Stock vs. Custom Photos: What’s Best for Your Brand’s Identity and Marketing Success?

If you’ve ever had to search for the perfect stock photo to represent your brand, you know the feeling of frustration and disappointment from seeing generic photography. Imagine having visuals that capture your brand’s identity and instantly resonate with your audience. This article will show you when stock photos are a good, quick fix and when custom images will be necessary to tell your brand’s story. 

What’s the difference between stock photos and custom photography?

What are Stock Photos?

Stock photos are pre-captured images that cover a wide range of subjects, but they’re generic and not tailored to your business. This makes them appear to be suitable for any company or industry. These images are available for licensing and use by anyone. Websites like Shutterstock, Adobe Stock and iStock are popular sources for stock photography. Users can purchase and download them for specific uses like website content, social media and even print advertising. The average cost for a stock photo is between $1 and $15, depending on the quality, licensing type and subscription model. 

What are Custom Photos?

Custom business photography captures a company’s team, location, customers, products, and culture. These images will foster a stronger connection with your audience. Buyers that see real visuals of your business are more likely to engage with your brand and choose your services.

To receive custom images of your brand, it’ll involve hiring a photographer and planning a photoshoot. Custom photography will provide the company with exclusive usage of their images. No other company will have access to them and they’re designed to fit the brand’s style and unique offerings. 

Considerations When Choosing Business Photos

Budget

Let’s talk about the cost of photography. Stock photos are typically cheaper than custom images if you need a small quantity. They range between a few dollars per download to almost $300 for commercial licensing and high-resolution downloads.

On the flip side, custom photography is a bigger investment upfront, but has a much longer shelf life. You’ll end up paying for a photographer’s time, expertise and possibly even a studio and models. The images are based on your products and services and are yours to use exclusively.

Time

If you’re in a time crunch, stock photos will be a great option. If they’re needed immediately, they’re available at the click of a button.

Custom photos take more time. You need to plan a photoshoot, organize the details and wait for the images to be edited. If you plan ahead, custom photos can be an incredible investment. 

Brand Identity

Your brand’s identity is what sets you apart from competitors. Custom photos are a tool that can contribute to a consistent and specific brand image. When your visuals align with your brand’s colors, style and offerings, you provide the consumer with more opportunities for brand recognition. 

While stock photos may appear professional in quality, they may not always align with your brand’s visual identity. Using generic imagery can cause your messaging to be less impactful and more cookie-cutter.

Authenticity

Modern marketing tactics require you to be authentic to stand out. Consumers are incredibly quick to identify stock photos. Custom photos show the user genuine moments, people and products. Being willing to show many aspects of your business creates a feeling of transparency and trust.

With stock photos, you will often showcase a professional appearance. But oftentimes that can feel staged and overly polished, especially if the image is used by multiple brands. 

Legal Issues

Downloading stock images is a process that needs to be by-the-book, especially when used for marketing purposes. Most platforms will provide a range of licenses, from personal use, attribution-required use, and commercial use. A photo that requires commercial licensing can be a large investment, depending on the photographer. Ensuring the correct license will help prevent legal issues. 

With custom photography, usage rights will be determined by the photographer. Typically, companies will receive usage rights, while the photographer will retain copyright. Full ownership of images may require an additional fee.

Pros and Cons of Stock and Custom Photos

Stock Photos

• The Benefits of Stock Photography
  • Generally cheaper than a custom photoshoot.
  • Quick to find and download.
  • High-quality and often shot by professionals. 
• The Disadvantages of Stock Photos
  • Often used by multiple businesses.
  • Can’t always be tailored to specific needs.
  • May not fully represent your brand.
  • Discrepancies in style that can cause inconsistencies in your content.

Custom Photos

• The Benefits of Custom Photography
  • Completely original and exclusive to your brand.
  • Taken with your specific vision in mind to narrate your brand’s unique story and values.
  • Authentic, personal, and custom to you.
  • Shows accurate culture and people.
  • Better for talent recruitment to show genuine staff members.
• The Disadvantages of Custom Photos
  • More expensive due to hiring photographers, models, and other resources.
  • Require time for planning, shooting, and editing.
  • Creating a large volume can be challenging and expensive.

Is Custom Photography Worth it?

Choosing between stock and custom photos isn’t always a simple decision. It depends on your brand’s needs, budget, timeline and business goals.

If your business wants to show your employees, products and the services you offer, consider custom images. They will provide brand alignment, transparency and cohesion throughout your branding, which is especially important for niche markets.

Work with WhiteBox Marketing

If you’re still unsure, reach out to WhiteBox Marketing to explore whether professional photography is the right choice for your business. Our team can guide you with insights tailored to your specific goals. We recommend doing regularly-scheduled shoots to keep your brand seasonally appropriate and to continue building on your library of valuable assets. Our approach includes providing you with a tool kit to use your photos in a variety of ways, multi-layered into your marketing and media. Let’s get started!