We don’t often post content from other sites, but this article by Chris Barton of Fair Trade Photographer was too well done to pass up. The author was looking up a website for a company he was intending to do business with when he came across the following image:

Barton writes, “They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, this one has a lot to say. It says microstock… The problem with this image is that it has that…. ‘Deja Vu’ feeling to it, and for a good reason.” He then goes on to display not one, but over ten different sites where this exact same image was used, and discusses how consumers who see this end up questioning the credibility and worth of those companies based on their associations with one other. In several instances, the photo was used in the About Us section of the companies’ sites, bringing the writer to say, “I don’t believe these people really work at [Company XYZ]… so why would I trust anything else that [Company XYZ] has to say?”

It’s a good question, and leads to the next question “How can I avoid having pictures that say the wrong thing about my organization?” Avoiding the microstock pitfall is easy, and not as expensive as you may think.

Bringing in a photographer to capture your corporate photos is really the best practice, even if you’re using stock images to convey to the photographer the style of photos you want of your associates and organization. So kuddos our clients – large and small – who brought us for onsite corporate photos. Thanks for letting us capture the genuine spirit of your organization!

For more information or examples, please follow this link to the original article by Fair Trade Photographer.