If you’ve ever looked into purchasing stock photography, you know how expensive it can be. While some companies may have the resources to dish out on this type of stuff, most mere mortals cannot afford to blow money on a picture that they would like to use in their work. Because of this, numerous free stock photography Web sites have sprung up - some better than others. These sites give you access to high quality photos that you can use without paying a single dime. Stock.XCHNG is one of the better services out there, primarily because of its sense of community.

At the time of this review, the site had over 11,000 photos up for the taking. That’s some serious graphic goodness. You’ll need to create an account with Stock.XCHNG to really get the most out of it, but don’t worry, it’s free to do. Photos of everything imaginable can be found sitting on the servers, and it’s awesome to see the work of fellow photographers who are willing to give away their work. You, too, can upload your very own photos to the site (assuming they get approved) and share your creativity with the world. What’s really nice about this service is that you can sort of use it like a photo storage medium for your best shots. Visitors can search for your username to find all of the shots that you’ve taken. It’s time to warm up that shutter finger.