Designers, bloggers, publishers and advertisers are all faced with a unique opportunity to attract plenty of new customers whenever a big holiday approaches. In the proximity of Valentine’s Day, this can be achieved by using images of happy couples and other familiar imagery that we are very receptive to right now. Since you may be interested in finding the best possible stock photos for this occasion, we’ve taken out the guess work and outlined 10 of the most notable microstock agencies for you.
YAY Images
YAY Images is our favorite stock photo marketplace, by far. Designers would particularly appreciate its online image editor that saves loads of time – and so does image hosting. The free hosting of purchased images is even possible after users’ subscriptions are no longer valid. Furthermore, YAY is about to unlock the chance to upload one’s own images to be stored on its servers.
The total number of creative files amounts to 4 million outstanding beauties, and it would serve well to be on the lookout for the upcoming release of 1 million celebrity photos in February – I bet they’ll be worth checking out.
As regards the way of connecting to YAY images, users may enroll in whichever subscription fits their needs best: Streaming, Digital, Print, or Pro. All of these allow for limitless monthly downloads, and as far as Digital and Streaming are concerned, I’ve never seen such low costs attached to virtual image subscriptions anywhere else in the industry.
The Streaming plan, or ‘Spotify for images’, is a subscription to web images (700PX) for customers who intend to use them online – for their website, blog, or newsletters. In exchange for just $ 9.90-a-month, this plan is the only one so far that sports an in-browser editor. In other words, subscribers don’t have to download, alter in Photoshop, and then upload the acquired images – YAY Images simplifies your work by enabling a direct manipulation in your browser.
Save 50% using the coupon code VALENTINE_DAVIDWALSH – it’s a one-time offer.
Stockfresh
Stockfresh occupies second place in our list of 10 illustrious Valentine’s Day stock photo sources. Some of you may find it interesting to learn that this agency was originally engineered by those who had laid the foundations for stockxpert and stock.xchng. As far as numbers go, here you will find circa 3 million singular photos and vectors that creative-minded people with a keen sense of beauty will find it difficult to ignore.
The foremost impressive aspect about Stockfresh is its well-thought user interface, which you can tell has been designed to facilitate really fast access to the high quality creative files that you’re after. When you work with deadlines, every minute counts, so you don’t want to spend too much time on procuring suitable stock photos. In those moments, you’ll be glad to have run into Stockfresh. So, in the context of Valentine’s Day, it will be piece of cake to get your images out of the 18K vectors and 50K photos that focus on this subject.
You might wish to use credits to buy something from Stockfresh – in which case the tiniest pack sells 5 credits for $ 4.99. Nevertheless, there’s also the option of subscribing to an ongoing supply of stock photos, and pay from $ 99 per month.
Bigstock
Shutterstock’s very own Bigstock lives and breathes simplicity and convenience. This titan of the stock photo market is in charge of a large collection of 100% royalty-free images: 16 million stock vectors, illustrations, and photos have been gathered over time. A basic Valentine’s Day search is going to reveal no less than 54K vectors, 77K illustrations, and 121K photos that are wonderful to look at.
When you want to get your hands on some Bigstock goodies, pay with credits (the packages start at the acceptable price of $ 35), or sign up for a (monthly) long-term subscription and you may come to spend as little as $ 0.35-a-piece. Subscription-based re-downloads are cost-free, an important fact that doesn’t stand true with many web agencies out there. Even signing up as a free user is a good idea, because you’ll be given a ‘Free Image of the Week’ on Mondays.
There is a 7-day free trial period that new guests are welcome to adhere to, and so try a renowned subscription plan for good measure. At the end of the first week, you will have taken 35 images for free, at a pace of 5 items per day. And let me assure you that it’s okay to cancel anytime with no fear for unforeseen consequences.
Depositphotos
Any list that claims to summon the most prominent stock photo figures of this period would have to include Depositphotos among the top 5. This merchant has so much to offer with its build-up of 20 million vectors, photos, and illustrations. Did you know about the Sales Lightboxes? Check out the current Valentine’s Day Lightbox, which places 900 themed images on sale with a 20% discount. Besides, a Depositphotos Adobe Extension enables hardworking designers to acquire images in a split second, right from their Adobe workspace.
Inmagine
Inmagine is proud to present a massive array of stock photos. When attempting to search for images that are fitting for projects due anytime in the first half of February, keywords ‘Valentine’s Day’ reveal 10K heartwarming images. To find the perfect image, just play around with the super-advanced search filters.
Alamy
Alamy is a welcome addition to our Valentine’s Day stock photo ‘parade’. 21K daily additions make for a rapidly growing capital of over 44 million images and videos to date. Out of this daunting heap of creative files, 50000 match the forthcoming holiday. A certain promo code, ‘alamyvectors’, cuts the price of vectors with 30%.
Photospin
We’d like to introduce you to Photospin, the stock photo dealer that clearly isn’t fond of half-measures. Your shopping is mapped out according to the desired file size, and you can visit occasionally, or sign up for a whole year. Thus, a single file purchase may cost $ 2, while yearly subscriptions start from $ 429.
Veer
Without the trace of a doubt, Veer belongs in our top 10 microstock sources during this season. Creative professionals that not only look for flawless stock photo, but great-looking fonts, too, will love this merchant’s stockpile. Check out ‘The Look of Love’, a goldmine when it comes to Valentine’s Day imagery.
Aurora Photos
It would be equally advisable to reach out to Aurora Photos, as well. This agency is really famous, insofar as it’s rumored to have provided the likes of National Geographic and TIMES with superb images. An uncomplicated search is bound to uncover 1000 royalty-free photos that you could enhance your Valentine’s Day projects.
Pixmac
Pixmac is another worthy presence in our selection, and it has an intriguing system. Basically, there’s a strict policy that makes 7 million items available to the public if they shop using the agency’s credits, and the remaining 2.5 million are pooled up in an exclusive Subscription Collection. 81K Valentine’s Day images emerge from the combined potential of those two separate sources.
That was our top 10 Valentine’s Day stock photo giants, and we are going to leave you with a showcase of themed images coming from their ranks.
