just search "stock images" you'll get some of the major companies straightaway ( tip ..the one that says it is the cheapest ..isn't ;) ..web quality 72 small jpegs can be real cheap .well below a dollar an image ( most offer 4 or 5 qualities of image ..web quality being the cheapest )..but read the various companies TOS carefully ..and dont try to use images on more places or sites than you paid for ...they do check up

WOW am I amazed! You can't just use the pictures ad infinitem? Even though you pay for them?

It makes like it would be worth my while to pull out the DSLR and just shoot a couple hundred shots or so here around San Diego.

I don't do ~all that many~ websites; I'm at about a dozen right now. PC repair is my main game but it seems these days, folks are asking for websites instead. Long as it pays the rent!

No ..usually you can use them on one site ( and thus an infinite number of times ..but only at the size and definition you have paid for )..but not on more than one ( unless you pay more ) ..and not on tshirts etc etc ..unless you pay more ..and each sites TOS can vary ..which is why you need to read and compare ..

It makes like it would be worth my while to pull out the DSLR and just shoot a couple hundred shots or so here around San Diego.

Why not ..many of us do ..and not just around our home towns ..but in our own kitchens ..backyards ..houses ..streets etc etc ( be carefull to get signed model releases of anyone you shoot ..shooting photos for commercial use can be complex legally ..copyrights , trademarks etc ) ..and doesnt pay wonderfully per shot if you sell to the main "brokers" ..but can be a use full additional income ..especially if you take lots of photos and are good ..

Even better is to set up as a specialist photo service and sell direct ..yourself ..way harder to break through ..but if what you have is good and unique ..and in demand.

Look around the biggest sites ..( can take you days )..it will give you some ideas ..or you'll the images you need ..or inspiration ..:)

Think about it, though . . . why would you want to use the same image on multiple sites?

Anyway iStock.com is owned by Getty Images and is extremely reasonable. You buy blocks of credits, but beware - they do expire, if you don't use the credits in a year they do not roll over. So keep your blocks small.

Think about it, though . . . why would you want to use the same image on multiple sites?

Maybe to gain notoriety in PC Magazine's "Abort, Retry, Cancel" column! :)

Jonesy

You can't just use the pictures ad infinitem? Even though you pay for them?

In the cases where you cannot, it's because you're paying for the "right to use" as defined by the purchase, not actually buying the image itself.

Man this is some good info thank you guys. Great stuff, I had no idea you could not do that. Shocked at it, got to read the fine print and ask lots of questions I guess.

sxc.hu is a brilliant free stock images website, I hope this helps, Also sometimes if its a big industry then google images has a fine amount of images, unsure on the legalities of that issue though.

:)

Anyway iStock.com is owned by Getty Images and is extremely reasonable.

iStock increased their prices significantly recently. I had just bought 100 credits. Most images of the type I use doubled in price. This was most annoying as I can no longer get what I paid for. I would avoid iStock at all costs. They use all sorts of stuff to trick you into buying higher resolution images than you need, etc. Quite unethical!

sxc.hu is a brilliant free stock images website

They have also been taken over by Getty. They still do some free images but their website now tries to channel visitors into paying for images.

Have a look at Fotolia and stay away from Getty. They are a bad lot.

Thanks BeeDee for the tip. It's been a while since I started this thread but now I need more graphics & am hunting.

I have decided that since I live in San Diego, I am going to start bringing my DSLR with me everywhere I go. I can build myself a set of 'stock' images over the spring & summer months.

read the small print. we had to change our cms to allow credits for the photos on each respective page.