Royalty-free stock photos are all over the internet. But should they be all over your church website?
Pros and Cons to using Stock Photos on a Church Website
There are some obvious benefits to using stock photos on a church website.
It’s faster and easier to download a stock photo and put it on a website than it is to take a photo, especially if it involves people who have limited availability.
Also, most stock photos are taken by professional photographers with professional equipment, so the quality of stock photos is often better than the photos your average web admin can take with their phone.
But there’s one big negative to using stock photos – they’re not YOU.
What is the church?
It’s the people, right?
When people visit your church website, they want to learn about what your church is really like. Showing them a bunch of pictures of people who aren’t a part of your church is disingenuous. It’s false advertising.
This is especially problematic for churches because authenticity is such an important value in the Christian worldview.
If a church website invites people to become a part of a Christian community where people are honest about their brokenness and being transformed by the grace of God, but on the same page there are perfect pictures of models who aren’t a part of the church, there is a disconnect.
My advice: Be authentic. Use real pictures of real people who are a part of your real church.
Even if the people aren’t “beautiful” and the pictures aren’t perfect.
Note, this is not license to use really bad photos that are too dark, blurry, crooked, or the wrong size. For help addressing these issues and more, read How to Edit Photos for Your Church Website: 7 Easy Fixes Anyone Can Make
One Exception Where It’s OK to Use Stock Photos
There is one exception where I think it’s ok to use stock photos – blog articles for which you’re clearly using a photo to illustrate the theme.
It’s still better to use genuine photos in blog articles whenever possible, but most blog readers understand the purpose of using stock photos in articles like we did at the top of this one.
If you use a church website builder that uses stock photos on pre-made pages like our WP-EZ Website Builder, replace them with real photos right away. If you have your website built by a professional church website design team, insist on providing your own photos.
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Post a Comment and Discuss:
- Do you have any stock photos on your church website? Why or why not?
For more help with Church Website Photography, see our complimentary resource the Ultimate Guide to Church Website Photos
Co-founder & CEO, OurChurch.Com
Paul has been the CEO of OurChurch.Com since its founding in 1996, combining his passion for faith and technology to lead the organization.
An accomplished writer, Paul has authored over 2,000 articles on faith and technology, featured on platforms like ChurchLeaders.com, The JoyFM, and his personal blog, LiveIntentionally.org.
Beyond his professional achievements, Paul serves as an elder at Journey Community Church and is deeply engaged in his community through his involvement with the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch and the Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce. He is a contributing author of the book Outspoken! Conversations on Church Communication.