If you're using OpenGL, then DevIL is a good choice since its style and conventions adhere to OpenGL more than any other library. It's relatively easy to set up and also has great support for multiple formats.
One thing about the wuss thing. While it's nice to set up working 3rd party code that has been well tested and saves you time, there's something to be also said about learning how image loading works and why it works the way it does. If you really want to get good at something, I believe that you need to actually learn how to do it from scratch. Even if you end up using 3rd party code in the end.
