There are a number of agencies that you can buy stock photography from. You don’t have to settle with free images in the Internet just because they’re lighter on the pocket. Keep in mind that the latter do not grant you the rights to use the photos. You may face financial and reputational damages if you get caught by the copyright police.
Many stock photo sites allow you buy stock photography at flexible prices. For cheap stock photos agencies, there is the 99 Club, iStock and Depositphotos. For higher end photos, you can sign up with Getty Images and purchase images a la carte or on demand with Ultrapacks. If you are looking for something in between, Shutterstock is the best place for you to go.
While free images do not cost you anything, they come with a lot of disadvantages:
- There are restrictions with the use of free images. Restrictions involve attributions and links. You may need to add them in order to use the images as you wish. The downside is it may ruin your work of art and, as a whole, your project.
- Edits are not allowed with free images. Free images do not allow you to retouch or edit the photos. If you want to add a text or change the effect of the image to match your project, this can be a big problem.
- Free images can’t be used as part of a product for resale. Free images do not come with the rights to use them as part of a product for resale. You cannot use them to design mugs, t-shirts and other items with the image as its main focus.
On the other hand, you can skip all these when you buy stock photography. You don’t have to break your bank, too. Many cheap stock photos are available in the market. There are a number of stock agencies to choose from. Then, you can use the image without adding attributions or links, edit them, and even use them as part of a product for resale.