best stock photo site?

[SelArom]

I'm a web developer, but not much of a designer, so I often resort to using stock images and photos for my content. So far I've been able to get by with stockxchg and wiki commons, but my needs are quickly growing and I would like to expand to something with a larger library of images (especially non-photo graphics like icons, etc).

the problem is that there are so many and I dont know which one! My department is willing to give me a budget so I need something with a subscription, but most of the sites have subscriptions STARTING at $100 a month which is WAY more than I need (something like 30 downloads a day. I doubt I'd need more than 30 per month!)

I would only be able to be provided a fixed budget (say x per month or better yet per year) so paying per download is not an option. I need a service that offers something like 20 bucks a month or $250 a year for x images or something like that.

but I guess the most important thing is the quantity of picture categories. I develop for an organization that has dozens of different departments so I need to be able to get picture of everything from a golf course to a fire truck.

any suggestions are most appreciated!

thanks!

[MidiMagic]

Create your own.

[macneato]

Agree with Midi... Web Icons are relatively simple to create, get photoshop and illustrator and you open up for business.

If you not sure where to start, simply get some tutorials (tons out there, GOOGLE)

All the best

[Jen0608]

sometimes i get images at corbis.. but most of the time i use my own photography for images... =)

[SelArom]

unfortunately making my own designs just isn't an option for two reasons: 1) my time is mostly spent programming, and more importantly 2) I SUCK at design. all the tutorials in the world can't fix that :)

I looked up corbis but wtf you can't see prices unless you're logged in? lame! a quick googling showed i'm not alone: http://gadgetopia.com/post/2472

i'm not necessarily looking for icons, just a large library of images that I can purchase on demand instead of like 200 bucks a month

[roryt]

I've never looked for graphics like icons and things but this is a fairly good stock photo site: http://www.sxc.hu/ and they have a partner who are a paid for site: http://www.stockxpert.com

Hope that helps.

[SelArom]

lol this is actually exactly what i've been using! i use the free sxc and for some reason I completely forgot about stockxpert even though they're the same company and the banner is right there at the top... sometimes my incompetence amazes even myself

anyway i think this will do just fine thanks :)

[roryt]

Glad I could help... I remembered just after i posted that it was called stock exchange and that's what you had been using so I half expected a post back say... THat's what I'm already using idiot.

But glad I point the paid for bit out. I think it is a pay per image one as well.

[MidiMagic]

Sometimes I use Word and look for free clip art for it. Then I copy the image I pasted to a file.

[brandseo]

You can take any help from tutorials and search it on Google.

[rockbd]

CULDNT understand a word. sorry!! :D