Overused Stock Photography?

[Kyle Lacy]

Question to the SI members.

Does overused stock photography ruin a website?
We all know what overused stock photography is... don't pretend like you haven't seen that girl sitting on the couch or holding a phone 500 times!

Does it take away anything for a piece?

[Hazel "The Queen" Walker]

Do you mean Over used FREE Stock Photos...........it really depends to the creative fashion they use it.

[Rae Kridel]

I prefer, of course, to hire a photographer and get good custom photos, but if it comes down to bad photos that are out of focus, with bad lighting that they took with their 5 year old digital camera, yeah, I'll steer them toward stock photos. I only use free stuff from MS if the client has no budget at all or they'd prefer I use free ones if possible, but they're the same tired photos you see everywhere.

I use istockphoto.com very regularly. I can find beautiful, creative stuff on there for as little as 1 credit (about $1.23). They also allow you multiple search terms so you can zone in more quickly on what you're looking for, something that drives me crazy about MS. Try searching for an African American business owner, when the only search term that brings up results is "person."

I maintain a lightbox on istockphoto for each client and another extra one, just for stuff I see that catches my eye, in case I have a use for it later. They also have a free stock photo available for download that changes weekly, so I can get photos large enough for a double truck for free. I may not use it, but you never know. Sometimes it's the perfect thing I'm looking for.

[Brandon R. Lott]

Ya, I think you should change it up to that awesome new photo I saw on your profile. You know the one in the comments area!

[Lalita Amos]

Given the fact that one can pay premium prices or go for the legitimate and free (or the I-pulled-it-off-another-site-and-hope-they-don't-notice route), what I think people are trying to get at is the power of image to capture the imagination.

Ruining a website? I think a bad pic can do more to keep eyeballs on a site than the best text-heavy content. Still, we're in the Wild West of ideas and intellectual property and it will be a while before all the key concepts about legitimacy, need, etc. (in a global marketplace with differing needs and standards of fair use) all surface and begin to be resolved or we realize that the djinn is outta the bottle and ain't going back no matter how comfy those pillows are.

Really good question, Kyle!

[Noah Coffey]

Definitely, "overused" stock ruins a website.

Stock photography used well can enhance a website and help anchor content and convey ideas easily. Of course, you need to know you're industry. Make sure you aren't using the same tired photos that everyone else is.

Custom photography by a professional is always preferred. However, I still consider sites like iStockPhoto.com a valuable tool. However, it is easy to see how often certain photos on that site have been downloaded. This can help you gauge if a certain photo is being over used.

[Rae Kridel]

Seeing which photos on there are frequently downloaded is kind of fun. There will be two right next to each other, same photographer, same subject, but framed slightly differently. One will have flames on it (a "hot" download) and the other one, hardly any. And it's not like one is more aesthetically perfect than the other, it's a case of people saying "Well, more people chose that one, so it must be the better photo. I'd better get that one too."

I've used Big Stock Photo, PunchStock, stock.xchng and StockXpert as well, though I almost always get better images on iStockphoto.

[Amy Stark]

My least favorite overused stock photography is the "business man handshake." It truly should NEVER be used again!

[Rae Kridel]

Unfortunately, I've been asked by a client to use this (or the women shaking hands variation) several times. If the workshop is for networking, it kind of gets that point across, but I agree, I really would love to use a hip illustration about networking instead, but the client thought it was too vague.

[matthew w. wilson]

yes.

that is my response to that.

[Robby Cooper]

The problem with stock photography is it's made with no real intention other than appealing to as many people as possible. This leads to bland images that do nothing to communicate the personality of an organization. The look and feel of an organization should be unique and resonate with stake-holders. When you try to connect with everybody, you end up connecting with nobody.