Become a VA: Where to Get Quality Images Without Burning a Hole in Your Pocket (or Your Client's)

You'll need images. Not just good ones, but GREAT ones. PowerPoint presentations, blog posts, articles, web content, ads, you name it - it will most likely need an outstanding picture to accompany it. But where can you get quality images that you can use commercially for free (or at least without charging your client an exorbitant amount?).

(While we're on the topic, isn't it a tad annoying - or amazing, depending how you look at it - that the oft expensive iStockPhoto almost always has the just the kind of image you were looking for with your search words?)

When looking for FREE images for download, I often turn to two sites:

(1) http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/ - you can download high quality photos and images for free, just be sure to check the guidelines on attributing the photographer or contributor. While its collection is not as extensive as iStockPhoto, you will still most likely find an image to suit your needs.

(2) http://www.flickr.com/ - do an advanced search by typing in your search terms and then scrolling down to the bottom of the page to tick all the boxes under Creative Commons. This will give you some truly creative photos that can be used commercially or that you can 'modify, adapt, or build upon.' Most will just require you to attribute the photographer when you download and use an image.

If these sites don't have what you're looking for, check out this list of 15 Best Places for Designers to Get Free Stock Photos Online for other possible resources.

If you still can't find the right kind of image that you need, try http://www.bigstockphoto.com/. The content on BigStockPhoto is not free to download, but is cheaper than other sites and often has the same type of photo (sometimes the exact same image!) that you would find on iStockPhoto.

Still can't find what you're looking for? Try to search on http://images.google.com/ for inspiration and then go back to the above sites with more specific search terms. For example, if you were searching for a picture of a "will and last testament," but couldn't find an affordable image of a sample will, you can search on Google Images and note that some alternatives:

- picture of a family with grandparents and grandkids
- image of a lawyer discussing with his clients

Instead of searching for "will" and/or "last testament," you can start a new search using keywords such as:

- family
- grandparents
- lawyer

I hope this article helps you find the perfect images you're looking for, sans the extra cost. :-) Til my next post!