This question comes up early for most small businesses building or refreshing a website, and the honest answer is that it depends on what's being photographed, not on a blanket rule that one option is always more professional than the other.
Where a phone is genuinely enough
Day-to-day job documentation, most before-and-after pairs, and quick proof-of-work shots are well within what a modern phone camera handles fine, especially following a few basic habits. See phone photography tips for showing off finished work. These photos work specifically because they look real, not staged.
Where a professional makes a real difference
A hero image for the homepage, a polished team photo, or a portfolio shoot meant to represent the business's overall brand benefits from professional lighting, composition, and editing in a way that's harder to replicate with a phone, even a good one. These are also photos used once and reused for a long time, which makes the one-time cost easier to justify.
The cost-benefit is different for each
A photographer costs real money per session and usually can't be there for every job. A phone costs nothing marginal and can document every single job as it happens. Treating them as competing options misses that they're suited to different jobs within the same website.
A reasonable split for most small businesses
Consider a one-time professional session for the handful of hero and brand-representing photos that appear across the whole site, and phone photography as the ongoing habit for job-specific proof of work added over time.
Don't let waiting for a photographer delay real content
A common trap is holding off on adding any real photos while waiting for a "proper" shoot that keeps getting postponed. Real, imperfect phone photos on the site now beat a placeholder or stock image while waiting for perfect ones later.
Questions
How much does a small business photography session typically cost?
It varies widely by region and photographer experience, but it's worth treating as a one-time investment in a small handful of key images rather than an ongoing expense.
Can I mix professional and phone photos on the same page?
Yes, and most small business sites effectively already do this. What matters more than consistency of source is that every photo is real and relevant.
Is drone photography worth it for some trades?
For trades like roofing or landscaping, where an aerial view shows scope of work that's hard to capture from the ground, it can be worth a one-time investment, though it's not a requirement for most businesses.