12 Great Websites To Get Free Photos For Your Blog
I’ve done lots of research so you don’t have to spend your valuable time looking for the best free stock photo sites.
So you’ve built your blog and now you want to get some great content on it, and if you’re passionate about your subject, then you’ll probably have lots of ideas to write about. But a good blog isn’t just about the written content. There is a lot of truth in the saying “A picture speaks a thousand words”. You can really grab your reader’s attention with a good picture.
That’s not to say that your pictures should take over from your writing, great written content is key to a blog.
We don’t all have the capability to take great photos, and if we did it can be very time consuming when you have so many other things to do when you’re building your blog.
So that’s where stock photos come into play! But trying to find the right photos that you can use freely can be a time consuming process… I know, because I’ve spent hours and days of my time searching for them during my years of working online. It would be very easy if all we had to do was go onto Google Images and choose any image we liked the look of, but that is actually illegal and most photos you’ll find on the internet are copyrighted so if you use them without permission you may well get sued for using other people’s intellectual property without permission
So what I wanted to do was save you a tonne of time and the risk of being sued by compiling the list of the best websites that have free to use stock photos so you don’t have to spend all that time searching for them.
Some people will give you a huuuuge great big long list of sites to go to… but when you go to them they are not quite what you was expecting, they can be very difficult to negotiate or have a very limited amount of images that are not of the best quality. What I’ve done here for you is source only the best and reputable sites that I think will be able to help you move forward with your blog.
Here’s my list of ‘go to sites’ when I need a picture or two…
Unsplash
There’s good reason why Unsplash is at the top of my list… Quite simply, they are fab!
All the photos published on Unsplash are high resolution and can be used for free! You can use them for commercial and non-commercial purposes… without permission from or attributing the photographer or Unsplash. (Although credit is always appreciated when possible).
You are free to download, copy, modify, distribute and use photos as you wish… The only thing you can’t do with them is use them to replicate a similar or competing service to Unsplash…. Well you really can’t get any better than that in my book. 😀
2) Pixabay
I have to say, I really do like Pixabay!
This is another of my all time favourite ‘go to sites’ when I’m looking for great photos I love the fact that you can get illustrations and vector graphics for free here as well as the photos.
“Over 1.4 million royalty free stock photos and videos shared by our generous community”
You can copy, modify, distribute and use the images for personal and commercial purposes.
They have photos, illustrations, vector graphics and videos
“Pixabay is a vibrant community of creatives, sharing copyright free images and videos. All contents are released under Creative Commons CC0, which makes them safe to use without asking for permission or giving credit to the artist – even for commercial purposes.”
“Sponsored images are shown to finance Pixabay and to provide a choice of professional photos. Those images are marked with the Shutterstock logo.”
Pixabay also give you the option to search for orientation, category, size and colour which can be quite helpful sometimes 😀
3) Pexels
This is another great website for free high resolution stock photos! You can modify, copy and distribute the photos.
“All photos on Pexels are free for any personal and commercial purpose”
All photos on Pexels are licensed under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license. This means the pictures are completely free to be used.
4) Burst
Burst is a free stock photo platform that is powered by Shopify.
You are free to download, copy, modify, distribute and use photos as you wish
This site was started to use alongside a Shopify platform, but Burst.shopify are very generous in the fact that they are very happy for you to use these stock photos any way you like, so it doesn’t have to be on a Shopify website… Check them out, there’s a tonne of great images on there
5) Picjumbo
This is a great website, but a lot of people do use it so you’re likely to see these photos on lots of other blogs and websites… I’m not saying don’t use it by any means, but it wouldn’t be my first choice. They are still very generous in the fact that they let you download, use and modify their pictures … There are also some paid option on Picjumbo
6) Foodiesfeed
If you have a food related blog or website, then this is the place for you to find great photos!
“Foodiesfeed is a resource of awesome naturally looking food photos that are completely free to download.”
You can copy, modify, distribute and use the images for personal and commercial purposes.
7) Styledstock
Feminine stock photography
This site has some stunning photos in feminine styles… They are definitely a go to site if you want that ‘softer’ look on your website in themes that are typically aimed at women … but not exclusively
You are allowed to use their images for any commercial or non-commercial purposes. You are free to adapt and use them for commercial purposes.
8) Negativespace
“Beautiful, High-Resolution Free Stock Photos”
Free to use, modify or share for personal or commercial purposes
There really is something for everyone on Negativespace … travel, technology, fashion, animals, sport, business, people, food & drink, art & design, landscapes, nature, architecture, music, objects, transport, typography… A really great mix of subjects both masculine and feminine.
9) Kaboompics
Some really fantastic photos on here
“When we worked on our license, our primary objective was to make your life easier; you do not have to fear any legal complications. You are free to use our photos for purposes such as creating graphic for your blog or social media, making HTML/PSD templates (for sale), decorating your articles, Power Point presentations, you can even print them on t-shirts.”
Loads of categories, including… Lyfestyle, nature, food & drink, urban, people, technology, interiors, things, animals, business, beauty & fashion, home decor and travel
10) Stocksnap
“All photos on StockSnap have been released under Creative Commons – CC0. This license allows you to download, copy, modify, and distribute the photos, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.”
There is a tonne of different categories on here and what I like about Stocksnap is that it’s quite modern and there are some lovely quirky photos on there and some of their stuff is quite edgy so might appeal to younger people as well as the older generations
11) Picography
“Gorgeous free images to use however you like”
Picography has lots of landscapes , scenery, city, cultural and wildlife style photos
You are free to download, copy, modify, distribute and use photos as you wish
12) Gratisography
Free high-resolution pictures you can use on your personal and commercial projects, free of copyright restrictions.
Click on an image to download the high-resolution version. New awesome pictures added weekly!
There are some lovely quirky photos on here… A lot of which appeal to my sometime slightly odd sense of humour 😀 😀
So that’s my list of ‘go to sites’ for great stock photos 🙂 … But like with most things online, double check before you use them to make sure none of their terms and conditions have changed since I wrote this article for you… We certainly don’t want you getting into trouble so it’s always worth making sure before you jump in. 😀
Do you have any ‘go to sites’ that you prefer to use for your photos? Let me know in the comments below if you like these free stock photo websites and which one is your favorite?
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