Visitors decide fast whether your business is real. Website photos are a large part of that decision. A blurry dark picture of the entrance hurts, but so does a polished stock photo of people who obviously do not work for you. The good news: you do not need a big budget. You need the right photos in the right places.
Three sources, three jobs
| Use on the site | Phone | Photographer | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|
| First screen | Possible, if very good | Best choice | Avoid for people and places |
| Team portraits | Weak | Best choice | Never |
| Interior and entrance | Good in daylight | Better | Never |
| Products in a store | Good with a simple setup | Best for hero products | Never |
| Work in progress, process | Good, even preferred | Good | Avoid |
| Before and after | Good, same angle | Good | Never |
| Blog illustrations, backgrounds | Fine | Not needed | Fine |
The rule behind the table: anything that claims "this is us" must be real.
When a phone is enough
Modern phones take photos that look fine on websites, if you follow a few habits:
- Daylight. Shoot near windows or outside, ideally in the morning or late afternoon. Turn off mixed warm and cold lamps.
- Clean lens. Wipe it. Most "blurry" phone photos are a smudged lens.
- Horizontal for wide blocks. Website headers are wide; vertical photos get cropped badly.
- No digital zoom. Walk closer instead.
- Straight lines. Hold the phone level for interiors.
- No filters. The developer can adjust color; filters cannot be undone.
- Several versions. Take 10 shots of each scene, pick the best later.
Phone photos are perfect for showing process: a master at work, a dish being plated, a car on the lift. They feel honest. For before and after shots, see our tips in before and after gallery.
When to hire a photographer
A half-day session pays off for:
- The first screen. It is the most viewed image on the site and sets expectations. Our article on first screen mistakes explains why it matters so much.
- Team portraits. Consistent light and background across all staff.
- Interiors. Restaurants, hotels, clinics, salons, where the space sells.
- Hero products. Your best sellers on a clean background.
Prepare a shot list in advance (see below) so the session is efficient. Agree in writing that you can use the photos on the site, in ads and on social media.
When stock is fine
- Background textures and abstract images.
- Illustrations for blog articles about general topics.
- Images of things you cannot photograph, like a map of the region or a generic city view.
Avoid stock of smiling people in offices, handshakes, and "happy customers". Visitors recognize them.
A shot list for most small businesses
- The entrance and sign, so people recognize you on the street.
- The main space in daylight, empty and clean.
- The team at work, not posing.
- Each team member, one portrait each.
- Five to ten examples of work or products.
- Close-up details: materials, textures, tools.
- Hands doing the work.
- The neighborhood or view, if it is part of your appeal.
Places in Yerevan courtyards should add a photo of how to find the entrance from the street. It reduces calls asking for directions.
Files and sizes
| Use | Long side | After compression |
|---|---|---|
| Full-width header | 2000 to 2400 px | a few hundred KB |
| Content image | 1200 to 1600 px | under a few hundred KB |
| Product card | 1000 to 1200 px, square | small |
| Team portrait | 800 to 1000 px | small |
Send originals to the developer, not screenshots from Instagram or WhatsApp, which compress photos heavily. The developer resizes and converts them to WebP or AVIF so the site stays fast.
Use the same photos elsewhere
Good real photos also improve your Google Maps listing. Upload the entrance, interior and team photos to your Google Business Profile too, so people see the same place everywhere.
Consent and rights
- Get permission from staff before publishing their portraits.
- Get written consent from clients for any photo where they are recognizable.
- Do not use photos from other businesses' websites or Instagram.
How Kinto helps
Before we start a site, we send a shot list tailored to your business, then process and optimize the photos you provide. A landing page starts at $700 and a multi-page site at $1,800. Details on the website development page.
Send us a few photos you have, and we will tell you which ones work for the site. Telegram: @kinto_am.