iStock Photo and the $1 photo

I have spent a lot of time recently on the iStock Photos web site. What a place indeed.

I remember when I got my first Getty Images book with a CD inside loaded with low-res versions of every picture in the book. I was like the proverbial kid in a candy store. And at the time, like most designers, thought the images on the CD were free for me to use. I was not an attorney at the time (nor am I now by the way). I didn't understand the complexities of copyright, usage and all that.

Along came the proliferation of Internet sites that sell images. I was a big user of the Getty site once they had it online. Of course by then, I was buying images on behalf of clients, and following all of the usage rules associated. They provided a great service, immediate access to the art. I was hooked. But the costs were outrageous.

Today we have iStock and the others that provide quality art for in most cases as affordably as $1. This is a remarkable turn of events. It is also one that has had all of the professional photogs up in arms. As a former photojournalist, I can relate on one level, but the marketplace demands low cost alternatives.

What I really like about iStock is that it lets regular people, those of us with digital cameras and an eye, sell OUR photos online. I have yet to do this, but I keep thinking that someday when I have a few extra hours, I will scan all my best photos and watch the money roll in... a dollar at a time.

What iStock has done for us web designers is even more profound. It has opened us up to all kinds of new design possibilities. It has become a resource for us designers for photos of course, but also as a source of inspiration. iStock has a whole section of the site dedicated to work created with iStock artwork. Sometimes, when I am looking for ideas, inspiration, or just a change in vision, I will scroll through some of the really impressive work that people are creating (very affordably I might add) with the huge library of art available.

We turn to iStock here at Optiem to help our clients find affordable art for their projects. We don't always find what we need. Sometimes we hire a photographer. Sometimes we shoot it ourselves. Sometimes we end up back at Getty or Corbis and pay more like $150 for a photo we can use. Sometimes more if we need higher resolutions.

The benefit of having such low-cost alternatives is something we can directly pass on to our clients. And frankly, the quality is still very impressive.