What makes a good business photo, and when should you use AI images?

Why real photos carry so much weight

Photos answer a customer's questions quickly: What does the place look like? What does the work look like? A photo of your actual work is evidence, so it has to be accurate.

Google's own guidance for Business Profile photos says they should be in focus and well lit, without significant alterations or excessive filters, and that the image should represent reality [1]. It is a good standard for every business photo.

Light

• Use soft, natural light: near a window, on a bright overcast day, or in open shade.
• Put the light in front of or beside the subject, not behind it. A bright window behind a person turns them into a silhouette.
• Avoid harsh midday sun on people's faces, which creates squinting and hard shadows.

Framing

Lesson 8 covers giving each image one clear subject. A few framing habits:

• Get closer and fill the frame with the subject.
• Clear the background of trash cans, cords and clutter.
• Hold the phone level so walls and horizons are straight.
• Shoot in the shape you will use. Vertical for stories and short video, square or slightly vertical for most feeds, horizontal for website banners.

Light editing, honest results

Cropping, straightening and adjusting brightness are normal. Do not remove a scratch from a car you are selling, change a product's color or make a space look bigger. If a customer would notice the difference in person, the edit has gone too far.

Where AI images fit

AI image tools can be useful for:

• Illustrations and graphics for a tip or an explanation.
• Abstract or seasonal backgrounds for text posts.
• Concept images that are clearly not presented as real work, such as an idea board.

They should not be used to show:

• Work you did not do, or a "finished project" that does not exist.
• Products, inventory or a location that look different from reality.
• Customers, reviews or testimonials. The Federal Trade Commission's rule on reviews and testimonials prohibits fake ones, and the FTC specifically names AI-generated fake reviews [2].

Platform disclosure rules

Platforms set their own rules for AI-made content, and they change, so check each platform's help pages.

Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Threads). Meta says it may require an AI label when content has photorealistic video or realistic-sounding audio that was digitally created or altered, and that there may be penalties for content shared without a label when one is required [3]. Meta says this requirement does not apply to images, though its systems may still label images when they detect AI involvement [3].

YouTube. YouTube requires disclosure of realistic content made or meaningfully altered with AI, such as a real person appearing to say something they did not, altered footage of a real place or event, or a realistic scene that never happened [4]. It says clearly unrealistic content, minor edits such as color correction, and production help such as an AI-drafted script do not need disclosure [4].

Where no rule requires a label, ask: would a customer feel misled to learn the image was made by AI? If yes, label it or use a real photo.

Common mistakes

Shooting into the light. A bright window behind the subject leaves it dark.

Over-editing. Heavy filters and retouching that make the real thing a disappointment in person.

Stock or AI images standing in for real work. The photos look like any business but yours.

Skipping platform labels. Posting realistic AI video or audio without the disclosure a platform requires.

Worked example

A car dealership's used-car photos are taken at noon in full sun, from across the lot, with a dumpster in the background. Someone suggests clean AI images of each model instead. The sales manager says no: buyers need to see the exact car, including its real condition. The dealership changes how it shoots:

1. Photos are taken in the morning or late afternoon, or in the shaded service drive.
2. Each car is parked in the same clear spot against a plain wall.
3. The same set of angles is taken every time: front three-quarter, side, rear, dashboard, front seats, rear seats, odometer and any visible wear.
4. Edits are limited to cropping and brightness.

For a seasonal service special post, it does use an AI illustration of falling leaves behind the offer text, since that shows no real car, place or person.

Their post makes the remark first and ends with the question: "Every used car on our lot now has a full photo set online, including close-ups of any wear, so you can see the exact car before you visit. Which photo do you look at first when you shop for a car?"

Checklist

• The photo is in focus and well lit, with light in front of or beside the subject.
• The frame has one clear subject and no clutter.
• Edits are limited to what keeps the photo true to reality.
• Real photos are used for our work, products, place and people.
• AI images are used only where they do not pretend to be real work, products or customers.
• Platform AI labels are applied where required.

Try it

Photograph one thing you sell three ways: facing a window, with the window behind it, and lit from the side. Retake the best one closer, with the background cleared. Make that setup your standard spot.

Tips

• Wipe the phone lens before every shoot.
• Pick one spot with good light and use it for all product or inventory photos.
• Keep a shared folder of real photos so nobody reaches for stock or AI first.
• Check each platform's AI disclosure rules before posting realistic AI video or audio.

Sources

1. "Manage your Business Profile photos & videos," Google Business Profile Help, https://support.google.com/business/answer/6103862
2. "Federal Trade Commission Announces Final Rule Banning Fake Reviews and Testimonials," Federal Trade Commission, August 14, 2024, https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/08/federal-trade-commission-announces-final-rule-banning-fake-reviews-testimonials
3. "How to identify AI content on Meta products," Meta Help Center, https://www.meta.com/en-gb/help/artificial-intelligence/1783222608822690/
4. "Disclosing use of GenAI content," YouTube Help, https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/14328491