How To Get The Best Photos For Your Website

How to Get the Best Photos for Your Website

Did you know that images have an enormous impact on things like website traffic and bounce rates? Blog posts with images get significantly more traction than those without. But where can you get fantastic images for your website? That’s what well discuss here.

You’ve probably heard or used the adage “A picture is worth a thousand words” many times. It refers to the notion that a complex idea can be conveyed with just a single image. It also aptly characterizes one of the main goals of visualization, namely making it possible to absorb large amounts of data quickly.

• The expression “Use a picture. It’s worth a thousand words.” appears in a 1911 newspaper article (Syracuse Post Standard, page 18, March 28, 1911) quoting newspaper editor Arthur Brisbane discussing journalism and publicity. Its origin is thought to be Chinese or Japanese. Maybe it was coined by Confucius? In other words, nobody really knows its origin.

Well, selecting photos for your post or website, you should established a visual tone which captivates your visitor. You’re not simply presenting photos, you’re providing visitors with a fantastic experience, one that is visually informative, appealing, engaging and that brings about results.

But just where will you acquire these wonderful photographs for your website? Well the best places to get them are typically;

• stock photo websites,
• take them yourself, or
• hire a professional photographer to take them for you.

Each solution has its advantages and disadvantages. To help you make your decision concerning which path to adopt, I’ve produced the following guide to assist you sourcing the most effective photographs for your website.

Stock Photos

“Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.”, Henri Cartier-Bresson

Selecting Stock Photos: Advantages

• Lots of photos taken by professional photographers.
• Many amazing and visually appealing shots you could never take yourself.
• Hundreds of categories covering every subject matter.
• Finding photos on stock photo websites is quick and easy.
• Relatively affordable (some are free).

Whilst there are some excellent stock photos available, there are also some pretty terrible one out there.

Selecting Stock Photos: Disadvantages

• If you have a specialist subject you may not find applicable or relevant photos on stock image sites.
• Vague or obscure photos may confuse your audience.
• The same photos tend to be used by everyone.
• Stock photos can hurt your brand image by making it look like you don’t care about your marketing.
• May require a link crediting the supplier.

If you want quality photos, you need a royalty-free stock photo site such as Shutterstock. If you cannot find your ideal photo there, try one of these premier, free royalty-free image sites. Given this selection of photo sites you’re bound to fulfil your photo requirements.

Example Stock Photo Images

These are just a few of the thousands of images available in stock image sites. There’s a plethora of stunning imagery to incorporate on your website. Just remember to credit them under their free commercial use policy where required.

 

 

 

Taking Your Own Photos

Taking Your Own Photos: Advantages

• You have full control.
• You can edit them on your own time to make them as alluring as possible to buyers.
• You don’t have to be super-artistic to take your own shots but a keen eye does help.
• The photos you take can also be used to promote your services on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook or more visual-themed sites like Instagram and Pinterest.
• You’ll get better and better the more photographs you take so gaining a new, invaluable skill.

Taking Your Own Photos: Disadvantages

• It can take a lot of your time.
• Learning how to use certain cameras and their various accessories can be a bit tricky.
• Taking your own pictures is no guarantee you’ll end up with images you’ll like and want to use on your website.
• You could end up spending valuable time learning how to shoot like the pros.

If you decide to forgo stock images altogether and produce your own images, Just remember, this hands-on approach requires you to learn the basics of photography, so be prepared to comb how-to sites and manuals so you can shoot like the pros. If you do like taking photos and want to be different, take a look at, trick photography and special effects. Needless, to say I think it’s a fantastic book for us budding photographers.

Tips for Taking Photos

Reduce editing: To reduce the amount of editing needed for your photos, carefully frame the subject matter before pressing the button. Don’t cut peoples arms, legs, feet or even heads off. Take careful note of what’s in the background and don’t have telegraph poles or other features protruding where they are not required. Shoot at as high quality as your camera can manage then resize the pictures for the web afterwards.

Lighting and location: Take the time of day into consideration. Many pros say taking photos in the early morning or evening is best on sunny days, as it offers premium conditions and affords them plenty of time to get the right shots. Use the sun to brighten the subject and make every facet of it visible and appealing. Capture the best view to start with, this may mean moving, waiting for the weather to change or coming back at a different time.

Take lots of photos: With the advent of the digital camera it costs you nothing to take a hundred photos and throw ninety-nine away. The more you take, the better the odds are that you’ll end up with at least a few top-notch shots to showcase on your new website.

Photo Editing Software

If you want professional-looking photos you’ll need to use image editing software to adjust the lighting, brightness, contrast and other aspects of your photos. Numerous photo editing applications exist, If you’re shooting on a smartphone, you could invest in apps that allow you to seamlessly shoot and edit within seconds.

GIMP (Win/OS X/Linux)

GIMP (Gnu Image Manipulation Program) is usually the default go-to for anyone looking for a Photoshop alternative. It comes with an impressive stack of tools that can be bewildering for first timers.

Fortunately, you’ll find a lots of tutorials and resources on the Web to help you dig deeper into the software and it will not take long before you’re manipulating images like a pro. Best of all, GIMP is completely free.

Pixlr (Web)

If you just need basic image editing on the go then Pixlr will probably meet your editing needs. It’s completely free and browser-based, so runs online from anywhere-you can load in an image from your computer, or point it directly to a URL anywhere on the Web.

Pixlr is not just one of the best online image editors, it’s also one of the best Web-based applications I’ve seen.

Hiring a Photographer

Hiring a Photographer Advantages

• With a dependable photo expert all you have to do is pay the bill.
• Given the right remit the photographer will get all the images you need.
• An experienced photographer will take your preferences into account and produce excellent results.
• A pro photographer will edit the shots to perfect them further.
• A professional photographer will be timely and get the results to you on time.
• They will have the right equipment for the job.
• Amateur work looks amateur. A professional photographer will capture and present images exactly the way their client desires.

Hiring a Photographer Disadvantages

• May be difficult and time consuming to find the right photographer.
• Can be very costly depending upon the remit.
• You may not get the result you expected.
• Scheduling a photographic session can be difficult.

How do You Find Your Perfect Photographer?

The first thing to do when searching for your perfect photographer is look at their portfolio. It should contain the type of work you require. Don’t hire a sports photographer if you require macro shots of insects. Get the right photographer for the job.

Secondly, if they’re a credible professional there will be plenty of good word-of-mouth testimonials from customers.

Hiring a professional photographer also means opening up your pockets a bit, so you need to do your due diligence to get your money’s worth. Whatever you do, make sure you contract states that you own the copyright to ALL the photographs taken whilst in your employ.

How to Get the Best Photos for Your Website Conclusion

Low quality photos don’t help you stand out from the crowd. While you can shoot your own photos, most of us just don’t have a great eye for either taking or creating memorable pictures.

• If you do like taking photos and want to be different, take a look at, trick photography and special effects.

Of course if creating your own images is not for you, then you can always hire a professional photographer or go to one of the many royalty free stock photo sites such as Shutterstock and use one of their excellent, professionally produced images.

For those of you who are more artistic, have you tried a little screen capture? With the right software, such as TechSmith Snagit combined with some of the best free photo editing software you can create any image your heart desires. You can create custom images for your website, demos, feedback, reviews, and more.

Finally, if you have any thoughts or suggestions relating to how to get the best photos for your website, don’t forget to let me have them in the comment box below. Thanks for dropping by.