I don’t care how awesome your brand design may be…the wrong photography choices can kill your whole website’s aesthetic. Like dead in its tracks. Seriously, I can’t tell you how happy I get when a new website client comes to me with solid photos because I know it’s going to make the design pop even more. The good news is that you don’t have to be a master photographer to have awesome website photos. I’m going to give you a primer on the types of photos you should consider, what makes them stand out, and how to get your hands on them…you know, so your website will shine like the star you are!

Custom Brand Photography

I’m just going to say it. Custom brand photography should be the aspiration of all brands. Custom brand photography is shot and edited by a professional photographer and is the pictorial view of how you want people to perceive your brand. The most common types of custom brand photography are images of you, your team, your environment, candid shots of you working, etc. These types of photos are great because it humanizes and personalizes your brand even more. But the key to really great custom brand photography is having a creative direction that aligns with the overall aesthetic of your brand, so you always want to make sure you’re on the same page with your photographer about ideas and inspiration. For example, if you have a very casual and down-to-earth brand (and brand design), you don’t want photos that portray you or your environment in an overly rigid or professional light. Ideally, when you work with a photographer, you’ll get a decent sized library of images that can be used both on your website and as a stockpile for social media posts. And it’s always best practice to refresh your photos throughout the year if your budget allows for it.

Bonus: Go beyond the expected shots of you sitting on a couch with coffee or at a desk with your computer and opt for photos that are more creative, develop intrigue, and further your brand story a bit.

Stock Photography

Don’t let the so-called experts and influencers in marketing make you feel “less than” if you aren’t able to hire a custom brand photographer right now – maybe it’s a budget constraint, your business is in transition, or your brand is visually minimalistic. If that’s the case, stock photography can be a great alternative for you if your selections are carefully curated and aligned with your brand’s overall creative direction. Stock photos are also great supplements to your library of custom brand photos, but proceed with caution because your website design can easily turn cheesy and look disjointed if you don’t carefully curate the images. Your website designer should be able to source stock photos for your website to keep within a cohesive aesthetic – sometimes free, sometimes a paid license – so don’t feel pressure to find a bunch of images on your own. Just keep in mind that if you’re buying a lot of stock photos, it might make more sense to put that money towards a custom brand photo shoot, so be smart about how you’re using your budget.

Bonus: Work with your custom brand designer to develop an articulated creative direction for the style and subject matter you want to portray in your images – this is beneficial regardless of whether you hire a custom photographer or use stock images.

Product Photography

If you own a product-based business, the quality of your product photos will either make you look like a legitimate business or a hobby huckster. That’s some tough love, but truth. Your product photos will make a difference in whether someone 1.) finds your products desirable and 2.) trusts you enough to buy from you. There’s a lot that goes into great product photography – backgrounds, lighting, props, editing, not to mention eye for composition – so your best and easiest bet is to work with a product photographer. But if that’s not in your budget right now, you can start by learning to take simple product photography on your own – it’ll just take some time and practice…and if you’re on the fence about the quality of your photo, don’t use it. Regardless of who takes the photos, you’ll want multiple pictures for each product: a simple photo of the product from multiple angles and staged/stylized photos to help your audience imagine how the product is used or how it will make them feel. And consistency is key – there’s nothing worse than a hodge-podge of product photos styles and sizes on your shop page.

Tip: If you take your own product photos, don’t try to get too fancy. Keep it simple with a solid background (or removed the background) and focus on good lighting and coloring.

Just like brand design and website design are their own worlds of expertise, so is photography and there are multiple ways to skin the cat. But the common denominator is that you don’t want to wing it or settle for “okay” when it comes to the photos you use on your website. If you choose to work with me, I’ll keep you on the right path – whether it’s creative direction for your brand or building your website with the right eye for your brand’s photography. Have a project you need help with? Let’s talk!