Real Moments That Make Your Brand Memorable
There’s nothing wrong with stock photos (she says, side-eyeing the multicultural handshake).
They’re bright. They’re polished. They’re easy. And they’re usually ridiculous.
They’re also completely forgettable.
If you’ve ever scrolled a website and felt a serious sense of déjà vu, congrats — you’ve discovered the “copy + paste but make it branding” era of the internet. There’s the same smiling laptop lady, same coffee mug, same perfectly disheveled desk, that’s not an accident. Stock photos are designed to blend in. And blending in is the opposite of what most businesses should be trying to do.
What viewers actually remember are real moments, real people and real businesses.
Stock Photos Can’t Tell Your Story
Stock photos are built for everyone, which means they’re really built for no one.
They don’t know:
How you actually work
How your office feels when a client comes in
How you and your team show up with clients
What makes your business yours
They can’t capture your expressions when you’re mid-explanation, the way you set up your desk before a call, or the confident moments that give: this person knows what they’re doing.
Where Real Photos Make the Biggest Impact
Your Website
You’ve heard it a million times I’m sure - your website is someone’s first impression of your business. Before they read your words, they will see your photos. They are making snap decisions about if the vibes feel trustworthy, relatable, and real.
Custom branding photos:
Help visitors recognize you immediately
Create a sense of connection before they ever reach out
Make your site feel lived-in instead of templated
People don’t just want to know what you do. They want to know who they’re working with.
Social Media
Stock photos on social media tend to get scrolled past. Real photos make people pause.
Why? Because real photos feel like a glimpse behind the scenes, not an ad.
Whether it’s:
You mid-meeting
A candid moment during a workday
A detail shot of your space or process
Those images feel personal. And personal is what builds familiarity over time.
Marketing Beyond the Grid
Think emails, blog posts, sales pages, podcasts, speaking features.
Having a library of real images means you’re never scrambling when an opportunity comes up. You’re not defaulting to something generic because you don’t have anything else ready. You’re showing up confidently with visuals that already feel like you.
Let Your Brand Look Like You
If you’ve been relying on stock photos because they’re easy, cheap, and fast (like a gas station hot dog). “Real” photos feel overwhelming, awkward, or like something you’ll “do later” –– this is your sign that later doesn’t have to be some big production.
Sometimes it’s just about capturing you as you are, doing the work, showing up, building the thing you care about.
