To Stock Or Not to Stock

The guys over at Church Marketing Sucks have an excellent post on the usage of stock photography. And they have an excellent point. What with the same stock photos turning up on totally different products, and the much overused stock cliches.

Yes, I'm guilty of using the occasional stock shot from stock.xchng or Flickr, but most of my design work makes use of my own photography, or pics taken by people in the same company or organization. Really, I would much rather not use any stock if I didn't have to. Using original photographs and media ensures that your work will not be misrepresented by another group. For example, if your church purchased a stock photo, and used it an a large marketing campaign, it would be relatively easy for a malicious group to get the same photo, and use it to take advantage of or estrange your hard-earned market.

However, the quality of your work is another consideration. If you are not a good photographer, or do not have access to one, then maybe your only choice is to seek suitable material from a stock gallery. The message and quality of your work always come first.

To stock or not to stock? That is up to you.