Images and the Web
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Custom Photography vs Stock Photography
Any website can rise, or fall, based on the quality of the images it uses. It’s vital to your website that you do your utmost to get the use of images right. Recently, I was developing a website for a client. During the design phase our team struggled to engage with the site's appearance, until a coworker swapped out the main homepage image with a stunning, high quality shot that shifted our motivations and breathed new life into the project. The focus isn’t that the site wasn’t designed intuitively, the emotional response that is typically only invoked the moment people visit a site and experience its visual content was simply absent.
Websites that use imagery well can market and sell any broad range of products or ideas. Lifestyles, ideals or industry pain points - images can illustrate the tone and features of a product in a fraction of the time that it would take well written copy. A clear, well shot image is the single best way of ‘selling from a distance’.
Getting the experience just right means taking some stylistic decisions into consideration. High quality shots might seem like a no-brainer, but as with any form of marketing online, the ‘voice’ of these images must be consistent with your brand’s, so light, composition, filters, and more will inform the audience of what type of company you are and will fully define the experience.
Now is the time to decide which direction to take, and that means deciding on whether to use custom shots or stock photography. One might argue that stock photography is generic and should be avoided, but not everyone can afford a custom photo shoot, and that’s not always a bad thing.
Stock Photography
When opting for stock photography, spend some time sifting through images to align the photographers vision with your own. Though this may mean digging through a seemingly endless stream of images, not being a part of the photo shoot means spending more time hunting for what’s ideal.
Be wary while you search! The nature of stock imagery is to be broad in its envisioned purpose, which can make these photos seem generic. Ask yourself how many times you’ve seen the photo of a businessman leaping through a field with his laptop in hand. Watching your competitors will save you from mimicking their visual decisions, and focusing on the purpose of an image will ensure that you don't publish any that are slightly out of line with your brand’s message. Try to strike a balance between both.
Images convey a relationship between the real world and your company. If you select a beautiful shot that doesn’t align with your brand, then you will confuse a strong visual connection between your brand and the viewer.
Custom Photo Shoot
Remember that hiring a photographer for a custom shoot does not always guarantee an output of incredible images. A photographer’s equipment, style, and experience have a great deal to do with the end result, as does your involvement and direction. There’s no magic wand here - research a photographer’s portfolio and make calculated hires, and always take part in the process. This is the best way to establish a shared vision.
Once you’ve established a vision, work to keep things consistent and unified. This will create a familiar feeling across your website and its galleries, so try to reign in your creative spark just far enough that things aren’t looking visually scattered. Consider Reebok’s website. Notice that although the locations vary, each photo is an action shot that include workouts, sports, and interactions with the product - all of them portraying movement and energy.
One note to consider when determining the financial viability of either option: although stock images can be cheaper, when you consider licensing fees, the cost of high resolution images (the kind you’ll want) or seeking out exclusive rights to an image, you’ll find that the costs of stock come closer and closer to those of a custom shoot. There may never be complete parity in costs, but for some organizations, unique galleries are worth the extra costs.
In the end, every company is different and their marketing requirements vary. Some have taken to relying solely on mobile photography to fulfill their needs, others still lean on conventional methods. What truly matters is your commitment to deciding appropriately. Great quality shots can be found or created, but they are all lacking impact without direction and an audience that will understand and appreciate them for how they speak to your aspirations. Always choose these emotional triggers strategically.
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