In this article I will be covering the following questions:
What are the benefits of using professional photography?
How do I get professional photos for my website?
How can I get high quality pictures for my website?
Where do web designers get their images?
Where can I buy pictures for my website?
Can I get free pictures for my website?
Can I use Google images on my website?
The benefits of using professional photography for websites:
Why should you hire a product photographer for your website?
Quality:
Today’s computers and smart phones have high-resolution screens. If your website or product photos are not the right resolution and size, they come out pixelated or looking bad.
As a professional photographer who shoots website photos, I help clients get the images they need in the proper size & resolution. This means their photos will look amazing on high-res screens and load quickly.
Credibility:
If you have an outdated website or bad graphics and photos, consumers are less likely to trust and do business with you.
High quality website photos provide instant credibility. It is an investment in your e-commerce success because they show you care about your business and the image you project.
Personalization:
Professional photography allows you the opportunity to personalize the user experience. Unlike stock photos which are generic for a broader range of purposes, professional images are created just for you.
Working with a photographer, you have control over what photos you want and how they will look. Using professional photography for your website allows each image to display your unique brand & personality.
Prestige:
When you use professional photography for your website, it separates you from the competition. Professional headshots of your employees, photos of your building/workspace and product photos of your offerings or service, help prospects get to know you.
Just as quality product photography helps increase sales, quality website photos help you gain more leads. It doesn’t matter if you are a solo entrepreneur, a small business or a large corporation, professional photos up your game. You will look more professional and that naturally adds to your prestige in business.
Cost Savings:
Spending money on product photos may not bring to mind savings – but they are. E-commerce businesses lose a lot of money when they get returns. Professional product images provide customers with a better visual understanding of what they are buying. This reduces return rates and saves your business’ profit margins.
Use Professional Photography On Your Website:
How do I get professional photos for my website?
It is simple. Hire a professional photographer. You may think this expense is a luxury, but it is actually an investment in your success.
Professional photographers have a trained eye to compose, light and take eye catching photographs.
They have the proper equipment and know how to use it to get the best pictures possible. Plus they understand how the eye can be directed to the main focus of your images.
You’ll find it easier on you and likely get better quality photographs than if you tried to do it yourself.
The right photos will bring you more sales and more leads. That increases profits making a return on your photography investment.
How can I get high quality pictures for my website?
There are three ways to get high quality images for your website.
1. Hire a professional website photographer.
2. Find an amateur photographer, student or freelancer.
Cheap photographers are everywhere. Some use their phone, others may have a low end entry camera and others may have a great one. The old saying is you get what you pay for. The photos may work, or they may not.
If you were to use Fiverr or Upwork to find a photographer, you may be working with someone overseas. While that doesn’t mean they are bad photographers, there may be misunderstandings. In some cases you may be working with a manager who relays information to the “photographer.”
3. Use stock photography.
Stock photography will provide you with high quality images for your website. There are so many stock photos available, you will likely find one that will meet your purpose.
Stock photos are fine for blog articles, and occasional use, but they don’t offer you a chance to express yourself, brand or business. Another downside to stock photography is that others also use it, so people may see the images on other sites, which can reflect badly on your company.
Three things you can’t use stock photography for, your headshots, your office/warehouse photos and your products.
Where do web designers get their images?
If you are using images provided by your web designer, they may be getting their images from multiple sources.
The designer may also be or know a photographer and is providing custom images. They may also be purchasing licenses for stock photos and using them on your website.
The website designers I work with usually recommend my services to their clients. This way, I communicate directly with the company and make certain they get the shots they want.
You can actually save on your design budget by planning your website photography first. This way you know what you want from the designer making their job a bit easier.
Where can I buy pictures for my website?
If you are looking for custom photos that represent your brand, you can reach out to me. Personalized photography for websites is not as cheap as stock photos, but as mentioned earlier it will define your company, helping you stand above the competition.
If you are looking for stock photos, here are some sources to check out:
PhotoDune is an Envato site that sells stock images and licensing at affordable rates. Images are usually available in different resolutions, so make sure to purchase the size you need. We will discuss photography licenses in the next article.
ShutterStock has multiple options for purchasing royalty-free stock photographs. With a huge inventory, you are sure to find a generic something that will fit your needs. You can either subscribe to the service if you use a lot of images, or can pay in advance for a set number of images.
At the high end of the spectrum, GettyImages has over 80 million photos to choose from. They are the largest stock image company online.
iStock also has a huge variety of licensable images available and is backed up by GettyImages.
Can I get free pictures for my website?
There are online resources for free stock photography. You will want to read their terms and conditions to make sure your use is covered.
Of the free online stock photography services, here are a couple of my favorites:
They have a wide variety of images you may use for free under their licenses. I definitely recommend giving the photographer credit on any photos used. They will give you the code and it is easy to do considering you get a free photo.
Free public domain images that are high quality and require no attribution link.
Flickr appeared on the web in 2004 and now has billions of images. Many of these images can be used as long as you give the original photographer credit.
A part of Flickr that has a huge archive of public domain images.
Another free image service that requires a backlink to the image to use them.
Can I use Google images on my website?
No. The images are generally copyrighted. You may try to reach out to the website owner to ask for permission to share a photograph on your website, but there is no guarantee they will allow this.
With the free sources for stock footage listed above, it is easier to go in that direction if you want to avoid spending money.
In conclusion:
Your website represents you or your company. If generic is fine, then stock photos may be the answer.
But for best results, nothing beats professional high-quality photography for websites.
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