Where Are the Good Free Stock Photo Sites?

stock.xchng and Morgue File connect the designer on a tight budget to free stock from the world over

The front page of “stock.xchange”, http://www.sxc.hu

The needs of design, more than occasionally, requires photos. This is such an obvious truth that one would think it hardly needs stating. Where the designer hits the wall of reality is in obtaining those images. Many have digital cameras and scanners, and with the price of them coming down seemingly every day, more and more do (or will). A digital camera does not necessarily a creative photographer make, and in the quest for a personal file of photos it’s not long until questions of rights and permissions get asked.

Thus encumbered, the beginning freelancer or student turns to the stock photo vendors out there. The pictures are beatiful, but the price! You get what you pay for, of course, and the stock photo vendors give value for money, but most beginners and students don’t have that money – at least not at first. Where to go for good quality free photos with acceptable quality for print work? Never fear – The “stock.xchng” and morguefile are here.

One site, The “stock.xchng” (http://www.sxc.hu) is as much of a community as everything else. Boasting over 170,000 free stock photos, it bills itself as the leading free photo site on the Web. Not only is its entire stock available for download for absolutely free (in some cases, you have to ask the creator) but for most purposes, royalties need never be paid. Registration is required, but is free, and registered users can not only download graphics but share thier own with the community.

Another site, morguefile (http://www.morguefile.com), doesn’t even require resgistration for download, though one can become a member. Despite the macabre name, a “morgue file” is actually a happy thing for designers in search for an image. The vernacular use of the term describes a post-production file of already-used matierials, an inactive-job file – a source file for future jobs. Morguefile aims to be the morgue file for the web.

Both sites provide suprisingly superb-quality (most 300DPI) photos of a multitude of subjects by talented and passionate amateurs. On a personal note I have found them acceptable for print use and for school projects.

This is not to say the full-price stock photo shops should be avoided. As said, the prices might seem high for the budding designer but they give value for that money. Until you get to that spot, however, you’ll want a source for images that are good enough to use. Stock.xchng and morguefile are two good resources for the up-and-comer to have.