Ask someone why they did not get in touch and they will never say “your photos were stock”. They do not consciously register it. But it affects the decision anyway.
What is actually happening
People are extremely good at spotting a staged photograph, even when they are not trying. The perfect lighting, the impossibly tidy desk, the group laughing at a laptop. It reads as generic, and generic reads as either new, small or not quite real.
There is a second, worse signal. Stock imagery implies there was nothing genuine worth photographing. That is rarely true, but it is the impression left behind.
What real photography does instead
- It proves you exist, with premises, people and actual work.
- It lets someone picture dealing with you, which shortens the distance before an enquiry.
- It makes you memorable, because your images belong to nobody else.
- It shows your standards, because how you present yourself hints at how you work.
The trust effect is strongest where the stakes are high
For a business selling a low risk product, stock does little harm. For a business asking someone to trust them with money, health, legal matters or their home, real photography is doing serious work. The more someone stands to lose, the more they want to see who they are dealing with.
When stock is genuinely fine
I am not going to pretend it is never appropriate.
- Abstract backgrounds and textures where no people are involved.
- Blog illustrations on general topics.
- Placeholders while you get real photography organised.
- Locations you genuinely cannot photograph yourself.
The rule of thumb is simple: anywhere a visitor is deciding whether to trust you, that image should be real. Homepage, about page, team, services. Elsewhere you have more latitude.
You need fewer images than you think
People imagine hundreds of photographs. In practice a focused half day usually produces enough for a year: a few portraits, some working shots, a handful of details and spaces. Used well, that covers your website, proposals and social media without repeating itself obviously.
If you are unsure what you would even need, that is a normal place to start from. Ask me and I will tell you honestly what would be worth photographing.
Thinking about photography that looks like your actual business?
Take a look at brand photography with Wildmoor, or get in touch and tell me what you need.