stock photography websites

As promised in my previous post, below are my top choices for finding the perfect image for a website, catalogues, presentation or blog. The list includes some of the most popular websites for image search and should provide enough options to satisfy even the most demanding marketer, graphic designer or advertising agency.

Getty Images

With a collection of over 80 million still pictures Getty Images is one of the largest stock photography website. As a result of an aggressive aquisiton strategy the company now owns two other big players in the category: Jupiter Images and iStock Photo. The site offering goes beyond stock and editorial images and provides marketers with a great collection of footage (50000 hours) and music files. Their Thinkstock subscription model not only allows you to download from the millions of images on the Getty website but also gives you access to the iStockphoto and Jupiter Images collections.

Corbis Images

The company was started by Bill gates in 1989 and currently offers over 100 million still pictures and illustrations. I was mostly impressed with the Documentary, Fine Art, Archival collections offered for editorial purposes, which include some amazing photography and illustration.

Fotolia

One of the popular choices for stock photography, this website offers a collection of over 13 million images, illustrations, vectors and HD videos. With a very flexible subscription plans and even free images available for download, Fotolia represents a very cost-effective option for getting the image you want for your marketing collateral.

Firstlight

When it comes to more unique and exclusive images Firstlight is my first choice. Although not as cost-effective as its biggest competitors listed above, what I like about this website is the amazing customer experience and the fact that they promote Canadian photographers.

Stock.xchng

Owned by Getty Images, this is a website that offers stock images at the most competitive price: free. I haven’t used them personally but they might be a good option for blogs and internal communication materials.

As I mentioned at the beginning these are my top five sources for stock photography. If you still haven’t found the perfect image for you Marketing materials free to get in touch with me. I can help you with a very comprehensive list of over 50 stock photography websites.