Stock Photography guide

Stock photographs are available from a number of sources and galleries. Your first decision is whether you want to pay for your photographs or not. Sites which charge for stock photographs often have a range of prices depending on the size and quality of the photographs. You may be charged different prices for stock photographs depending on the dimensions in pixels. You may also be charged according to the resolution, for examply over 300 pixels per inch for printing, or 72 pixels per inch for showing on screen.

Not all sources of stock photographs need payment. NASA for instance provide their stock photographs free of charge as a service to society. You will also find free stock photographs on this site offering content from a wide variety of locations and topics.

Assuming you find a source of stock photographs on the topic of your choice, which ones should you select? Color is one important feature you should look for when chosing stock photographs. You might have corporate colors used on the web site which appear as accessories in the photograph, or you may chose a stock photograph with natural colors. Strong colors in stock photographs can lift a site which is otherwise plain and bring life to the web site.

You should also look at the structure of stock photographs to make sure they can be used as you had planned in a particular location. Stock photographs with plain areas such as sky or a wall provide scope for you to add your own text or features. You might find that you only need to use a very small part of a photograph. They don't have to be used simply as you acquired them.

Finally, don't be tempted to download and use stock photographs without permission from the copyright owner. It may be convenient and a fast way to create a web site, but it will only lead to big problems and costs later on when you have to get your own legal stock photographs anyway. - And it's plain wrong.

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