Stock photos are a conundrum. They can be both good and bad for your Orlando web design. While we all understand the importance of having which ones on our website, not all of us have the time, money, and energy to have a regular photoshoot for the content of our website.

Thankfully, we are allowed to use stock photos as long as they are licensed or we paid for them. Stock photos are images of people, things, and landscapes that everyone can use for their web design. The only rule is that you need to use images that are related to your content.

Look for Authenticity

Your images do not have to be flawless. It will only look fake. If you are talking about eating healthy food, for example, you should show people who are actually eating food and not posing with a bowl of fruit. Be careful about using images that seem so perfect. Your readers don’t want that. They want to see real people with real emotions.

Use Candid Photos

Posed photos are created by the director to show an emotion or an event. However, if you compare those with candid photos, you will realize that the latter has more character and personality. If you want your readers to feel the emotions of an image and know what happened during an event, you should use candid photos to showcase it.

Convey Emotions

People are visual beings because they depend on their emotions on what they see you rather than what they hear. When choosing stock images for your website, make sure that the images convey the right emotions that you want your web visitors to feel. Ask yourself these questions: what do you want them to feel? What does the image convey? Will the emotions that your image will convey lead them to purchase an item or a service?

For example, you want to convey the emotion of security because your business is about home security systems. Do you choose an image of your security mechanism or perhaps, even a padlock? Or, do you use the image of a person or an animal who looks secured in his or her home?

Simple Images

Avoid images that are too cluttered on your Orlando web design. If the image is filled with many components, it may not be the best one to post on your website. Your image should have a basic message, and it will only send that message if it is clear and it is easy to comprehend. When choosing between two images that fit your content, always choose the one that is simple and direct.

Lastly, remember that much like writers, photographers are very sensitive about their output. If you are not signed up for a particular stock image website, make sure that the images are free to use. If a photographer finds out that you used his image without permission, you may be facing a lawsuit and thousands of dollars worth of penalties.