Turbo Photo, a Portland-based stock house that fits somewhere between microstock and traditional royalty-free agencies, has been opened for five years.
To celebrate its five-year milestone, Turbo Photo plans to make over 1,000 Web-resolution images available free of charge for the month of September. New subscribers get a choice of 50 free images as a signing bonus.
Turbo Photo targets the small professional user, selling single images online at $9 and $19 for Web and print-resolution versions, respectively. Its product line also includes CD compilations, ranging in price from $49 to $1,999 for the entire collection of 75 CDs containing 3,700 images.
Like several micro-payment Web sites, Turbo was founded by a graphic designer. Trent Mueller found it "a challenge to find quality stock for less than $500." He won a 2002 business plan competition at California Polytechnic State University, earning the seed money to start Turbo.