Visuals are an important tool for effective business communication these days. What’s more, people stock photos can be a useful and convenient tool for brand owners, creators, and marketers. Professionally captured or digitally generated pictures of people aim to deliver specific messages and emotions, helping brands connect with their audiences.
Read further to explore the essence of such visuals, their benefits for businesses, and the top trends shaping their use in 2025.
Discover licensed stock images on Depositphotos to source top-quality visual content featuring people for your business needs
What exactly are people stock photos?
People stock photos are either professionally captured or digitally generated visuals. These photos are already licensed for various types of use, such as marketing, advertising, editorial content, and personal projects. Their goal is to visually communicate specific messages, emotions, or concepts so creators or businesses can efficiently use them in their content. The popularity of such visuals is strongly supported by numbers: by 2032, the stock images market is expected to reach $12.2 billion.
How can businesses benefit from using people stock pictures in 2025?
Businesses of all sizes can use people stock pictures in their commercial projects. Here are the main benefits of such visuals:
- They enhance brand authenticity. Using images of people allows businesses to create content that resonates with their target audience and reflects their demographics and values. This, in turn, strengthens brand loyalty.
- They help save costs and time. Stock people pictures can be used instantly after download. This helps businesses save time (especially if they operate in a fast-paced industry) and also reduces the need for costly custom photoshoots.
- They are inclusive and diverse. In 2025, stock libraries are filled with visuals that represent different ethnicities, genders, ages, body types, and physical abilities.
- They are a good option for global campaigns. Many stock image platforms offer region-specific pictures that businesses can use to create culturally appropriate marketing materials for international audiences.
- They can help you improve your digital marketing performance. Bold, visually appealing images can boost clicks, shares, and engagement on social media. Furthermore, websites with high-quality, relevant images also attract more visitors and perform better in search engine rankings.
- They help your brand marketing be sustainable and ethical. Large-scale photoshoots require lots of resources and are less sustainable than using stock images of people. Stock platforms also offer ethically sourced images, ensuring proper compensation for creators and avoiding exploitation.
- They are easily adaptable. You can use such visuals on websites, social media, email campaigns, presentations, and print media. You can also edit and adapt them to fit the unique aesthetic and messaging of your brand.
Main trends of people stock images in 2025
Just like any other form of content, stock images of people have their specific trends, largely influenced by global tendencies. Keeping these tendencies in mind is essential for businesses that want to create relevant content.
The trends for 2025 are the following:
Authenticity and inclusivity
Currently, there’s a high demand for images that showcase genuine and diverse people in real-life scenarios. This tendency is driven by the rapid development of AI-generated visuals. And although AI-generated content is a separate trend, many users still seek relatable, authentic, non-AI-generated photos that resonate with viewers on a deeper level.
Retro and vintage aesthetics
People have always had a thing for nostalgia, but it’s the eras that differ. In 2025, the dominating aesthetics represent styles from the 1990s and early 2000s. If your audience longs for the past, you can make the most out of this trend and choose visuals that evoke a sense of nostalgia.
AI surrealism
AI-generation tools become more common and widely used today. For instance, in 2024, the number of Midjourney users exceeded 19 million. This, in turn, led to the rise of AI-generated pictures in stock content libraries. Such visuals are usually a blend of reality with fantastical elements. They are unique, imaginative, and stand out in various media contexts.
Bold and bright colors
Another trend of 2025 is high-contrast images with vibrant color schemes. These are eye-catching and can, therefore, be particularly effective in digital marketing and social media, where capturing attention quickly is crucial.
Inclusive representation of older people
There’s also an increasing effort to authentically portray senior adults in stock images, showcasing them as active, tech-savvy, and engaged in various aspects of life as they currently are. The intention is to combat ageism and appeal to a growing demographic that holds significant economic influence.
Immersive photography
Such visuals make viewers feel like they’re part of a scene. They offer a first-person perspective of various activities—for instance, enjoying a meal, walking through a bustling city, or participating in outdoor adventures. They are highly effective in campaigns that aim to inspire action or empathy.
To sum up
People stock photos can be a powerful tool for storytelling, marketing, and engagement. Using them in 2025 can help businesses enhance authenticity, save resources, and align with inclusive and sustainable practices. That’s why it’s so important to keep up with current trends—doing so allows brands to create compelling content that resonates with diverse audiences.
