Stock photo or real images? Why the cheaper solution can be expensive
- Helene Clara Gamper
- Dec 8, 2025
- 3 min read
You need images for your website, a brochure, or social media. The discussion quickly descends into the seemingly simple question: "Should we use a stock photo or have our own photos taken?" At first glance, the answer seems clear: Stock photos are cheaper, readily available, and available in countless variations. But while they save money in the short term, the hidden costs often only become apparent later. Authenticity, trust, and recognizability can't be bought – they must be developed individually.
The problem with stock photos
Stock photos are a double-edged sword. They're practical, quick to use, and available in seconds on platforms like Adobe Stock, iStockphoto, or Shutterstock. But that's precisely their biggest problem: They're interchangeable.
Lack of uniqueness: The same image appears on hundreds of websites. A photo intended to highlight your team's expertise on your homepage might also be on a competitor's site – or even worse, on the website of a company in a completely different industry.
Lack of authenticity: Customers nowadays recognize stock photos very quickly. The overly perfect faces, posed scenes, and sterile lighting all seem, well, staged. The result: your brand appears less approachable and less trustworthy.
Risk of unreliability: Imagine you're looking for a local provider of crafts or consulting services and come across a website with obviously staged stock photos. Would you immediately trust them? Probably not.
In short: stock photos serve a visual function, but they don't tell a real story about your company.
The advantages of real photos
Your own photos are more than just a nice-to-have. They're a strategic branding tool.
Uniqueness: Real images show your company, your employees, and your way of working. They are distinctive and cannot be copied by any competitor.
Emotional impact: Customers respond more strongly to authentic content. A real team photo creates closeness and trust – something a posed stock image can never achieve.
High recognition: Individual imagery provides a visual thread. Recurring scenes, places, or people become memorable and strengthen the brand identity.
Employer branding: Authentic photos are crucial, especially in recruiting. Applicants want to see how the real work environment looks like – not a generic smile from a stock database.
Our employer branding client Spedination knew this and implemented it perfectly. A photo shoot in a real-life setting with real people at work produced perfect images for the website and brochures:
In addition to 180% revenue growth after just one year, Spedination also receives ten to fifteen applications per week without having to spend any money on job advertisements. You see: professionalism and authenticity pay off.
Cost vs. benefit
Yes, a professional photoshoot costs more than a few stock licenses. But it's an investment in your brand that pays off.
Short-term cost savings: Stock photos may seem inexpensive at first glance, but they cause losses in the long run because they reduce trust and credibility.
Long-term ROI: Once professionally created, photos can be used for years across various channels – website, social media, print, and recruiting. They increase recognition, trust, and ultimately conversion.
And this isn't just theory: Studies and practical tests show that real photos almost always convert better than generic stock images. A study by CXL clearly showed that authentic images achieve higher click and conversion rates – because users respond to people and scenes that appear believable.
Best practices for using photos
Develop a strategic visual language: Define during the branding process (included in our branding work for our clients) which emotions your photos should convey (e.g., closeness, professionalism, dynamism). This must be documented in a corporate design manual (which we also include in our branding work for our clients).
Ensure consistency: Work with clear guidelines for perspective, color schemes, and image composition. This makes your brand distinctive.
A mix of authenticity and professionalism: Authentic doesn't mean random. Good images appear real, but are carefully staged – with appropriate lighting, surroundings, and composition.
Grids & Recognition: As with logos, grids and rules help with images. This ensures consistent visual language across all channels.
Conclusion
Stock photos are quick, inexpensive, and convenient – but they cost you trust, credibility, and recognition in the long run. Real images, on the other hand, create authenticity, set you apart from the competition, and directly contribute to your brand identity. The difference is clear: While stock photos can seem arbitrary and mean anything, your own photos tell your story. And that's exactly what customers like and ultimately convinces them to buy into a brand.
Are you planning a photoshoot for your brand – or would you like to have your existing imagery reviewed for authenticity and consistency? We can help you develop a customized visual language that builds trust and makes your brand distinctive. Feel free to contact us.