Adding Visual to Verbal--Your Favorite Image Sites?

I grew up in a verbal generation. As a blogger, I'm tempted to think it's all about words. But this is a visual generation. I have had to re-train myself to not neglect the importance of image.

Words still rule, of course, but to younger minds they can drool just a little (like an aging baby boomer) without image. Image can communicate without words, showing without telling the reality of an ideal, an emotion, an intuition, an illustration, a perception, or even just a personalization. Image can never replace content, but a well-selected visual image can stir the image-ination, enabling a deeper understanding of a verbal insight.

There are many good examples of image-tending, but Michael Hyatt, publisher of Thomas Nelson and author of the #1 blog for leadership (among other topics), always uses images with his blog posts. The image always captures my attention, and prepares me for the post. There is a quiet power in image.

What are your favorite sources for images? I know I can't afford the high-end image mills that the graphic artists with big budgets use, but I'm finding more and more places to obtain free and low-cost images that can add visual power to my verbal posts. What are your favorites? Grade them for selection, quality, price, and use. Here are a few to start with. Add more, and your commentary.

--Wikimedia Commons

--iStockPhoto.com

--BigStockPhoto.com

--Veer.com

--Fotalia.com