Istockphoto’s standard has been increasing rapidly. They use to have random crappy photos, but now it seems professional photographers are hopping on the stock bandwagon. Good for us designers on a budget, maybe not so good for photographers all over. But then again, my uncle has over $3000 USD in earning from his istock account in just under a year! :X
Anyways, they recently launched their new Vetta catalog, where only the best photos are included, and those costs 10 times the price of normal ones. The shots there are very nice indeed. I always purchase from the same few photographers, since they have the best models and always produce stunning work. xD
The only problem with stock is that you’re limited by the photos. At least in my case, getting the right photo makes or break the concept. It’s even tougher when you have certain branding guidelines to follow, like nothing too sleazy or old, it’s all high end feel for our target audience.
