I’ve been building websites for over 20 years and I can tell you with all confidence the visual elements are just as crucial as the textual content. High-quality images can make or break user engagement, and as web developers, they also fall into the realms of if a site looks professional and credible. We’re often faced with the dilemma of choosing between original photography and stock images. At Get Leads, original photography is always preferred for its authenticity and uniqueness, there are instances where stock photography fills the gap though and a stock library is definitely something a quality web developer needs up his or her sleeve even in Wagga.
In the below video I get onto all the stock library sites and we do a comparison looking at the keyword “Wagga” as a unique term and seeing what results we get as well as something a bit more generic such as “Plumber”, “Leak Detection” just to see the quality across the bunch.
The below is subject to change and should always be checked before purchasing.
| Site | Subscription Cost $USD | Pay-Per-Image | Licensing | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unsplash Premium | $12/month paid yearly | Not available | Free to use with some restrictions | High, curated |
| iStock | $29/month (10 images) $85/month for signature (10 images) | $12 per image | Standard and extended licenses available | High, extensive library |
| Getty Images | $499/month (50 images) | $175 per image | Royalty-free and rights-managed licenses | Very high, exclusive content |
| Storyblocks | $25/month | Not available | Royalty-free | Good, large variety |
| Envato Elements | $16.50/month Paid yearly | Not available | Unlimited use within subscription period | Good, extensive resources |
| Death to Stock | $15/month you will however need the $59/month | Not available | Royalty-free | Artistic, high-quality |
| Adobe Stock Library | $29.99/month (10 images) | $9.99 per image | Standard and extended licenses available | Very high, integrates with Adobe tools |
| Shutterstock | $29/month (10 images) | $9-$14 per image | Standard and enhanced licenses | High, extensive library |
| Dreamstime | $25/month (15 images) | $0.20 – $40 per image | Royalty-free and extended licenses | Varied, extensive library |
| Alamy | Not available | $19.99 per image | Rights-managed and royalty-free | Varied, extensive collection |
| Pixabay | Free | Not available | Free for commercial use with attribution | High, community-contributed |
| Pexels | Free | Not available | Free for commercial use with attribution | High, community-contributed |
| Deposit Photos | $39/month (30 images) | $0.33 – $9.80 per image | Standard and extended licenses available | High, extensive library |
Let me start by saying that all the information in this post does need to be double checked if you’re going to buy a subscription or license from any of these websites. They could have changed, there could be deals to be had and you don’t want to find yourself with a license infringement.
Not all stock photography sites measure up, there’s a lot of sub-par stock out there that has no place in 2024 or even 2004. In this article, we’ll compare some of the best most popular stock photography sites I’ve used on my journey the following in no particular order:
- Unsplash Premium
- iStock
- Getty
- Story Blocks
- Envanto Elements
- Death to Stock
- Adobe Stock
- 123RF
- Shuttershock
- Pixelbay
- Pexels
- Dreamstime
- Alamy
Focusing on their costs, licensing, and quality. We’ll also look at some of the subscription options which are often the cheapest and most worthwhile compared to buying one here and there.
Please note there are a variety of terms and conditions which the names can vary between sites. Royalty free is often universal but when it comes to standard, extended, premium and so on you’ll need to read the fine print.
The Preference for Original Photography
As I said previously for Get Leads original photography ensures that your visuals are unique and tailored specifically to your brand. It helps in creating a stronger brand identity and can improve the authenticity of your content. However, original photography comes with its own set of challenges, such as higher costs and the time required to capture the perfect shots. I’m believe you should concentrate on what you do well and leave the rest. That’s why I often outsource design, logos, branding and photography/videography.
In Wagga there are over 22 photographers. I’ve counted available online ready to do your commercial, wedding, baby, pet shoots. As such they range in price, experience and qualifications. I personally love being behind the camera but I have a lot I need to learn and while I have all the gear and no idea I don’t over estimate my skills and at the moment would use use either Cut Above or if Grant’s not available Matt Beaver or find someone else of reputable quality.
A photographer should set you back between $300-$5000 for a shoot depending on what you’re after. I always, always include photography in every website given it’s importance and never leave this up to the client to organise. For the most part if it’s a couple of hours I’d expect up to $800 for photos with usage rights across mediums.
The biggest advantage here is that you can use these photos without spending hours and hours to search for new ones and you know you can use them without licensing issues.
When to Use Stock Photography
Stock photography is often used when original photos aren’t available or when there’s a need to fill gaps in content quickly. While stock images are convenient, over-reliance on them can lead to generic visuals that fail to stand out. Therefore, it’s essential to choose high-quality stock images that align well with your brand’s aesthetic.
Comparison of Stock Photography Sites
To help you make an informed decision, here’s a detailed comparison of costs, licensing, and quality of some popular stock photography sites:
In-Depth Analysis of stock photo libraries
Unsplash Plus: Known for its high-quality, curated images, Unsplash Premium offers a vast collection of free-to-use images, making it a go-to for many developers. The premium subscription provides additional exclusive content and better licensing options. I’ve been using this one for a couple of years and it’s a go to if I can’t find what I need at iStock.
The below image is from their plus collection.
iStock: With a wide range of high-quality images, iStock offers flexible pricing options. The standard and extended licenses ensure you have the necessary permissions for various uses, making it a reliable choice for professional projects. I subscribed to the $160 per month plan for over a year and found it a little overkill for numbers and tried scaling back a little a month ago but couldn’t keep my credits which annoyed me so I’ve paused my subscription and will most likely go back when things get busy again.
The below image is from iStock from their Signature photos and as you can see it’s very, very nice.
Getty Images: Getty is renowned for its exclusive, high-quality images. While it’s on the pricier side, the investment is often worth it for projects requiring top-notch visuals. The licensing options are robust, catering to a wide array of needs. Wow are they expensive though and I would say if your client is a national brand then fine, if it’s a Riverina business making less than 3million a year then no way am I proposing a $500 image.
Storyblocks: Storyblocks provides a good variety of royalty-free images at a reasonable subscription cost. It’s ideal for those needing a large volume of images without worrying about additional licensing fees. Reviewing this recently I found their strength is in video which is good and missing from my websites usually.
Envato Elements: This site offers an extensive library of images and other resources. The subscription model allows unlimited downloads, which is great for ongoing projects. However, the quality can vary, so careful selection is advised. Ok, so it’s a bit expensive if you look at it at a year at a time and monthly it almost doubles in price. The resources here are so diverse though and give you not only stock but also access to their templates such as Final cut pro templates I’m particularly keen on. The below is an image from their stock photography section, it’s interesting the way they license the photos is by you adding it to a project you need to create first. This is particularly interesting in that you may have many projects for many customers.
The video stock section is also really good, I like to ride my local mountain bike park and did a quick search and there was some footage there I was able to download and use below. Pretty amazing that this is a track I ride five times a week and it had footage available for download.
The quality here is top level unlike some of the other libraries you simply download the very top high quality and need to downscale from there where libraries like iStock with photos will have a 1920px image which is the primary style I’d use. Elvanto had me downloading 4k video and 5k images. Depending on your use I’m sure this is a good thing but for blogs like this one a it’s a bit overkill.
Death to Stock: This service prides itself on artistic, high-quality images. It’s perfect for brands looking for something more unique and less mainstream. The monthly subscription gives access to new, fresh content regularly. I was a bit confused on this one as I’d downloaded a free set of images every now and again from a newsletter signup I had ten years ago. These guys are really focused on the artistic aspects and won’t suit most client website stock photography needs.
Adobe Stock Library: Integrating seamlessly with Adobe’s suite of tools, Adobe Stock is an excellent choice for those already using Adobe products. The quality is consistently high, and the licensing is straightforward, covering a wide range of uses. While I’m not an Adobe cloud customer, I do pay for their font library and Acrobat I don’t however use Photoshop, illustrator or premiere because they’re just plain too expensive. Instead I’m an Affintiy Suite guy who loves to pay once and use forever. Same with Final Cut Pro. However their stock library is really impressive and is an option for me later this year if I decide to not go back to iStock.
Pexels: Oh no, I almost forgot Pexles, it’s been around for a long while and is full of quality stock photos. I’d recommend this for high quality stock without the price tag. The biggest problem here is you see their stock absolutely everywhere. If you’re starting out with no budget it’s free so cast your net here for quality assets and you won’t be disappointed.
Below is from Pexels, not as Australian looking as the field from iStock and a little dull but there’s lots to choose from.
Photo AI features for Civic Theatre Wagga
Not all of the above stock photo libraries have Photo AI available to be able to generate something a little bit different or custom to the millions of photos available but the few that do I run through in my video and at the end of it all I generate the same image I’m after using ChatGPT and we see a massive difference in the results.
The challenge: “Imagine a realistic style image of a the building in Wagga called the Wagga Civic Theatre. I want to have a young creative lady standing in front of the building looking excited.” Similar to the image from Pexels. I limited the training for AI here to a single pass, so I wasn’t fine tuning any of the below with extra commands.
Chat GPT however did something that was far more superior and so because I’m using ChatGPT for code and a bunch of other things I’d simply stick with ChatGTP for stock images.
Pretty impressed not that it has any likeness but it’s just a better quality image.
I didn’t get to test drive Shutter Stock as I don’t have any licensing for it but certainly some of the others I could describe as doing what I consider a fairly poor job not saying Shutter Stock would be the same but here’s some other examples.
Here’s my test image from iStock:
Adobe was pretty good I though just as good as ChatGPT interestingly it pictured a dark skin lady in front of the civic theatre. On par I’d say with ChatGPT for quality, at the present time I don’t have licensing here for Adobe to download and display but it is free to try and test around so give it a try yourself.
Stock Library Wrap-Up
As a web developer or freelancer in Wagga, for Get Leads choosing the right visuals for your projects is crucial. While original photography should always be the first choice for its authenticity and ability to create a strong brand identity, stock photography is a valuable resource for filling gaps. Understanding the differences in cost, licensing, and quality among stock photography sites can help you make better decisions and ensure your projects stand out. Each platform has its strengths and is suited to different needs and budgets, so choose wisely based on your specific requirements.
If I have to use stock then for me personally I think the combo of Adobe stock library, Unsplash + and Elvanto Elements is probably the best combo for this year but next year I may look at switching one or all of these out and moving back to iStock that has served me oh so well for the past 12 months. Video is definitely something that some clients love in their hero despite the speed penalty and as long as it’s the right video that adds to the value of the message then Elvanto I think will pay for itself in no time.
Next week we look at Google Ads as the competition heats up in the Wagga area we’re about to launch in a big way partnering with staff who work for Google and who offered to help smash the competition. Watching my budget of course the next three months will be very interesting.
