Rant: iStockPhoto stealth price increases

The site iStockPhoto is a great source for stock photography (got the image below there). They have increased prices significantly. I remember being able to buy images at $1. Then 1 credit did not equal to $1 anymore. Then, higher DPI images cost a bit more. Since a few days ago, a regular “medium” image cost 6 credits (a lot more than $6).

• I don’t like the “stealth” price increases, every few months, a bit up. Why not set your prices, and stick to it? Pretty much what Apple did when it set up the iTunes store.
• At these prices, I am stopping to use a creative process of buying lots and lots of images, and in the end picking the best possible slide. It has to be rigth the first time. I would be willing to pay a lot for a crucial image for a huge advertising billboard, the day-to-day PowerPoint is a different story
• Small isolated objects I buy in lower resolutions
• I increasingly look for other “real” image sources (such as Flickr), there are more and more cliche images and illustrations available on iStockPhoto
• There is a sense that people are getting a bit tired of the “stunning image with 1 word” anywway in slide compositions
• More and more I am discovering other ways to make interesting slides: typography for example
• There used to be a sense that iStockPhoto was the answer to expensive stock image sites such as Getty Images. Getty bought iStockPhoto, and with stealth price increases is it still “cool”?
• iStockPhoto migh be missing a lot of people on the verge of signing up. Professional presentation designers know about iStockPhoto, and have the budget for it. But as the “Presentation Zen” approach spreads among “amateur” designers, there could be a great opportunity for iStockPhoto to increase its customer base beyond these professionals.

OK, rant over. Reading back, I am actually most upset by point 1: stealth increases. iStockPhoto is a great site but it should pursue a more straightforward and transparent pricing policy towards its customers. It is a shame that the price increases might kill some creativity in the process.