Photography is one of the first things people will notice about your brand. It’s visual, emotional, and often takes up the most space on your website. When someone lands on your Instagram feed, it’s the photography that draws them in. When they arrive at your homepage, their eyes go straight to the lead image.

When they visit your product page, your photos shape how they imagine your product in their own hands. You could have the highest-quality product, housed in the most beautiful packaging, but if the imagery itself isn’t beautiful, people won’t perceive it as such.

Many founders simply haven’t been shown what makes photography truly elevate a brand. Others might hire a photographer, yet the images still feel flat or uninspiring.

When photography is done well, it carries emotion, story, and the brand’s own unique creative spirit. It invites people into the brand world in a way they can sense viscerally, creating desire, as though if they could, they would step in and be a part of the photo themselves. That’s when you’ve made the connection. The connection between who they are now, and who they could become with your brand.

I’ve seen many brands struggle here: showing up with imagery that feels monotonous or generic, doing little to tell their story or elevate perception, or perhaps even giving off the wrong perception entirely. Below are three key mistakes that often make even good brands feel low-quality.

1. Overuse or misuse of AI imagery

As a rule of thumb: if it looks even slightly AI-generated, don’t use it. People can tell, if not consciously, then subconsciously, and it weakens brand trust. It gives off a faint sense of fakeness and inauthenticity, eroding away at perceived value. (This is especially true for images of people)

As AI visuals flood the internet, authenticity is becoming the new rarity. The brands that will stand out as elevated above the rest are the ones that feel real, raw and human.

2. Poor attention to detail

Sometimes you can’t quite pinpoint why an image feels low quality, it just does. It’s rarely one issue, but rather a collection of small oversights: subtle details like fingerprints on a glass bottle, dust on a candle top, stray hairs on close-up fabric. These little imperfections quietly communicate a lack of care. People gather that if you didn’t pay attention to the details there, what else might you have missed in your product creation perhaps?

Lighting is another important indicator. Dim light can make images feel lifeless. Whilst harsh or overexposed light can make them feel intense. Often, the most elevated aesthetic comes from soft, natural daylight – it flatters textures and feels gentle and inviting.

3. Lack of storytelling

Whilst simple, well-lit photography of your product is essential on your website, it’s only one piece of the puzzle. Having this and this alone will fail to create excitement in people. No scene that conveys a world, no props that tell a story, no human touch that builds connection. Without these, the imagery may look polished, but it won’t move people.

Your photography isn’t just there to show your product. It’s there to make people feel something. To evoke curiosity, emotion, and belonging. To paint a picture of the lifestyle and values your brand embodies.

When your imagery tells a story, your products stop being objects to buy and become experiences to be part of. That shift is where desire is summoned. The product doesn’t just look good, it feels wanted.

If you remember one key philosophy from this article, let it be this: High quality photography signals a high quality brand. The beauty is in the details. The desire is in the story.