There are a ton of sites out there that offer stock photos for business, bloggers and designers, but very few of them offer them for free. That can leave you wondering if it’s worth the cash to buy the photo or if you should keep hunting around for an image that isn’t going to take a bite out of your bank account.
Because your kids would never pose for a picture like this.
Here’s why it’s worth it to ante up for a photo from a reputable site:
1) It IS from a reputable site. That means the subjects have agreed to pose for the picture, and for their picture to be used in applications like yours. A lawsuit is NOT on your horizon.
2) The picture is the right quality for use. There’s nothing quite like getting your hands on a great image, going through all the trouble to fit it into your design, then having to start all over again because it didn’t have a high enough DPI. That’s a pretty big wrench to throw into the works. Nobody’s going to thank you for it.
3) For-pay stock photos have more options, which translates into a better picture for your piece and less chance that you’re going to see YOUR image somewhere else the next time you turn around. That’s something you can’t necessarily say about free images that are just floating around for the next guy to come by and snap them up.
4) You’re supporting somebody else’s art. These images were created by real artists, either with a camera or a paintbrush or by hand using one of the Adobe suite tools. They represent their time, their effort and yes, their skill. This way, they’re getting compensated for that.
5) It’s faster, less stressful and more tailored to your needs. Really, what else do you need to know?