I would like to take credit for all of my photos but sometimes you have to beg, borrow and buy great photos. The begging comes easy if you are desperate and not choosy. The borrowing is a whole other matter what with royalties, legalities and credits. And then again, there is the whole issue of artistic talent, subject matter and the ever elusive “exact look” you are looking for. So unless you are inherently talented with a camera, you might find yourself in need of a great photo or two for a promotional piece or your web site. You might just consider the purchase route. istockphoto.com is a great photo share site where you can purchase photos at very reasonable prices. They trade in credits which you purchase online. I don’t really understand the credit idea but hey, they are Canadian, so go figure. Remember they have those weird nickles and fake quarters that don’t work in our candy machines.
Basically you sign up, buy credits with your credit card and download your photo. Could not be easier. Make sure you buy the smallest image you need for your project as the larger the image, the more money. If you are using it for web use you will be fine with the small image size. You get 12 credits for 18 USD and the small images cost 3 credits. You do the math! Pretty cheap for a professional photo of exactly what you are looking for. The search button is very handy and you can narrow it down so you don’t spend all night looking for the quintessential photo of a pink plate and peonies. Unlike some people we know. It is a great resource for stock photos. Give it a try.