How to Chose Stock Photography for your Web Site

So you've decided to take the plunge. You know that stock photography is an effective tool for your web business, but where do you start and how do you choose the stock photo that's right for you. Here are some tips to get you started so that you are happy with your choice.

1. Decide where you want to purchase your stock photography. There are large agencies and small independent photographers. While the agencies will have more to chose from and sometimes lower prices an independent photographer will offer more personalized service and opportunities for you to have custom work done, if that is what you need.

2. Don't go in expecting to find an exact image that is in your head, a large agency or an independent photographer will not have the man in a blue suit, holding a cell phone, next to the white blinds nor will they have the beach landscape with the green and white striped chair. You need to have a clear idea in your head of the message that you want to convey and search for an image that creates the message that you want. (If you want something specific you'll have to pay for a photographer to shoot to your specification.)

3. Make use of a free comp image to try out the image and make sure that it fits with your project or web design. Most stock agencies offer some sort of free comp image for position only so that you can make sure that you like what you're going to buy. Please use this option, if available, and make sure that the image is going to convey the message that you want it to.

4. Pay for what you need. Don't pay for a 300 dpi image for a web design, and don't buy a 72 dpi image for something you intend to print. Make sure that the agency or independent photographer offers at least a printable and a web version of every photo. Buy only the size image that you need for your job.

5. How much do you want to pay and for how long to you want to use the image? This comes down to royalty free or rights managed. If you don't want the chance of your competitor using the same image or you plan to use the image on or for a product you may want to look at rights managed. This will cost you more but it will lessen the chance of your competitor using the same image. Keep in mind that if you're using the image for an extended period of time you will have to pay for the use of the image every year or so. If you don't feel that your competitor using the same image is a threat or you don't have the money for rights managed photos look into royalty free photography. This product is also great if you're planning to use the images for an extended period of time.

I hope these tips help to get you started in choosing stock photography for your web site, business, or product. Remember to shop around and look for what you need. Also if an agency or photographer doesn't have what you need ask, you may be surprised how helpful they can be even for specific requests. If you have some specific question please visit my Photography Forum at: http://kellypaalphotography.com/v-web/bulletin/bb/index.php and post your question there.

About The Author

Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal

Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

MORE RESOURCES

Profit By Outsourcing, The Web Design India Company Sought to Sculpt The ... DigitalJournal.com (press release) The Web Design India company is also incorporating an authenticated “Wiki” on the lines of online free encyclopedia, the Wikipedia for user to post articles, have access to relevant information and keep themselves posted with the latest about the ... and more »

DC Web Design Firm Blue Water Media Launches a New Website for the Public ... PR Web (press release) A Leader in Creative Web Design, Blue Water Media Assists the Public Media Business Association in Their Mission to Establish a Comprehensive Digital Resource for the New PMBA and its Members. The Public Broadcasting Management Association underwent a ...

New Digital Multi Media Program Coming to Brighton High School Patch.com By Nicole Krawcke Brighton High School Sophomore Evan Palmer works on an assignment during the first week in Web Design. Palmer said he took the class to learn how to make his own website. Brighton High School is getting a new career technical ...

Indiana Web Design Company Radically Changes Approach to Web Development PR Web (press release) Effect Web Agency, an Indiana web design company, redefines their entire develop process to focus on achieving sales results for clients. Effect Web Agency says they know why websites do not work for many businesses. Steve Schmidt, President and Web ... and more »

HigherVisibility Named Eleventh Best Web Design Company by topseos.com for ... Press Media Wire The independent authority on Search vendors, topseos.com, has named HigherVisibility the eleventh best web design company in the online marketing industry for the month of February 2012. Their position in the rankings of top web design companies is ... and more »

EQuicknews

Web Design Tips EQuicknews Launching а website іs bоth exciting аnd potentially rewarding. A wеll planned site can have а positive effect оn уour business, wіth online sales bucking thе trend in an othеrwisе downbeat economy. Creating a website can аlѕо bе a daunting task, ... and more »

Industry Today (press release)

Calgary Web Design Firm Offers Exclusive Content Management System Industry Today (press release) Understanding the increasing demand for this system in today's business world iDesignit.ca a Calgary Web Design Company, is offering innovative solutions to small businesses in Calgary, Alberta and surrounding areas. iDesignit.ca specializes in ...

PR Web (press release)

Algonquin Studios Shares Thought Leadership Reports on Web Design, SEO ... PR Web (press release) These are people who have started successful businesses, built enterprise-level software systems, and work hard to actively keep abreast of changes and advancements in technology, software development, web design, and online marketing,” says ... and more »

Web development company in Indiana wants to increase businesses' sales The Creative Department Many small businesses struggle with search engine optimization and making their websites easily navigated, and an Elkhart, Indiana, web design company wants to help them. In a recent statement, Effect Web Agency outlined some of the main problems that ...

Web Design, Press/marketing, sales assistant for Jeepers Peepers Sunglasses FashionUnited.co.uk Can work well under pressure and use initiative. Must have a sense of humour. This position would suit someone with an interest in Web Design, Marketing and Pr, sales and general interest in running a business would benefit from this position.

People Locator find anyone in the USA

RELATED WEB SITE DESIGN ARTICLES: Top Ten Absolutely Free Websites for Downloading Cool Fonts The following list of websites is the best compilation of sites on the web where you can download many different fonts totally free. Also, there are a variety of different types of fonts and styles you can download from the following sites so start searching today. 3 Tips You Can Use Right Now to Improve Your Web Sites Usability Studies done by Jakob Nielson the man touted as the, "King of usability" by Internet Magazine showed that people do not read on the web like they would normally read offline.So what does this mean to you and why should you care?Visitors to your web sites are in a rush, they want the information you promised and they want it NOW. Appropriate Key Words Choice What do the key words represent?Key words - these are the words that the users enter in a given search engine to find services or products you offer. It is extremely important to know what key words they will use. Click Here See, works every time. Seriously now, for some reason people keep leaving your website and you can't figure out why. Is a Web Site Builder Right for You? A web site builder can be a real life saver to someone without advanced HTML knowledge or tools. Web site builders allow a relative newbie to the internet create a professional website in very little time. Building Your Website to Save You Money Does your website make you any money? Does it SAVE you any money?Websites are more than just marketing tools, out there in Cyber-Land effortlessly promoting you and your products. While that's great, why not use that same website to save yourself some money?How? Well, while I don't know your particular situation, I can provide you with some thought-provoking ideas that you can take back to your web designer for more input. Creating a Favicon Once, I attempted to create a favicon (the little graphic in the URL address box) for this Web site, but never did finish the work until now. I used a free program that allowed me to copy and paste an image to create an icon, but I believe it has spyware so I won't share its name. Facts You Should Know About Web Site Design and Search Engine Optimization 1. Web site File Structure / File NamingMost search engines do not recognize beyond two directory levels. Small Business Website Design - How to Get Professional Results on a Shoestring Budget Just because you are a small business with an even smaller website design budget, does not mean that you cannot have a professional looking website and presence on the web. All it means is you will have to do some of the work yourself instead of paying some design firm to do it for you. Nine Effective Tips For Improving Your Website's Usability Web usability is perhaps the most important factor in any web design. This is the driving factor that keeps your visitors coming back to your website. How to save money on a website Know what you want. Make sure you know why you want a website and what you want your website to do for you. Write down some short term and long term goals. Fast Web Design For The Skint Webmaster About two years ago, I had a go at commercial web site design. I put a medium-sized ad in a London classified ad paper. How to Make Effective Use of Web Fonts Writing for your web site is not the same as offline writing. The fonts used for print media are different than web fonts. Is Your Site Too Slow? Why Image Optimization Is Critical Graphics are fun, but if you put in too many bells and whistles when you create your web site, you may lose a potential audience whose Internet connection can't handle lots of graphics, and that means you'll be losing potential customers. According to UK website experts Boommm. Eliciting Contructive Website Feedback "It's good.""You've done a nice job. Web-Safe Fonts for Your Site Choosing the right typeface for your website copy is important, since it will affect the way your readers perceive your page (serious and formal, or friendly and casual). Aside from this, there are also important usability concerns. The Newbie's Guide to Small Business Web Design You've got a concept for a business, are excited about putting it out on the Internet, know a little bit about computers and the Internet, but know nothing about building a web site, or web design.You can still be highly successful and save money by doing the job yourself so long as you've got the willingness to learn and the time to spend on the project. Web Design:10 Magnificent Millionaire Dollars Ad Copy Secrets To Empower Your Website.. Hello, how is your website doing?Are sales flowing in?If you answer no, may I offer you 10 eye-popping web design secrets to make your website sell!1. Use a hand written letter on your ad copy instead of text. The Ultimate Web Site Marketing Strategies That You Should Know Most of us know that we need to advertise our products and our services, some of us still believe we are too small to invest in a advertising campaign. Now while a full-fledged marketing effort may be too much for your operation, it is however crucial to your success that you are involved in some kind of marketing activities. Handwriting Font Tips - The Personal Touch That Makes a Difference Most websites use similar fonts and as a result have a generic look. So, if you want to differentiate your look and also add a personal touch to your website, conider using handwriting fonts.