There are a few different types of stock photography. Let’s start with everyone’s favorite: FREE! Free stock photo sites offer images for absolutely no cost. Sometimes the photographer will ask for a credit line, or notification of usage, but the image itself is free. Royalty-free photos are those that you pay a one-time fee for, and then have the right to use as many times as you like – in any way that you like. Rights managed artwork is priced based on usage. You may pay more to use it in a larger geographical area, or to use it on a large print run. This is the most expensive of the stock photography categories, but these images are usually worth their price since they are the highest in quality, and because they will be less likely to be seen in other brochures, websites, etc. Here are my favorite stock photography sites, as well as a few others:

stock.xchng

Stock.xchng is the best free stock photography site I know of. It’s extremely easy to use and offers TONS of decent quality, large photos. Just sign on to be a member (for free) and download as many images as you like. Pay attention though. Some photos have special requirements. For example, a photographer may request he or she be notified when using their photo. Most photos on stock.xchng are no-strings-attached, though, so this is always my first stop when I’m working on a project without a photography budget.

Other places to get free stock photography:

Freerange Stock: a collection of stock photography free to use for personal or commercial projects

Web Photo Mart: a collection of stock photography – each photo with it’s own restrictions. Some only for educational projects.

iStockphoto

iStockphoto is my favorite place to go for royalty-free (and exceptionally inexpensive) stock photography. It is also a great resource for illustration, animation, and videos. iStock sells images for as little as $2.00 and works on a credit system. You purchase credits, and as you download images, you spend those credits — more for larger images — until you run out and have to purchase more. iStock has millions of photos available, and they are much higher in quality than the photos you’ll find on the free sites. I rarely have to search other sites to find what I am looking for. I’m an iStock junkie.

Other places to get royalty-free stock photography:

StockExpert: a site run by Juniper Images that offers photos per image, or as a subscription.

Shutterstock: offers royalty-free photos by subscription

Corbis

Corbis offers much more than photographs. It is a great place for inspiration and ideas. Corbis sells both royalty-free and rights managed photography and illustration. They have a massive selection of beautiful photos, but you will have to pay for the exceptional quality. These photos don’t come cheap, but, if you have the budget, they are worth the expense.

Other places to get rights-managed stock photography:

Veer: Veer prides itself on offering off-beat photos that you can’t find elsewhere.

GettyImages: Getty offers images, footage and music