The Importance of Stock Photo Sites
If you can download images for free, why should you spend money on stock photo sites? Stock photo sites are companies that offer stock photos, often licensed for specific uses. They charge from a few bucks to hundreds of dollars for a single image. Some agencies have images exclusive to their websites, but most are contributed by professional photographers around the world through online submission.
Why are stock photo sites important?
- They help you find what you need easily and fast. Stock sites have vast libraries of images, but you don’t have to spend a lot of time searching to find what you need. Most have integrated searching and categories, keyword and tagging so you can find the perfect image for your creative needs in just a few clicks. The images can be sorted according to popularity, newest and others, too. You can even search according to the number of people, age group and gender.
- They provide licenses. What do you need the images for? Unlike free images, stock photos come with the right license that allows you to use the images for specific purposes. With Royalty Free, you can use the images in any project for as long as you like. Rights Managed gives you exclusive rights to use the images in a certain way and period of time. These licenses have limitations, but they cover most uses.
- They have variety. Whether you are looking for images with or without people, animals and text, stock photo sites have it all. You can be sure of the quality as well. Most sites check and verify images submitted by amateur photographers to ensure quality.
Stock photo sites play an important role in the creative industry. They help protect you from violating strict copyright laws that may damage your reputation and wipe clean your pockets. So, the next time you look for images, visit your most preferred stock sites or try something new.