When it comes to business events, professional photography is a must when seeking to engage with your audience. Computer-generated images or photo illustrations lack authenticity and feel disconnected from your message.
With AI images seeing doesn’t mean believing
Many savvy business owners know the adage: “Content is king,” but as Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues proliferate our lives the phrase has developed more nuance. Not all content is created equal. With an ever-expanding, cheap-to-produce toolkit, a business owner can quickly churn out high-quality, targeted visuals with only a few prompts on a keyboard. This sounds great, right? Using AI to create visual marketing assets can be a more affordable option, but those seeking to gain traction with their audience will find there’s more value in traditional commercial photography. In a time when your audience is surrounded by eroded trust in what they see online, authentic photographs symbolize your commitment to accurate information, gaining you more clicks in the process.
Authentic photos utilizing your company’s real employees engaging with customers can help you to build trust with your audience.
FAQs: AI versus Commercial Photography
Is using any type of visual media in my marketing a good thing?
Yes, it is. We know that our brains process visual information almost instantly in a way words alone cannot. A striking image can help gain attention but the wrong type of image or “photo” can actually turn your viewers away despite your good intentions. Most individuals can still easily spot subpar AI images. Unoriginal media can subconsciously tell your prospective clients you were in a rush to post content rather than poised to send a more curated message. Taking this a step further, this means your customer’s opinion of your brand identity wasn’t that important to you. AI imagery has an impact similar to stock photography — it’s generic, lacks emotion and may actually leave your audience feeling like they’ve been spammed.
Job site photography instantly communicates you know and value all facets of your business.
Will using real people make my photos look dated?
No, in fact utilizing your actual employees and leadership teams instantly builds trust with your audience. An authentic approach can communicate your company story and helps prospects to learn who they would be working with before they even decide to contact you. This can be valuable for many industries, but especially in construction trades or service industries where these representatives may work inside customer homes. Utilizing visuals created with real moments between staff and customers also helps showcase your brand values. In addition, traditional photography communicates the work your business is actually doing day to day rather than the idea of what they could be doing. This is an important distinction when it comes to closing sales and winning bids.
Who owns AI-generated content?
Most AI-generated images become public domain. Meaning, that even if you use very specific, thoughtful prompts your competition can find and legally use the content you wanted to use for yourself. Currently, U.S. copyright law only protects human authors, so if you would like photos that tell your company story and lock out your competition from using the same work, it’s best to hire a professional photographer instead. A commercial photographer will help you avoid legal issues when you have a photography agreement that clearly identifies who is allowed to use the photos and for what purpose.
A trainer engages with a student at LearningRx in Eagan. Genuine moments such as these help your audience to feel what it’s like to work with you and can set the tone for your brand values.
Are AI photos consistent for my brand?
Utilizing your real office or workspace can help to set your customers’ minds at ease when they arrive and have a sense they already know you.
No, they’re not. Even when using similar prompts it’s challenging to create a consistent brand identity using AI-generated photos. This fact is compounded if your marketing and content creating responsibilities fall on the shoulders of multiple staff members. With a professional photographer you can create a look that makes your brand easily identifiable across all marketing platforms. Years of experience will allow your photographer to select similar lighting setups, locations, lenses and employee direction to ensure consistency across the board.
Should I use AI for my business portraits and headshots?
It’s quick and easy to upload a handful of snapshots of yourself and receive a seemingly high-quality portrait in return. Discerning viewers, however, will notice your image may seem “off,” lacking character and life. And for those who don’t, the real trouble lies in when your customers meet you in person after growing accustomed to an AI persona. They may actually feel deceived when they recognize you or your employees look vastly different in real life than they appear online. And once again, you run the risk of your likeness being easily accessible for anyone in the world to use as they see fit and no copyright protection to protect your identity.
If you’d like to learn more about creating authentic images that bring your brand story to life contact us today.
