A Comprehensive Guide to Bespoke vs. Stock Photography
When it comes to using photography for your marketing needs, you can choose from various options. The two mainstream sources of photography are Stock Photography and Bespoke Photography. Offering bespoke photography services, I understand that that is not always the best solution for every business’ needs. Both of these methods have their unique advantages as well as drawbacks. It takes careful consideration of various aspects to decide which is best for you. There is no one method-fits-all formula. By considering your brand, the purpose of the marketing campaign you are working with, your budget, and your goals, you can make an informed decision that will benefit you and your brand the most.
Bespoke Photography: Crafting a Unique Brand Identity
Collaborating with a photographer to create unique, personalized images for your brand has various benefits. These images are carefully crafted to reflect your unique offerings, values, mission, and target audience. By working closely with a professional photographer, you can achieve a consistent look in your brand imagery. This will help set you apart from the competition. Bespoke images have the potential to evoke a deep emotional connection with your audience and speak to the heart of your business vision. They will be created specifically to resonate with your brand’s messaging and target audience.
So without further ado, let's look at some of the pros and cons of bespoke photography to help you make an informed decision:
Pros of Bespoke Photography:
Customization:
Images are designed to align with your brand's story, mission, and values. They feature your specific products or services and showcase your brand logo and colors as well as the people you work with.
Originality and Control Over Imagery:
Your visuals will be unique and not replicated across other businesses. They will specifically represent Your values and mission. You will have full control over the creative direction, style, and content of bespoke photos. This control ensures that the images align perfectly with your marketing goals.
Consistency:
Achieve a consistent and cohesive aesthetic that represents your brand. Bespoke photography allows you to craft a unique visual brand identity. You can then carry this through multiple campaigns. People will be able to recognize your brand by the style and uniqueness of the imagery and it will contribute to building a faithful following online.
Specific Needs:
Capture specific aspects of your offerings that stock photos may not cover. There might be particular products or services you offer that other brands do not. Capturing these and broadcasting them on the internet can help set you apart from the competition.
Storytelling:
Custom images can tell a unique story about the business, its culture, and its mission. Storytelling through visuals can engage customers on a deeper level. You have full control over the narrative conveyed by bespoke images, allowing you to tell your brand's story the way you want it to be heard.
SEO Benefits:
Original, high-quality images can improve SEO, as search engines value unique and engaging content. Bespoke images can be fitted with file names and tags that specifically mention your brand. This helps grow your brand recognition in search engines and leads to better rankings.
Cons of Bespoke Photography
Cost and Time:
Custom photography can be more time-consuming and expensive than using stock images. It is definitely an investment into your brand and you need to budget for it in order for it to be successful. Beyond the financial needs, you will have to set aside time for yourself or your marketing team to plan and execute the photoshoot alongside the photographer.
Limited Variety From a Single Photoshoot:
Creating a broad range of bespoke photos can be challenging and time-consuming. You might need to regularly update your imagery based on your business profile. This can be a recurring process that takes up time and resources. It might even require a specific role created within the organization to deal with this facet of the business.
Dependence on Talent:
The quality of bespoke photography depends heavily on the talent and skills of the photographer. If the photographer's style or interpretation doesn't align with the business's brand, it can lead to a disconnect in visual messaging. Finding the right photographer for your brand becomes a necessary step in itself that takes up your time and resources. Unless a business consistently works with the same photographer or photography team, the quality and style of bespoke images can vary, leading to inconsistency in branding and messaging.
Maintenance and Storage:
Custom photographs need storage space and maintenance. As businesses accumulate more images over time, managing and archiving them can become a challenge. It is an essential element of working with bespoke photography to ensure they are stored safely. Preferably in multiple, easily accessible locations.
Potential Delays:
Unforeseen circumstances, such as bad weather or equipment malfunctions, can cause delays in photoshoots. This can in turn affect marketing campaign timelines. It is important when planning a bespoke photography session to plan ahead of time and allow for any potential delays.
Stock Photography: Convenience and Versatility
Stock photography offers a wide range of pre-existing imagery that can be easily accessed and used for your marketing needs. It is a convenient option for your business if you are looking to quickly source visuals that align with your themes. There is a wide variety of stock photos available, across a multitude of platforms. You can find images for various needs based on theme, subject matter, and image ratios such as website banners and social media posts. It is essential, however, to carefully select stock photos that faithfully reflect your brand’s values and visual identity to maintain authenticity.
Pros of Stock Photography
Convenience:
You can instantly access a diverse range of images that fit your themes. Whether you decide to sign up for a stock imagery sourcing website or use free images across multiple sites, there is a wide range of options available to you at the click of a button. All you need to do is define your search criteria and choose the images that best communicate your message.
Cost-Effective:
Generally more budget-friendly than bespoke photography. As I mentioned earlier, some websites offer free subscriptions with a limited amount of downloads per month. Some businesses might find that this option perfectly satisfies their marketing needs.
Variety:
You can choose from a vast selection of images that suit different marketing needs. By clearly defining your search criteria and studying the search results, you will find a wide variety of images that can be used for different aspects of your marketing needs.
Quick Turnaround:
Did you find yourself in the midst of a last-minute marketing campaign? You can easily hop on a stock photography website and find the images that will go with the brand message in as little as 10 minutes. This can decrease your levels of stress and time investment in researching and setting up a photoshoot.
Professional Quality:
High-quality stock photos are created by skilled photographers. They are professionally edited photographs, and the stock websites ensure they meet industry standards for visual appeal and technical quality. You can trust that images that appear on stock photography sites are of the highest quality. They are usually available in a variety of resolutions for various usage needs.
Cons of Stock Photography
Lack of Originality:
Stock photos are widely available and may be used by multiple businesses. This makes it challenging to create a unique brand identity or stand out from competitors. Many stock photos are generic and can perpetuate stereotypes, which may not resonate with your business's target audience or accurately represent its products or services.
Difficulty in Conveying Specific Messages:
Stock photos may not effectively convey your business's unique message or story, limiting your ability to connect with customers. If stock photos do not align with your business's brand identity, values, or messaging, it can dilute your brand's authenticity.
Inconsistent Branding and Competitor Overlap:
Using stock photos can result in inconsistencies in branding and visual identity. The same images may be used by various departments or campaigns within the company. If your business is using the same stock photos as competitors, you can inadvertently associate yourself with similar brands, reducing your uniqueness.
Cost Over Time:
Stock photos may seem cost-effective initially. However, recurring licensing fees for ongoing use can add up and may even surpass the cost of creating bespoke photography. Make sure to do your research into pricing plans and calculate costs over time.
Limited Adaptability:
Stock photos may not be flexible enough to adapt to changing marketing strategies or campaigns, which leads to less effective visuals for your specific goals. Stock photos are static, pre-existing images that are often selected from a catalog of readily available visuals. While these images can be useful for generic or broad marketing purposes, they may fall short when your business needs visuals tailored to a specific campaign, product launch, or brand evolution.
Copyright Concerns:
Businesses must carefully adhere to licensing agreements and usage restrictions with stock photos to avoid legal issues. This can be complex to navigate, especially if you are sourcing your images from multiple websites or you are on a free plan. Make sure to keep up to date with each website's unique usage specifications.
The choice between bespoke and stock photography depends on your brand's unique needs, budget, and goals. Bespoke photography offers tailored visuals that deeply resonate with your brand's identity, but it comes with a higher investment of time and resources. On the other hand, stock photography provides convenience and versatility, but may lack the uniqueness and authenticity that bespoke photography offers. Considering these pros and cons will help you make an informed decision that aligns with your brand's vision and marketing objectives.
