The Importance Of Dynamic Images
Great websites need great images. Learn more about where you can locate dynamic images without breaking the bank.
Along with videos, photographs usually provide the most dynamic elements on a website. High-quality images are essential for capturing audience attention, promoting products and services. They also enhance many of today’s mobile-friendly website templates, which are often fairly bland and understated in an attempt to minimize loading times.
Images that Sell
Ecommerce sites rely heavily on product images, since the virtual nature of these online stores eliminates most of the senses customers rely on in the real world. Detailed photos from every angle should display without pixelation on any device, which requires a well-judged level of file compression to reduce page sizes. Thumbnails that expand on mouse over are ideal for streamlined mobile-optimized sites, since photographs usually comprise the majority of data bytes on a shopping page.
Other sites rely on dynamic photos as well. News stories with a picture get almost twice as many views as those without, while the engagement rate through social media is a third higher with an image than with text alone. Pictures retain audience attention and lodge in the memory, reinforcing a company’s identity and core values. Industrial photography like factory floors and employee action shots can be particularly effective in selling a brand, while photos of freelance models can enhance the appeal of a firm in almost any market sector.
Telling a thousand words.
So how can you acquire dynamic photos that will give a website the pizzazz it requires? One approach is to take them yourself. Modern smartphones have premium camera lenses from industry leaders like Zeiss, delivering well-balanced high-resolution images in bright conditions. Many smartphones support adjustment of technical attributes like ISO settings, which were the exclusive preserve of semi-professional cameras until a few years ago.
Today’s SLR cameras still deliver technical quality that surpasses even the best phones and tablets, particularly in terms of wide-angle shots. However, it’s easy to end up immersed in an expensive and confusing world of flash guns and interchangeable lenses. If your photos typically include a thumb in one corner, it might be prudent to source images elsewhere:
#1. Paid Platforms
Brands like Getty Images and Shutterstock offer searchable databases of high-caliber pictures. Prices are high, but it’s possible to purchase photos singly, or create an account for unlimited watermark-free downloads.
#2. Free Platforms
There are numerous enthusiast sites like FreeImages, Stockvault, Twenty20 and Unsplash. Some of these free photos are genuinely impressive, but the more eye-catching ones may be in widespread use already. Subject matter tends to be more generic than paid portals, and it’s sometimes necessary to upload your own portfolio before downloading anyone else’s handiwork.
#3. Search Engines
Google searches reveal copyright-free images, if you go into the “Labeled for Reuse” settings in the “Usage Rights” dropdown. Bing Images users should click on the “Licence” dropdown for similar options. Most of the photos on Wikimedia are public domain, with any copyright restrictions clearly indicated. Again, some photos may already be clichéd through overuse.
#4. Freelance Photographers
This can be an unwelcome expense when creating a new website or setting up a business. However, acquiring your own photography builds a copyright-free database of images that can be reused whenever and wherever you like. Expertly-taken visuals lend an aura of professionalism to any site, and nobody can republish these photos without your permission. When you’re looking for something unique to set your business apart from competitors visuals are a great starting point.