SeanMcb.com

It’s been a long time in coming, but the new version (and complete redesign) of iStockphoto is here! For anybody who doesn’t know, iStock is where I sell some of my digital photography. iStock is the best of the new micro payment-style stock photo sites, so forget paying hundreds of dollars for a rights-managed license from somewhere like Getty or Corbis. For smaller businesses and individuals, iStock provides an affordable option so that anybody can have access to amateur, semi-pro, and professional stock for just $1-$5 per photo for a royalty-free license. It’s a really good deal, and there are some amazing photographers on the site. In addition, iStock recently passed up Getty and Corbis in the Alexa traffic rankings, so it’s getting pretty popular too.

Anyway, the new version of the site features a totally revamped interface with AJAX goodies and increased efficiency. Searching has also been improved, and the site now features search by keyword, color, copy-space, and other factors. Lightboxes have also been redone and combined with galleries, and many other small improvements have been made too. I haven’t had a whole lot of time to play around with it, but my first impressions are very good. The site looks very clean. They opted to escape from their old center-column layout into a left-aligned layout that feels much more open and spacious. I feel like the site looks more professional now and allows customers to focus more on the photos and less on other things. I’ll might write a more in depth assessment of the new UI later once I’ve had time to really explore things.

I’m currently hanging out at my cousin’s fiancée’s house in Seattle. We just drove up from Portland, OR this morning after visiting family there for two days. Tomorrow my mom and I are going to start the two day drive back to Billings, and then on the 12th, I’m heading up to Big Sky with my friend Lauren and my family to celebrate my 21st birthday with some skiing and assorted merriment. I’ll be celebrating my actual 21st at my friend’s apartment in Bozeman with a grand party, so if you’re in the neighborhood, you should drop by!