Photo Faux Pas: 7 Mistakes When Marketing With Photos

11 November 2025

Photo Faux Pas: 7 Mistakes When Marketing With Photos

Photographs are among the most persuasive tools in a marketer’s kit. They grab attention, convey mood, and shortcut complex ideas into a single, shareable moment. But when photos are mishandled they don’t just underperform — they can actively damage your brand, mislead customers or expose you to legal risk. Below are seven mistakes that you can take practical action to remedy immediately, whether you’re a solo business owner, an in‑house marketer or a line manager checking a campaign before it goes live.

Why photos matter in marketing

A striking image can increase click‑throughs, make social posts more shareable and turn a casual browser into a buyer. Equally, the wrong visual choice — an off‑brand stock image, a pixelated product shot or misleading editing — erodes trust fast. Good photographic practice is not a luxury: it’s a core part of professional brand stewardship.

Mistake #1: Relying on generic stock photos

Using generic, overused stock imagery makes your marketing look generic. Customers recognise clichés; they see the same “people in suits smiling at laptops” across dozens of websites and quickly tune out. If you must use stock, choose niche or premium providers and invest time in customising images (colour grading, cropping, contextual overlays) so they align with your visual identity.

Better still, commission original photography of your actual people, products and places. Hire professional photographers to take photos of models, your products, your staff and of corporate events. There are sites for finding specialist commercial photographers (for example, this site could be a great place to book trusted event photographers). 

Original photos:

• Signal authenticity and uniqueness.

• Promote employee and customer connection.

• Reduce the risk of audience fatigue from reused images.

Mistake #2: Using low‑resolution or pixelated images

A blurry or pixelated image is a very visible indicator of poor attention to detail. Always export images at the resolution required for the medium: web banners, social posts and print each have different needs. When resizing, never stretch beyond the image’s native size; use responsibly configured upscaling tools only when you understand the trade‑offs. File format matters too: use JPEG for photos with many colours, PNG for images that need transparency, and WebP for web delivery where supported to reduce file size without visible loss of quality.

Mistake #3: Sharing photos without permission

Copyright and consent are not optional. Using images without the correct licence or failing to obtain model releases for people in photos can result in takedown notices, legal claims or reputational fallout. Always:

• Check the image licence for commercial use and read the terms.

• Obtain written releases for identifiable people, including staff and customers.

• Credit photographers where required by the licence.

Risk management here is straightforward: maintain a simple permission log so anyone on the team can verify legal usage at a glance.

Mistake #4: Placing unreadable text over images

Putting type over photos is a common requirement — social cards, hero banners and ads all do this — but it must be done with craft. Poor contrast, bad font choice or chaotic composition makes text illegible and wastes the image’s impact. When placing copy over a photo, use one or two of the following fixes:

• Apply a subtle overlay (colour or gradient) behind text to enhance contrast.

• Use typography designed for legibility at small sizes (clear weight, adequate tracking).

• Choose negative space in the image for text placement; avoid busy backgrounds.

There are practical guides that walk through rules and examples for accessible image text placement, which are worth bookmarking for anyone designing ads or social cards. This guide at Designmodo offers some great tips on how to place text over images. 

Mistake #5: Providing a single photo per product

One photo rarely tells the whole story. Customers want context: scale, texture, functional detail and usage. For e‑commerce and higher‑value items, provide multiple images (angles, close‑ups, in‑use shots) and consider 360° views or short product videos. This reduces returns and increases buyer confidence. If you decide to offer a 360° experience or interactive zoom, plan lighting and consistency at the shoot stage so every image aligns and the product reads correctly online.

Mistake #6: Continuing to use outdated photos

Dates matter. Using old photos as if they represent current products, staff or premises is misleading and eventually obvious. Date‑stamped portfolio galleries, event roundups or “then and now” features are fine when framed honestly, but repurposing old imagery as new undermines credibility. Refresh visual assets regularly and audit your active marketing materials quarterly to retire tired images and refresh campaigns with recent shoots.

Mistake #7: Editing photos to mislead customers

There’s a difference between tasteful enhancement and deception. Over‑retouching that changes product colour, size or finish, or editing images to create false endorsement scenarios, will damage trust when customers discover the reality. Use retouching to improve clarity and consistency, not to alter essential product characteristics. In B2C particularly, transparency about what a product looks like in real life (lighting differences, model size and settings) reduces complaints and builds long‑term loyalty.

How to fix these mistakes — a short checklist

1. Audit: Run a quick visual audit of key marketing touchpoints (homepage, product pages, top social posts). Tag images that are stock, low‑res, unlicensed, outdated or mismatch brand tone.
2. Policy: Create a simple image use policy — licencing rules, model release templates, minimum image specs and who approves photography.
3. Budget: Allocate an annual budget for original photography and a small fund for ad hoc shoots (product launches, seasonal campaigns). Even modest investment in consistent imagery pays back in engagement and conversion.

Practical tips for better photography outcomes

• Brief your photographer with use cases: web, print, social and advertising have different needs.

• Standardise image treatment: consistent colour grading, crop ratios and metadata tags speed marketing production and retain brand consistency.

• Train non‑design staff to identify poor images and escalate them before they’re published.

When to outsource and when to DIY

If you sell premium products or your visuals are central to trust (hospitality, fashion, property), invest in professional photography. For lower‑cost or highly iterative content (social stories, behind‑the‑scenes), high‑quality smartphone photography with a simple lighting kit and a stabiliser can be surprisingly effective if you follow basic composition and consistency rules.

Final thoughts

Great photography is not a cosmetic extra — it’s core to how your brand is perceived. The seven mistakes above are common because they’re easy to make under pressure. The antidote is a practical combination of process, budget and standards: a short image policy, a recurring refresh cadence, and a commitment to authenticity. When photos are honest, well‑crafted and legally sound, they amplify your message and build the kind of trust that keeps customers coming back.

References

• Avoid These 5 Common Stock Photo Mistakes in Your Marketing Content — Linquip — https://www.linquip.com/blog/avoid-these-5-common-stock-photo-mistakes-in-your-marketing-content/

• Quick Images Mistakes to Avoid in Your Marketing Strategy — Photofy — https://photofy.com/2025/03/23/quick-images-mistakes/

• Why Your Brand Photos Are Saying the Wrong Thing (and How to Fix It) — Headshot Toby — https://www.headshottoby.co.uk/post/why-your-brand-photos-are-saying-the-wrong-thing-and-how-to-fix-it

• How to Avoid Common Pitfalls When Using Stock Photos in Marketing — Dreamstime Blog — https://www.dreamstime.com/blog/how-to-avoid-common-pitfalls-using-stock-photos-marketing-75223

Header image by: Karola G

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