At Alamy, diversity, equity and inclusion is at the forefront of our business. We have the power to showcase a truly representative world. The world that we live in.
We want to ensure that our contributors are well equipped to submit diverse and inclusive content to provide our customers an accurate collection of images. It’s important that contributors are up to date with current wording, as this helps customers to trust the content they’re seeing, but also to help them find images easier using this wording.
Language
When keywording, People-first language should be used. Using People-first language helps to eliminate any stereotypes and focuses on the person as an individual.
Here are some examples of using People-first language.
- Rather than saying, ‘suffers from hearing loss’ – say ‘person who has hearing loss’.
- Rather than saying, ‘handicapped restroom’ – say ‘accessible restroom’.
- Rather than saying, ‘(the) handicapped or disabled’ – say ‘person with disability’.
Here are some examples of images using People-first language:
Man with a disability using his smartphone while sitting outdoors
Portrait of contemporary tattooed woman with disability listening to music while relaxing at home
Smiling woman who is deaf and man using sign language
What to avoid
It’s vitally important to avoid assuming anything about the subject in an image. Whether it be race, sexuality or disability etc. Our customers are looking for accurate captions and tags, so only enter information if it’s confirmed by the individual or trusted person.
Another one to note; if you aren’t sure on where an individual is from, don’t add multiple tags to reflect this. For example, a model cannot be from multiple countries in Asia. If customers aren’t able to have this information verified, they will simply use another image where the information is clear and correct.
See the examples below of well-keyworded images, that cover ethnicity, sexuality and disability:
Portrait of African male looking at camera. African man with beard and spiky hair style isolated on black background
Happy homosexual couple nuzzling nose to nose standing in city
Happy mother embracing son with disability at home
When keywording, you must use non-offensive language. We have a team that will remove any images from the site if deemed to be inappropriate, objectionable or defamatory etc.
Like our society, language is always evolving. Seek continual learning about the meaning of words and how groups self-identify.
To avoid objectification, identify a group or an individual as a member of a group only when it is relevant to the subject of the content.
Editorial and Historical Content
On Alamy we have a large collection of material that reflects different cultures and time periods within a historical timeline. We’re aware that the material may contain language or subjects that would be deemed as inappropriate today, but are reflective of the language and values at the time the image was created. It’s possible that images might need historical context for information purposes, however personal opinions on editorial content should be avoided.
Links for more guidance
For more advice on inclusive language there is a comprehensive guide here.
For further guidance on about captioning and tagging your photos for Alamy visit this page on the Alamy blog.
If you have any feedback, please email us at contributors@alamy.com