Google's John Mueller said on a hangout last week that when it comes to images, he thinks it is worthwhile to have unique images on each of your pages. If you have the resources, making your own images, instead of using blanket stock photography, should help with image search traffic and maybe the one box image results.
John did add that it doesn't help you rank directly with web search, but overall, it is still good to have.
John said at 31 seconds in:
I think having a unique photo is definitely a good idea. Because if it's the same photo that's reused across a number of different articles, we'll we'll pick one of those articles for for image search to show as the landing page for that. So you're kind of in the same group with everyone else if it's the same photo. Whereas if it's a different photo, then we we can show it separately in image search but that's specific to image search.It's not the case that if you have good images that they will make your site rank better in web search. So it's kind of kind of separate there. But that's something where but sometimes good images show up as well in the normal search results. With like or you have the the images one bar on top or something like that. So I I think if you have a chance to to have your own images I think that's definitely worthwhile.
So either do your own photography or take images and mash them up into something unique, if possible.
Forum discussion at Google+.
