Church Web Sites and Stock Photos
Should a church web site use stock photos? Stock photos are ones that have been professionally shot of people and have been “staged”. These photos are usually purchased for a fee from online photo sites.
I have designed sites with stock and with real photos and I am torn both ways as I write this.
Ideally, a church would benefit most from using pictures of real people from their congregation. That said, you only want to use photos that are professional – and that does not mean they have to be taken by a professional photographer. They just have to exude a sense of professionalism and excellence. Having pictures which are out of focus, poorly framed or otherwise, does not do a church any justice in creating a good brand or representation of itself.
On the other hand, using stock photos (as long as they are not too “perfect”) help a church represent itself with a very high level of excellence. Stock photos also allow a church to more safely represent certain demographics (such as children) in their ministries without having to worry about security issues for the children and families involved. The challenge with stock photos is to make sure that they do not make your church look too fake.
The deciding factor will be the caliber of photos you have that will represent your minsitry well. Often a blend of real and stock strike a nice balance. There is really not a hard-and-fast rule. It is a judgment call for each individual minsitry. The goal in the end is to make your church imagery as genuine as possible.
What are your thoughts on churches using stock photos on their web sites?
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http://faithandwork.wordpress.com Michele Corbett
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http://faithandwork.wordpress.com Michele Corbett
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http://navigateyourmarketing.com/ David
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