, age, sexual orientation, and religion. It also stresses regional context and the ways identities intersect, which can help when a brief needs more than a broad demographic label.
Unsplash: check the license as well as the results
Unsplash’s license says images may be used free for commercial and non-commercial purposes without permission or required attribution. It prohibits selling images without significant modification and compiling its content to reproduce a competing service. The license establishes terms of use; it does not guarantee that a search will surface the right range of people or contexts.
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Build queries from the story’s setting and activity, then add relevant identity details. For example, search for “older Black woman working with colleagues,” “wheelchair user at a neighborhood market with a friend,” or “Latinx family cooking together at home.” These are query examples, not promises about what any library contains.
This approach helps you compare images that actually match the intended story. A person’s presence in a frame is not enough: the setting, role, activity, relationships, and point of view all affect what the image communicates. Getty’s toolkit encourages attention to how identities are represented, not merely whether they appear.
Evaluate whether an image feels authentic
- Check agency: Is the person making choices or participating in the activity, or are they simply positioned as a symbol of inclusion?
- Check plausibility: Do the setting, interaction, and details feel credible for the situation being depicted?
- Check the story: Does the image show the ordinary activity your story describes, or does it lean on a narrow, familiar trope?
- Check context: Does the portrayal make sense for the intended audience and location? Avoid treating “diverse” as one universal category.
For disability imagery, look beyond medical or inspirational tropes
Adobe’s guidance on representing disabled people in stock imagery recommends showing varied roles and everyday life—in settings such as home, school, work, and social activities—instead of defaulting to medical care, helplessness, or an “overcoming” narrative. Practical inaccuracies can also undermine a scene, such as a non-disabled model pretending to be disabled or an implausible mobility aid.
Andraéa LaVant, President and Chief Inclusion Specialist at LaVant Consulting, describes authentic representation as “depicting disabled people fully and wholly as human beings with rich, complicated, and valuable lives.” Adobe advises involving people with relevant lived experience as co-creators, consultants, editors, or models from the start of production. When assessing stock, look for the same signs of believable detail and full participation.
Compare libraries against the needs of your project
| What matters | Adobe Stock | Getty Images | Unsplash |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery | People & Diversity hub with themed browsing, including inclusive workplaces and diverse teams; photos, video, and other asset types. | DEI toolkit and collections organized around identity dimensions, with regional and intersectional context. | The cited license explains use terms; it does not establish a dedicated diversity discovery hub. |
| Licensing information established here | Adobe says assets can be licensed on its site or through Creative Cloud applications. Check the individual asset and current terms. | Getty provides licensing services; check the individual asset and current terms. | Free commercial and non-commercial use without permission or required attribution, subject to license restrictions. |
| Representation guidance | Detailed guidance on disability representation and involving people with relevant lived experience. | Identity-focused guidance emphasizes how identities are represented, regional context, and intersections. | The cited license sets usage terms, not editorial standards for representation. |
Use the library whose discovery tools and licensing workflow fit your project, but make the final choice image by image. Catalog categories are starting points, not a substitute for checking context and portrayal.
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A stock-photo license and an editorial judgment answer different questions. First establish that the asset’s terms allow your planned use; then review whether the image tells the story accurately and respectfully. Do not assume licenses from different providers are interchangeable. Check the current terms for the specific asset, along with any model- or property-release considerations and restrictions relevant to your use. Unsplash’s license, for example, expressly limits unmodified resale and use of its content to reproduce a competing service.
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