Use Google Search tools and set the time range to recent
Add keywords like “real photo”, “photography”, “camera”, or the subject plus “site:instagram.com” or “site:flickr.com”
Exclude common AI terms with minus signs, such as -ai -generated -midjourney -stable-diffusion -dall-e
Search for specific camera models, lenses, locations, or events
Prefer results from trusted domains like news sites, museum sites, stock photo sites, and photographer portfolios
Check image metadata when available
Look for unnatural details such as distorted hands, text, reflections, or inconsistent lighting
Reverse image search suspicious images
Compare multiple images from the same source for consistency
Use Google Lens and inspect visually similar results
Search with terms like “behind the scenes”, “making of”, or “original photo”
Filter by usage rights only if needed, not as a quality signal
Avoid broad searches with generic prompts or art-style keywords
Search in quotes for exact phrases tied to real-world subjects
Add location names, dates, and event names to narrow results
Open the source page instead of relying only on thumbnails
Sort by relevance rather than newest when looking for authentic sources
Use search operators like OR to include real-photo terms and exclude AI terms at the same time