The six photos every small-business website needs (and how to take them with a phone)

Stock photos tell people you are not real. Six real ones tell them who they are hiring.

The six

1. You, outdoors, daylight, looking at the camera, no sunglasses.
2. The truck or the shop front with the name visible.
3. A job in progress: hands, tools, the work.
4. A finished job, the wide shot a customer would take.
5. A before-and-after pair from the same spot.
6. The sign, the card or the magnet, so the look on the site matches the look on the street.

How to shoot them

Morning or late afternoon light. Hold the phone level. Tap the subject to focus. Take five of each and send them all; we pick. Horizontal for the site, vertical for Facebook. No filters.

Every Business site includes photo direction: a list like this, specific to your trade, before the build starts.