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This photo is the first result on Unsplash for “Unsplash.” It is carefully edited, the rich brown photos on the phone perfectly poised and in quiet contrast to the vibrant green of manicured grass. It is poetic, filled with clean lines and a delicate flow. In many ways, it is art, the farthest thing from the brightly lit halls and awkward poses of stock images.
And yet, it is becoming stock.
Unsplash started as a way for people to share their pictures so that the rest of us could use their images for free, while still providing an easy way to credit the photographer. Over time, Unsplash added more rules on how their photos can be used, struggling to balance artist rights with the changing needs of free internet usage. They controlled content and streamlined their repository.
Now, technically Unsplash pictures have always been stock. “Stock photos” are defined as photos licensed for specific uses, whether in the public domain or rights-managed. Usually, stock photos require licenses to use and are taken in as generic a way as possible so they can be sold to as many companies as possible. But within the writing industry, you’ll hear a common refrain: “Don’t use stock; use Unsplash” and what they mean is “I can’t bear to see one more hyperlit…
