{"id":2411,"date":"2015-02-24T09:00:35","date_gmt":"2015-02-24T14:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/?p=2411"},"modified":"2021-12-02T12:21:34","modified_gmt":"2021-12-02T17:21:34","slug":"where-to-find-stock-photos-for-white-papers-and-b2b-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/where-to-find-stock-photos-for-white-papers-and-b2b-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"Where to find stock photos for white papers and B2B marketing"},"content":{"rendered":"
When you find realistic-looking stock photos, they can retain readers who would otherwise be put off\u00a0by a wall of gray text.<\/strong><\/p>\n To help you make your content more interesting, we’ve done some research on the best stock photo services out there.<\/p>\n But first, some advice: Be sure not to fill up your white papers with “smug shots”.<\/p>\n That\u2019s what we call those cloying photos with fake happy-faced people looking like they just walked out of an ad\u2014or maybe off of an alien spaceship\u2014bent on infiltrating our culture.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a good example of a smug shot:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n (No, we didn’t pay for this photo\u2014and we recommend you don\u2019t either.)<\/p>\n Rather, your images should illuminate your content. Or depict your target reader, or the problem you’re discussing. A light\u00a0image can even play off your content.<\/p>\n Take a look at a few of the images That White Paper Guy has found and used in white papers in the past:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Looking for stock photography can be a little overwhelming, with 3.4 billion \u00a0results for a Google search for “stock photos.”<\/p>\n So how do you find the best place?<\/p>\n We recently explored some stock photography websites. We looked at how many images the site has, the index quality, and the cost.<\/p>\n We also ran identical searches, when possible, for photos that could be used in white papers. Our search term was\u00a0\u201ccloud computing\u201d and we’re sharing the first three images that appeared for each of our searches.<\/p>\n Here are our results.<\/p>\n Selection<\/strong>: Many millions of images +\u00a0vector illustrations, videos, music, and sound effects. <\/p>\n Cost<\/strong>: 1 credit=$13, 3 credits=$36, 18 credits=$188 Selection<\/strong>: 40 million images, including graphics <\/p>\n Cost<\/strong>: 2 for $29; 5 for $49; 25 for $229. So the cost of any image above is $15. <\/p>\n Selection<\/strong>: 23+ million photos, videos, and vectors <\/p>\n Cost<\/strong>: 10 credits=$35, 25 credits=$49,\u00a0100 credits=$169.<\/span> <\/p>\n Selection<\/strong>: Approaching 30 million images in early 2015 <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cost<\/strong>: 11 credits=$15, 5 images per month for $45. Images start at 1 credit. So the cost of the first photo (above) at medium size is 16 credits (about $20). <\/p>\n Selection<\/strong>: Claims to be the largest collection of free images on the web, with 1+ million images, royalty-free photos, and illustrations. <\/p>\n Still, a search for the term \u201ccloud\u201d brought up more than 33,000 free images. <\/p>\n Selection<\/b>: 36 million royalty-free images <\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cost<\/b>: Credits start at 10=$14; 26=$35; or set a custom amount. Subscriptions start with\u00a010 medium images for $25 per month. Cost of the first photo (above) is 6 credits for small=$8.40.<\/span><\/p>\n Notes<\/b>: Offers free images of the week.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Selection<\/strong>: Small library of 400 (as of early 2015) and growing <\/p>\n Cost<\/strong>: A $10 per month premium membership gives access to the library, all packages online, and an extra package each month. Sign up and receive a link to access 14 free images.<\/span> <\/p>\n Selection<\/strong>: 75 free stock photos <\/p>\n Cost<\/strong>: Register\u00a0and then download images free.\u00a0<\/span> <\/p>\n Just as our search was winding down, we came across a very interesting stock photo site.<\/p>\n The site claims to have\u00a0the best royalty-free stock photos in one place.<\/p>\n Royalty-free generally means the photo\u00a0is free to use as often as you like once you purchase, but these images appear to be entirely free.<\/p>\n While The Stocks\u00a0doesn\u2019t have one main search engine, you\u2019ll find various search tools ranging from keyword queries to grids within pages of 16 or so contributors.<\/p>\nA word about photo choices<\/h3>\n
Where to find photos? We did the research.<\/h3>\n
iStock www.istockphoto.com<\/a><\/h3>\n
\nIndex quality<\/strong>: Easy search function with the option to find similar photos, or\u00a0search by orientation (horizontal, vertical, or square)
\nSearch term results<\/strong>: 2,200 images<\/p>\n
\nCost for each image above is\u00a03 credits, or $36. All sizes are the same price.
\nNotes<\/strong>: iStock is a well-established source where smaller photos were once available for about $5. But costs have gone up dramatically: $36 for one image is not a great deal.\u00a0Your costs can now escalate quickly if you add several images to a white paper.<\/p>\nShutterstock www.shutterstock.com<\/a><\/h3>\n
\nIndex quality<\/strong>:\u00a0Easy search by keyword or category
\nSearch term results<\/strong>: 1,270+<\/p>\n
\nNotes<\/strong>: Pre-paid credits\u00a0must be used within 12 months of purchase.<\/p>\nBigstock www.bigstockphoto.com<\/a><\/h3>\n
\nIndex quality<\/strong>: Simple interface for both keyword and category searches
\nSearch term results<\/strong>: 66,000+<\/p>\n
\nYou can buy the first photo (above) at medium size (5.3″x2.8″\/300 dpi) for 2 credits = $7 or less. Most small images start at 1 credit, which makes this our current favorite source for stock photos.\u00a0<\/span>
\nNotes<\/strong>: Owned by Shutterstock. Site features one free image each week.<\/p>\nDreamstime www.dreamstime.com<\/a><\/h3>\n
\nIndex quality<\/strong>: Sits offers extensive search features, plus tracking tool for account holders.
\nSearch term results<\/strong>: 5,000+<\/p>\n
\nNotes<\/strong>: Credits expire after one year. There is a “free” section, but it had no results for\u00a0our search. For free images, the site requests credit to the source, as\u00a0indicated on the download page.<\/p>\nStock Free Images www.stockfreeimages.com<\/a><\/h3>\n
\nIndex quality<\/strong>: Search by keyword or category. Not all photos that turn up in results are ll free.
\nSearch term results<\/strong>: First row of images that came up were from Dreamstime. The second row included\u00a0two\u00a0free images that didn\u2019t really satisfy the search term.<\/p>\n
\nCost<\/strong>: Free, as long as the photos are from this site. Search results will include images that cost money.
\nNotes<\/strong>: Owned by Dreamstime.\u00a0Linkbacks are required, preferably in HTML format.<\/p>\nFotolia <\/b>www.fotolia.com<\/b><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n
\nIndex quality<\/b>:\u00a0Search by keyword, with multiple terms for advanced searches.
\nSearch term results<\/b>: 39,688
\n<\/span><\/p>\nDeathtothestockphoto www.deathtothestockphoto.com<\/a><\/h3>\n
\nIndex quality<\/strong>: No index available.
\nSearch term results<\/strong>: Not available. Free photos are sent by e-mail each month. We selected the first 3 images in our free photo pack to demonstrate the type of photos available.<\/p>\n
\nNotes<\/strong>: This site was created when a group of owners decided to share the photos on their laptops.<\/span><\/p>\nHubspot: 75 Free Stock Photos\u00a0http:\/\/offers.hubspot.com\/free-stock-photos<\/a><\/h3>\n
\nIndex quality<\/strong>: 5 categories: Experience, Working Hard, Laptop Work, People Together, and Silly Photos
\nSearch term results<\/strong>: No search available. Here’s a sample of photos from three of the categories.<\/p>\n
\nNotes<\/strong>: If you\u2019re on a tight budget, these images may work just fine for you.<\/p>\nSaving the best for last?<\/h3>\n
The Stocks http:\/\/thestocks.im\/<\/a><\/h3>\n