Why If You’re Not Buying Cheap Stock Photo Images, You’re Paying

different colored paper bags on white background

Let’s face it: if you are a business owner with a  web presence, you are probably buying images.  Everyone is doing it.  Even if you don’t have any content on the internet, you should be paying for the images you use in things like mailing pamphlets, internal training materials, and more.  If you want to stay 100% within the parameters of the law, you should really be paying a licensing fee for ANY image you use in a commercial setting. Which, for almost every kind of business these days, is a lot of pictures.

 

So what can you do to minimize costs when buying images are concerned?  What’s the cheapest, best option for your company.  Simpler than you might think: cheap stock photo images.

Not Using Cheap Stock Photo Images?  Anything Else is Too Expensive.

When you need photos and images for your business, where do you turn?  If you want something specific, do you pay a contracted photographer?  Do you have a favorite artist that you pay to make all of your images?  Do you license directly from photographers for all of your photo needs?

Chances are, if you are pursuing any of those options to get images for your business, you are happy with quality but feeling hit hard in the pocket book.  That’s because you know, deep down, that you are paying too much for the images you are using.  And downloading cheap stock photo images is a lot cheaper than any of the options we mentioned above.

With a cheap stock photo site, you could pay literally pennies for some of the best photos on the internet.  With bundle services, you can get thousands and thousands of photos per year to meet all of your business needs.  Or find a credit or on demand service that lets you only buy the few images you need when you meet them.  Or better yet, check out our $99 dollar package deal for the best of both worlds.

How are Cheapo Stock Photo Images so Cheap?

If you’ve just started looking into the world of cheap stock photos, you are probably stricken by just how inexpensive they can be.  But don’t worry: this low price tag doesn’t mean low quality, and even the most budget friendly cheap stock photo images can be amazing pieces of art.  In fact, most cheap stock photo image vendors hand pick their images by hand, and only choose to work with photographers with proven records of producing top level content.

So how do cheap stock photo image sites sell art so cheap?  The secret is in the licensing, as cheap stock photo sites essentially sell you a use license while retaining the rights to resell the image to others.  This means that technically another company could be using the same stock photo as you, but whether or not you are the only person using a cheap stock photo image, you definitely paid a lot less for the legal rights to do so than you would have in any other situation.

Don’t think that just because stock photos can be cheap, they aren’t good quality.  Instead, cheap stock photo image vendors are able to offer high quality products so cheap due to working in bulk, not skimping on quality and art.

Wait a Minute.  Aren’t Online Photos Free?

Yes and no.  Yes, you can do a google search and find a lot of “free images” online.  Yes, you can probably find beautiful works of art on the blogs of photographers, or on a public domain site like Flickr.  But no, those images aren’t free to use by your business.

In order to use an image for commercial use, you need licensed rights to do so, and you can’t get those rights from a google image search.  If you aren’t paying for cheap stock photo images, you may be saving a few bucks today.  But in the long run, you expose yourself to huge legal fees and potential damages claims, as the people who own the image licenses you aren’t paying for come calling for their due compensation.  Which is another prime reason why cheap stock photo images save you money: in the long run, paying the cheap licensing fee is a lot more economical than fighting in court.

The Bottom Line:

Whether you are paying an artist directly for the rights to use their images, or hiring your own photographer to capture all of the photos you need, you are paying too much for high quality imagery.  And if you don’t pay for your images at all, you open yourself up to legal trouble.  Of course photographers and artists are great people, but you are running a business.  And when your bottom dollar counts, utilizing cheap stock photo images is the most economical choice there is.

Photocase Review – Little Known Ways to Buy Creative Stock Photos

Photocase, a German-based site that collects creative stock photos, made available by a dedicated community, began in 2001. This allowed people to buy authentic cheap stock photos from people who were invested in finding and sharing creative stock photos. In this Photocase review, you will learn about how to find and buy authentic stock photos and what separates Photocase from the competition.

The Basics of Photocase

photocase logoOver a decade of users uploading to and downloading images from this site has led to a modest but dedicated base of users who regularly find themselves in need of stock images. While noted in any number of Photocase review postings and articles, the collection isn’t as expansive as those offered by more corporate-focused stock image hosts which can turn some away. I found the StockPhotoSecrets review on of the best, but wanted to have my own one here. But the structure here is so unique that those who frequently use stock images may find themselves unable to turn to another site once working with this one.

Standards by which images are selected differ greatly from rival sites. The art of photography is very much a focus in Photocase and the focus of potential commercialization–matching images to any number of industries’ standards.

Uploaders, when their images are accepted, are given credits towards downloads of other images available. Income can also be earned by the download from other users, but this occurs when these downloads are not bought on the currency of credited awarded to contributors. So while the earning potential may be low with co many contributors being the same to download from other users, there is still a wealth of artistic imagery to be used. And this collection may only be on the rise, as the number of contributors remains small, these same people are dedicated to collecting and sharing unique images in this small community.

Features of Photocase.com

The focus of images collected here is on the unique and what could be deemed artistic in nature. These aren’t necessarily the same kind of photos found on the cover of major magazines but will appeal to photographers, graphic designers, and photo enthusiasts alike.

Purchasing of images can come from credits earned through community interaction, debit, credit, and various methods of PayPal invoices. While the offerings may be appealing, and the community of contributors intimate, the offset is in the pricing of images. Users may find themselves paying more for the image here than they have at rival sites. Some single images can range from €10 to €20, and that’s not considering factors like size and whether or not images come packaged with others, which can up the price as high as €70.

For many, the use of credits will be more appealing than paying the exorbitant rates, thus ensuring a self-sustaining library of images to be used and shared amongst the community. Contributors can earn 40% to 60% of their contributed images, and even in credits this can lead to purchasing power rather quickly.

The issue of licensing is a big one with those who use stock images. It almost never seems clear as to when and where an image can be used without stepping on the toes of the original distributor of the image. But here users will find detailed guides on how licensing works, highlighting how images can be used and in which markets they can be accepted, along with where and how to credit the author of the image and how to purchase exclusivity to an image making a credit unneeded. They will have options to royalty-free licensing, requiring only a sourcing credit for limited runs up to 250,000 prints. There are also extended licenses that give the purchaser rights for unlimited prints and the rights to reuse images in reprints.

Conclusion of this Photocase Review

Determining the quality of the site relies heavily against the user who intends to use it and their needs of stock images. for those with an international audience they are trying to reach with a marketable appeal to rival that of fashion magazines and sites, a different site may be more to their liking. For the artistically inclined who want to capture people’s attention with stand-out images or brand with uniqueness, they’ll find a home here.

New Website

Hey, this is my personal blog on my re-designed website. I will post news about my work and about my life from time to time. I hope you like my new design and you stick with me through the next couple of updates.

I have already posted my first stock photo agency review which is the Photocase review here. I will post new reviews and offers from time to time.

Have a great Day.

Ken