iStockphoto

On Sunday I found and bought the pics I needed for only $15 each - a tenth of what I feared.

My relief mirrored that of clients tracking this project with a view to doing their own sites.

Maybe you'll benefit too.

Above is one of the pics I bought.

You don't see a lot of cuneiform on today's corporate websites; it's my WaPIUSP (Weird and Possibly Ineffective Unique Selling Proposition).

This medium-sized pic is perfect for my purposes. The price licences me to use it on my website and this lens.

Legally (and technically) I can't plaster it on a jet or a skyscraper, but if I'm that successful, I'll happily fork out an extra tenner.

I got the pic from iStockphoto. All the art directors I consulted recommended this site.

Some also mentioned Shutterstock and Dreamstime but I didn't find these as easy to use. You may.

In addition to being cheap and easy, iStockphoto had all the pics I sought.

I added them to my 'lightbox', bought 'credits' on my credit card, downloaded the files to my PC and spent two hours trying to email them to my IT Guy.

Once he got them, it was on.

I'm thrilled. And glad not to be dealing with a full-service advertising agency from last decade.

In those days, CDs costing around $450 held themed sets of around 80 pics (e.g. Ancient Scripts in the Workplace).

Once a client approved a creative concept, the agency bought the necessary CD (if it didn't own it already).

It then charged the client up to $150 per pic!

Thus, after recouping the cost in as few as three pic sales, the agency reaped pure profit from subsequent sales for the life of the CD.

So long as cuneiform stayed in vogue, the CD was a money machine.

Next time you get a quote for a job with pics, ask how much they are.

You may save quite a few shekels (and get exactly what you want) by sourcing them yourself.