Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Need stock photo site(s) recommendation

definitive

definitive

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Aug 4, 2008
2,073
942
Anyone know where I could find some wide angle stock photos? I'm looking to buy several photos at affordable price (up to around $100 per photo), but when browsing through istockphoto, it seems like most of their photos are either square, vertical, or up close which doesn't allow me to crop them into wide angle format (around 600x270 or 600x300) without losing original objects in the photos...
 
Look beyond iStock...

IStock used to be great... But many folks have fled due to their constant price hiking. Plus they also play games with their credit purchasing, forcing one to purchase more than they need... But still leaving odd remnant credit amounts. While they admittedly have one of the best selections of micro stock... Much their material is overpriced. Vectors are also outrageous there.

Do yourself a favor, before you buy from IS, check the other sites to see if they have the same material as well. Most likely they have it as well (unless the material is tagged as exclusive). The dirty little secret is that most stock shooters sell from multiple agencies, and those selling prices vary GREATLY. If you don't care whether you spend $20 for an image or $7, then go with iStock.
But, if you purchase a lot of stock, it could easily double or triple your expenditure.

For micro stock I like Dreamstime & Fotoalia and 123rf.com. You can also check out Pixmac, Bigstock and the many other competitors. Stock is always the last place I look, as I find them sleazy and greedy.

For vectors go to vectorstock.com, they sell vectors for a buck, whereas IStock sells them for $23.10. That is... If you could actually buy the credits necessary in one buy, which you cannot do. So, to buy the ONE vector you want, you actually have to pony up $39.50 to buy enough credits to buy that ONE vector. That is because you can't buy 15 credits ( which is what the IS vectors sell for), you can buy 12 or 26. Sleazy, and crafted by design. So, pay one dollar for a vector, or $23.10 (or $39.50)... Your choice.

I used to love iStock. I have made a lot of good friends there, designers, artists, and photographers. Folks I still keep in touch with too. I started with them when they sold pics for 1-2-3 bucks, and stuck with them until they hit the mid teens in pricing. Their price hiking never seemed to make it into the pockets of the artists either. For years they have been putting the squeeze on the buyers, and now they are doing the same to the contributors. I am willing to make the extra effort to NOT buy something from them, and where they used to be the first (and often the last) place I would look, they are dead last.

Lots to quibble about there, I guess...but do yourself a favor and check out the facts before you buy from them. Glad you asked? Lol.
Cheers,
Michael
 
regarding quality...

Admittedly iStock has some of the nicest material, but many of the images are exactly the same. So... case in point... go to iStock and say I need a pic of a bike on the beach. Found one, and the large size sells for 10 credits (which are $1.54 per credit). So the image would cost me $15.40 (but I would have to pay $18.50 to buy the minimum 12 credits).

Click for large view - Uploaded with Skitch

But lets see if we can find it elsewhere...
Fotolia has a number of image from the series (and most likely the same one if I looked hard enough). To buy a large image, you would need 7 credits, or $8.40 (you would need to buy a minimum of 25 credits for $30). So, roughly half the cost of IS.

Click for large view - Uploaded with Skitch

Dreamstime... same image... large sells for 11 credits, have to buy 13 credits... so it would cost $12.68 (have to but 13 credits for $14.99).

Click for large view - Uploaded with Skitch

Now on to 123rf.com (which now occupies the same 1-2-3 dollar niche that iStock abandoned, lol). Large costs 3 credits, credits are one buck (how refreshing... each credit costs one dollar). I have to buy 15 credits, for $15.

Click for large view - Uploaded with Skitch

So... should you choose iStock? Sure, if you absolutely need an image that only they have. But, why buy one image for $15.40, when you can buy the SAME image for $3? Or, put another way... buy one image, or five for the same price. Your choice. If you buy only a few images it likely isn't a big deal. However, if you buy a lot, it is a big deal. I dunno... spend an extra $2-3000 on stock, or use that money to buy... a new workstation, iPad, printer, etc. When it is your own money, it becomes a bigger deal. Every dollar saved can be the easiest dollar of profit you make....
cheers,
michael
 
sxc.hu has some decent free stock images. I use them for my classes since we have to use legit images and they are free! It's hit or miss though!
 
thanks for all the advice, and while i'm well aware of the pricing, the main thing i'm looking for is wide horizontal photos. for those that need clarification:

i'm building a website, and would like to put some large, wide photos at the top of the page in a slideshow. i'm sure many of you seen many html or wordpress templates that have this. the problem i'm having is that most photos can't be easily cropped since they are vertical or square, and the details get cut out when i try to make the photo wide, and at the same time short, so it won't take up most of the "fold" of the website.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back