Free Stock Photos (now)!
Stock.xchng bills itself as “the leading free stock photo site.” Hey, who am I to argue with a well-organized and easy-to-navigate web site containing over 19.000 FREE photos by more than 1.500 users?
Yes, some (as in just a few) of the photos have restrictions and/or string attached, but many don’t. Those that do usually require permission or acknowledgement if the work is to appear in a commercial presentation.
The quality of images ranges from well-intended amateur to full-blown professional. Somewhere in between, you might be able to find some smiling faces and some neat places to give your church or charity website that warm ‘human touch’ that helps convey your organization’s purpose and personality.
Just do me a favor, if you do use the photos, remember two things. Give the author some attribution, and please, please, please, don’t make the mistake of thinking that by resizing the image using the <img> tag that you’re physically reducing the download size of the photo (because you’re not !-). For more details, see my article on color reduction.
