123 Royalty Free - Stock Image and Photo Subscription Review

I like to have an avatar for every mood. For pictures for reviews, I do use Google Image Search to make it easier on me there. However, I don't like downloading pictures randomly off sites, or peoples' flickr accounts or from their blogs or wherever else I may come across them. Even if someone took out their $50 digital camera and shot it through the windshield, I do not feel right using other peoples' images without their consent and referencing their origin somehow.

I worked in the marketing department for a major fitness equipment manufacturer, and it was there that I learned about stock photography images. Professional photographers use their skills and talent with the express purpose of sale and widespread distribution. They sell the rights to their images to companies that then sell them. Usually you are allowed to alter the image or only use just a piece if you wish. Some images are on a royalty basis - if you purchase the image, you need to pay the company a fee or "royalty" for each different application of the image.

I am willing to buy a cool image, but obviously don't want to pay a separate fee for using it here, then on Facebook, Twitter, and my blog. So, I buy low-resolution, royalty-free stock images from the website 123rf.com. I buy the least amount of credits - 15 at a time. I got an online coupon code for free credits once, but it is around $1 per blog resolution image on that plan (a blog-sized image costs 1 credit). the more credits you buy, the less each one costs (buy 300 credits and they are $.86/credit).

I found the website when I was looking for a picture of a non-John Deere Combine Harvesting machine to upload to the Kodak Gallery. My husband loves that piece of farming equipment and I wanted to make a tie with little pictures of combines on it. I needed a quality, high-resolution image for that tie. After tirelessly searching for the perfect combine image online, I found it on 123rf.com. The resolution and size of picture I wanted was only 3 credits, but 15 is the least you can buy. I left 12 credits on my account for around 13 months and then went on Facebook and got a blog, and I remembered my credits.

Whatever mood I am in is what gets typed into the search box. I have never had the search return no hits. You have a lightbox to save the images you are interested in as you go. You can delete or buy any image anytime. Your lightbox is linked to your account and it doesn't disappear when you log out.

You can buy images from tiny (blog sized) to massive poster sized prints. You can buy huge blocks of credits if you wish, or if you're going to use the images lots and lots (like if you are a company), you can get a subscription to the website. There are some images set aside for subscribers only, and all are royalty-free.

Don't steal art! Pay the credit if the credit is due! 123rf.com has a huge selection and for $1 you can shop thousands of cool images all at one place. $1 is worth the hassle of searching all over the world for what tickles your fancy.