With all the free photo sites out there, why would a designer want to buy stock images? This is a short list of a few reasons you should consider.

Compelling Imagery
Stock images are a great way to create compelling advertising or promotional materials. With access to a wide variety of unique and exotic photos from all around the globe, you can buy images that convey a worldly, traveled appearance for your product or design.

Budget Friendly
Most designers don't have a professional photography studio or the skills and experience needed to properly use one if they did. Stock images present an inexpensive alternative to hiring a professional photographer, or buying the tools to create your own.

Quality Images
Stock agencies' reputations are based on the quality of their images. All of the images in their collections are pre-screened for quality, content, and uniqueness. There is a quality level for every budget and project.

Time Savings
When you factor in the amount of time and energy you would exert in putting together a photo shoot for even the simplest subject, it just doesn't make sense to do it yourself. Obviously, there will be times when you just won't be able to find a suitable stock image to buy, but with the proliferation of micropayment and microstock solutions, you will be covered most of the time.

This list could go on and on, but even these few items give you plenty of compelling reasons to jump into the fray and buy stock images for your projects.

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