iStockphoto.com

[SephYuyX]

http://www.istockphoto.com/index.php
So yeah, kinda stumbled onto their website recently looking for good picture options. I found some really nice ones, but theyre all absurdly priced.

No matter how much I searched, I couldnt find any sort of dump site, or random free pictures anywhere.

Does anyone know of a way to get images from that site for free?

[Mayareira]

InterfaceLIFT: Wallpaper sorted by Date

[SephYuyX]

Not looking for wallpapers, looking for more vector based images for professional use.

[bebeci]

They have free image of the week / free vector of the week. Which also works for the previous 3 weeks.

Weekly Archives - Image, Free Image, Design and Artist of the Week | iStockphoto.com

[Sephx]

You can't get anything for free on iStock.

However, every week they put up a free image up for download, and every month they have a free video and vector file up for download. If you find a way to download a specific picture for free, let me know, you'll save my work a lot of money.

[Zansho]

There's a reason why they charge what they do.

Since you're using these for professional use, you have to pay for the rights usage for that particular image. If the photographer is any way smart, he/she will have registered his/her images with Library of Congress (professionals do this on a monthly basis), and license them to others for use. If you're taking this without their permission - guess what? PWNAGE in court for up to $150,000 PER image that you STEAL and USE without the photographer's PERMISSION!

You want a photo? Pay for it. I'm a professional photographer, and honestly, people like yourself who don't think much of the value of an image (especially when it comes to using it in professional capacity) are what is making it difficult for stock and commercial photographers to make a living.

Let's put the shoe on the other foot. How would you like it if someone came up to you and asked you to put together something of yours (whatever it is you do - perhaps a graphic designer?) for FREE, or pennies on the dollar? I bet you anything it feels pretty insulting.

We photographers need to put food on the table too. Let me put it this way - I charge based on usage, and how it will be used. If it's a web use only, I charge accordingly. If it's going to be used for a brochure or catalog, same thing. If it's gonna be used in huge ad campaign, bet your britches I'm gonna charge for the use of that!

Again, buy a license to use the image. /rant off

[SephYuyX]

Let's put the shoe on the other foot. How would you like it if someone came up to you and asked you to put together something of yours (whatever it is you do - perhaps a graphic designer?) for FREE, or pennies on the dollar? I bet you anything it feels pretty insulting.

Actually I do this all the time, all I ask is for credit and source back to me. More people get to see it and get more use out of it, and more people see what I offer in return.

In this digital age, everything is free if you have the right knowledge, it's best to figure out how to use it to your advantage and not to end up like Metallica.

[Zansho]

OK, if you do it for free, and ask for a byline or credit or w/e, and hopefully think it'll come back to you in some way or shape, ask yourself, when was the last time you think anyone ever paid attention to a byline or credit for artwork? You're also hurting the market for OTHER people in your field - why would someone pay for it when you're doing it for free?

Bylines and credit doesn't put food on the table. The only time I consider doing ANYTHING for free if it's a unique opportunity (like photographing our President or the Super Bowl or something like that) that I probably normally wouldn't have access to.

If you do this professionally, charge accordingly and stop hurting others in your field. I see it happen all the time with amateur photographers charging zippo for having their photos published - while they may not equal a pro's quality of work, they might be deemed passable, and the mag/client may decide to forgo paying anything if they can get it for nothing.

[SephYuyX]

Seeing that ive gotten more work and money after doing certain things for free, and then getting less after not doing some for free for awhile, id say it works.

Ive always had better luck with more small jobs, rather than fewer big jobs, and if others suffer because of it, gogo Darwin I guess.

[Zansho]

No, you've gotten a reputation as someone who will put out for free - once you stop offering, they won't come to you till you DO offer to do something for free.

Stick to your guns, I'm sure you'd rather get paid big bucks doing something and making it worth your time to do the job. Time is the biggest commodity you have - you'll never have enough of it, and the more free stuff you do, the less of it you'll have to do the ACTUAL paying gigs.

It's not Darwinism. It's the sheer fact that there are thousands of people like yourself doing stuff for free that is making this difficult for other professionals in your field to scrape a living. How much money your client has to pay for something is never a factor in the price. THE MARKET VALUE OF THE SERVICE IS WHAT ESTABLISHES THE PRICE OF YOUR SERVICE. Currently, due to a bunch of people doing stuff for free or peanuts, the market is - you guessed it - shit.

[SephYuyX]

Logical points, but I dont deal with anything picture related, and it's just local :x So no need to worry yourself that im affecting your market, too much atleast :3

[Thoronas]

I'm just going to side-step this whole argument for now.

stock.xchng - the leading free stock photography site

That site has mostly free works, don't know what type of vector art you need but they do have a fair bit on the site for free use as long as you credit the person who did it.