When it comes to using images on your website, the option of whether to use stock photos or original images arises. This article will weigh and explore the pros and cons of using stock photos or original images, helping you decide what is the most beneficial for your website.
Stock Images
Stock images are already-existing, easily accessible photographs on the internet. They are captured by professional photographers and graphic designers in various niches for use in commercial and personal projects.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- High quality – Stock Images are high quality images that have a professional appearance as they are shot or made by experts who have proven photography and/or graphic design skills, allowing for a polished finish.
- Large variety of options – There are massive databases full of stock photos where you can access millions of pictures ensuring you are not limited to a specific genre, location, or style.
Cons:
- Not exclusive – stock images are accessible to everyone, resulting in a chance that the image you selected may have been selected by a competing brand, making it difficult for target customers to differentiate your brand.
- Lack creativity – stock images are created to accustom a variety of different scenarios as there is no project in mind. This can make it hard to convey your brands message through these images.
Original Images
As the name implies, original images are created or shot exclusively for your brand by professional photographers or graphic designers.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Unique: having someone create an original image for you brand allows free use of the image as you are the copyright holder, thus meaning no other brand can use these images without permission, enabling you to showcase your product in a unique manner.
- Freedom of use: stock images often restrict the use of the same pictures on multiple platforms. An example being the rights-managed license of stock photos limiting the use of the same photo on different platforms and even geological locations. However, this is not the case with an original image as the image belongs to the copyright holder allowing freedom of use.
Cons:
- Costly: Professional and personalised images compared to stock images can be expensive, with the cost adding up depending on the number of photos, props and the quality of equipment used.
- Time consuming: Whether you have hired a professional photographer or done a DIY shoot, in both cases, there will be a lot of work to do. While a professional will know exactly how to carry out a shoot, feedback and input will still be required. Additionally, if you decide to take the images yourself, you'll need to organise, plan, and prepare the setup so that it effectively conveys your brand message
In Conclusion
The decision between original images and stock images ultimately depends on several variables, including the brand requirements, time constraints, and budget. When you are on a budget and have limited time, stock images are typically a better option. They are also perfect when you need to illustrate ideas that are difficult for you to capture using your own resources.
However, for concepts that can't be accurately conveyed by stock photos, it's best to use original images. For instance, professional photography is essential when it comes to images of your team or products. In many cases, marketers use both their original images and stock images to fill in visual gaps on their websites.
