---
title: Should I Use My Own Photos or Stock Photos on My Website?
description: "## TL;DR - **Use your own photos.** Real photos of your team, your work, and your space sell your business. Stock photos alone don't. - **Our order of preference:** your own photos, ideally from a professional photographer, then stock photos,…"
url: "https://webmasterforhire.us/knowledge-base/updating-your-website/own-photos-or-stock-photos/"
updated: "2026-10-19"
category: Updating Your Website
---

# Should I Use My Own Photos or Stock Photos on My Website?

## TL;DR

- **Use your own photos.** Real photos of your team, your work, and your space sell your business. Stock photos alone don't.
- **Our order of preference:** your own photos, ideally from a professional photographer, then stock photos, then AI images.
- **Stock works as a placeholder,** or when you don't own the photo you wanted to use.
- **Got new professional photos? Use them everywhere,** from your team page to your social profiles.

## Should I Use My Own Photos or Stock Photos?

Your own. Stock photos fill space, but on their own they don't tell visitors much about you. As Beth told one client, "We want your new site to bring better marketing value than just stock photos."

A professional photographer is best, but your own phone photos can work too. See [What Should I Prepare Before My Website Redesign Starts?](/knowledge-base/planning-a-new-website-or-redesign/prepare-before-website-redesign/)

## When Is Stock OK?

- **As a placeholder** while your own photos come in. We swap them out once yours arrive.
- **When a photo isn't yours to use.** As Beth told one client, "No worries, we can always get stock photos if they are not yours." It's better to buy a stock photo than to use one you don't own.
- **When it's properly licensed.** We use stock photos you're allowed to use, including public domain images (photos free for anyone to use).

## What About AI Images?

They come last. After one planning call, Beth summed it up: "We discussed stock photos, AI images, and a photographer's images. Of the three, the photographer's images are the most preferred." We're not anti-AI, but people tend to recognize obvious AI images, and many are immediately put off by them.

## Where Should I Use New Professional Photos?

- **Your team and bio pages.**
- **Older pages** that could use a refresh.
- **Your social media profiles and business listings.** For one client, Beth offered, "I can update them with your new photos." Some listings "may take a few hours or up to 24 hours to show."

## What Size Should Team Photos Be?

Larger than the spot they go in. When one client sent small headshots, Beth explained, "These smaller images will look blurred when put on the site to fit the template that is there." On one team page, photos needed to be about 500 by 500 pixels. Send each photo, preferably as a JPG or PNG, named with the person's name. See [What Size and Format Should Photos Be for My Website?](/knowledge-base/updating-your-website/photo-size-format-website/)

## What Webmaster For Hire Recommends

- **Invest in a photo shoot** of your team, your work, and your space.
- **Use only photos you have the rights to.**
- **Send original files,** not copies saved from your old website.

## :: Common Questions ::

### Can I Use the Same Photo on Different Pages?

Yes. And if the same stock photo shows up twice on a new site, it may just be a placeholder. On one new site, Beth explained, "Yes, those were just placeholders. I'll be using your images in their place."

### Can I Use a Photo I Found Online?

Only if you have the rights to it. If you don't, use a licensed stock photo instead.

## Ready to Swap in Real Photos?

See our [Webmaster Retainer](https://webmasterforhire.us/website-services/webmaster-services-monthly-retainer/), or [request a consultation](https://webmasterforhire.us/request-a-consultation/).