The use of stock images should also never imply that a model is a genuine customer endorsing your business. You may have a real testimonial to use on your website, but, you cannot use a headshot of a model to relay this message without explicit permission from them. Stock photos for commercial use can be placed on websites, in marketing materials and in editorial work; some stock photos can be used only for editorial purposes. Although stock photos are convenient and can be an inexpensive alternative to custom photography, here are some reasons why people don’t like bad stock photos.
Stock photography is appealing because you can search a stock photo site for an appropriate image immediately. Stock photo experts point to iStock, Shutterstock and Adobe Stock as the most affordable stock-photo sites. Jasmeet Singh, owner and lead photographer at the corporate photography studio 415Headshots, said businesses should prioritize brand consistency if they use stock photos. Depending on how far down the stock photo rabbit hole you fall, you may come across stock photos that look spammy or unprofessional.
Although stock photos are more varied now than in the 1990s, any image you choose from a source like iStock or Shutterstock is bound to come up on thousands of other websites.