[FAQ]

My team and I are building out our new website, and we’re debating our approach to photography. The easy route is to use high-quality stock photos—it’s fast, affordable, and the images look professional.

However, something feels a bit off about it. I worry that our site will end up looking generic and just like our competitors who use the same stock sites. My gut tells me that custom photography of our actual team and office would be more impactful, but it’s a significant investment of time and money.

I need some solid arguments to make a case for it. Besides just “looking unique,” what are the real, tangible benefits of using authentic photos over stock ones? Does it actually affect trust or conversion rates?

What are your thoughts?

[Jeff Bullas]

Your gut feeling is spot on; this choice has a huge impact on how your brand is perceived.

Short Answer: Real photos are better because they build trust and authenticity, which stock photos simply cannot. They show your actual products, people, and culture, creating a genuine connection with your audience.

It’s the difference between showing your customers who you are versus showing them a generic idea of what you are.

Investing in authentic photography provides several tangible benefits over using stock images. First, and most importantly, real photos build trust; showing your actual team, office, and products proves you are a legitimate operation and makes your business feel more human and relatable. Second, custom images give you complete control over your brand storytelling, allowing you to create a visual narrative that communicates your unique values and culture in a way that generic stock photos never can. Finally, using original images can offer a minor SEO advantage, as search engines can recognise that your visual content is unique and not duplicated across hundreds of other websites. The crucial thing to remember, however, is that a low-quality, unprofessional real photo can be far more damaging than a high-quality stock photo, so the investment in authenticity must also be an investment in quality.

Cheers,

[Author]

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