Many factors have played into the ascendancy of stock visuals from marginalia to mainstream (see "Stock Reader Survey," Aug. 03). No factor, however, is more important than the growing addition of edgy, grittier, realistic and diverse images to the collections of most major stock agencies. This is especially intriguing given that, for a long time, stock visuals were stigmatized for their fake, staged and homogenized nature.

We thought it would be fun to ask several leading stock resources to provide us with examples of this new edge in stock, and several are reproduced here. We have also compiled reader comments on this topic from our most recent reader survey. As you will see, there is a growing appreciation for the range and diversity of stock imagery available.