Archive for April, 2009

Our Top Stock Photography Picks

04/03/2009

Stock photography can take your PowerPoint presentation or website to the next level.    Here are our favorite stock photo sites, and why we dig them.

  1. iStockPhoto
    Pros: iStockPhoto maintains strict standards so that you don’t have to sort through junk to find what you’re looking for.
    Cons: Because of their strict model release standards, the same models are used for most photos -  you might see the same model on many other sites.
    www.istockphoto.com
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  2. Shutterstock
    Pros: Great subscriptions for high-volume usage.
    Cons: Pretty much the same selection as iStockPhoto, but a smaller library.
    www.shutterstock.com
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  3. Getty Images
    Pros: Extensive selection of quality model photography, and the ability to grab editorial content.  Getty often posts images of relevant news events within a day or two of it happening.
    Cons: Photos sell for 5 to 10 times the price of average content.
    www.gettyimages.com


  4. Corbis
    Pros: High-quality creative and editorial content (similar to Getty Images).
    Cons: More expensive than Getty.
    www.corbis.com


  5. Crestock
    Pros: Crestock is climbing the ladder in quality.  Their strict standards, and fresh content are a welcome surprise.
    Cons: Crestock’s search capabilities and interface are still catching up to the other guys.
    www.crestock.com


  6. Fotolia
    Pros: Fotolia’s relaxed model-release policies have opened a larger variety of model photography than other stock sites.
    Cons: You might need to sort through some lower quality files to find the golden shot.
    www.fotolia.com
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  7. Runner-ups
    While they aren’t our first stop, we still use them every once and a while.  Here are a few other stock photography sites you should bookmark: www.dreamstime.com, www.stockxpert.com, www.canstockphoto.com, www.bigstockphoto.com.