Have you ever needed a photo of a guy with a wrench doing construction work?
Well, probably not but you can find images of all kinds with a simple search in these stock photo website databases.
What are stock photos/images?
Basically, creative professionals sell the rights to their photos or artwork to a company. The company resells the rights the public to use as they see fit. That goes for websites, print materials, logos, video and the like.
At Success By Design, we prefer our clients go with original content over stock content. But sometimes there isn’t enough time or money to hire a photographer or create a custom illustration.
That’s when some stock images can really make the difference.
I have compiled a list of popular stock photography websites, some pay and some free, for you to check on when the need arises for a picture of “girl on a laptop eating food.”
List of Stock Image Sites
- IStockPhoto - When I need a stock photo I usually check them first. Reasonably priced and a large selection.
- FotoSearch
- Jupiter Images
- Shutterstock
- Dreamstime
- Fotolia
On the Higher End:
List of Free Stock Photo Sites
- Wikipedia Commons – A media file repository making available public domain and freely-licensed educational media content (images, sound and video clips) to everyone.
- Stock.XCHNG – One of the most popular free sites.
- Everystockphoto
- MorgueFile
- Openphoto
- Stockvault
- FreePixels
If you find your making yourself crazy looking through for the perfect photograph, take a break! If you want like a photo but want to alter it, contact your friendly graphic designer and have them do it. Breathe easy!