MicrostockGroup

I think this could be another flavor of the talk about a trend towards more real/authentic content and images. Although Yuri's sales would suggest that there's only so much truth in that

I think a while back someone was talking about people sticking with web sites that were useful - and that getting people to your site if you had nothing of use to them when they got there was a waste of time. If a stock photo is useful in some way given the site content, I don't think the fact that it's stock vs. the owner of the business's wife in a custom shot would make much difference to the site visitor.

Ask designers about used car ads - you'll get an earful about how awful they are (and they are visually completely hideous). The fact that they keep running them must mean they're useful somehow in spite of their ugliness.

A custom photo shoot of a boring TV isn't going to be any more more appealing than a stock photo of the same thing.

I will guarantee that if I have a ad for a Lady's Easy Leg Hair removal system and use a Micro Stock Shot of a Chainsaw .... People will look at that Photo..lmao.

Exactly what I was thinking. It might be more accurate to say "people take in general stock photos differently" than "people ignore general stock photos".
Negative space has a massive impact on how we perceive the design of a page or website, how much more so the images that provide the décor but not the focus of a site?

I think Mr. Nielsen is just a jealous ex unsuccessful stock photographer who wants to assure buyers not to buy stock images,

Exactly.  Stock images are there to attract viewers to the content of the page.  They are window dressing.  Whereas a picture of a "real person" in an article is probably the subject of the article, and therefore more relevant to the content. 

And if the real person is a celebrity, then of course they are going to get more attention.  Most people love to look at celebrities.  Why else would E!, Us Magazine, etc. be so popular?

Has a plain-looking spouse, children and/or dog and nobody bought his stock?  LOL

 So how much more engaged with the page are you going to be if it doesn't have photos at all?

“Invest in good photo shoots: a great photographer can add a fortune to your Web site’s business value.” After all, he notes, most sites are full of “fluff — of which there’s too much already on the Web.”


I like this guy

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