Are you looking for free stock photography sites?
Photos engage your reader. However, many bloggers don’t have the time or the opportunity to find the “perfect” photo.
Look no further. These 13 sites provide photos that are free. You also don’t need to worry about licensing restrictions with these sites.
Consider this post an update to How to Make Powerful Blog Graphics for Free. That article offered 5 free stock photography sites. This article offers 13.
13 Stock Photography Sites That Don’t Suck
By Jacky Chou
Only those who have been a part of creating online content have a true understanding of how difficult it actually is. It is quite deceptively difficult, actually. I know what so many people think:
“It must be so easy, right?”
WRONG.
There are so many little frustrations and annoyances that can turn into major difficulties, and often do.
What is one of the most persistent roadblocks that get in the way of the smooth travel in terms of the creation of blogs, websites, and other online material?
For me, one thing has always been a major hindrance in this regard: finding high-quality stock photography to suit the content that I have created. I know that I am not alone in this struggle.
In fact, many of my colleagues and cohorts have shared with me that they struggle greatly in this regard, too. It is not for lack of choice, but, rather, because there are a lot of choices that simply are not very good.
Yes, a lot of stock photography sites are inadequate and deficient. However, many of them are also quite good.
Here, I have gathered a list of 13 of my favorite stock photography sites that seem to do a great job; all of these sites have something that makes them, in one way or another, totally exceptional and/or excellent. I will begin with the best example of one of these websites and move backward from there.
1. EyeEm
EyeEm is the very best of the best. I have no doubt about that. If you are looking for a great organization, high-quality photos, and an all-around fantastic platform, this is the stock photography site for you. I know it is for me, and many of my fellow online content creators, all swear by EyeEm. In my circle of friends and professional acquaintances, we all just “Know” that this is the prime source for stock photos, and there is little-to-no debate regarding that. The photos are great and the site itself is top-tier.
The other sites just don’t quite hold a candle to this one, to be honest. EyeEm manages to take the best features of every other stock photography website and combine it all into one great conglomeration of goodness. I don’t know if there is anything else I can mention. Just know that any praise I give to the other sites is also encapsulated, in one way or another, in the EyeEm framework. If you need stock photography, there is not a single website that I would recommend more than this one, and that’s a fact!
A fellow by the name of Ryan McGuire created Gratisography, which is, of course, a free stock photography website database. In many ways, this site is a total home run, and if you do not find what you are looking for on EyeEm, this is the first place that I would go. Ryan McGuire is also the manager of Bells Design, which is a reputable design company, as well. I really like the photos on this website. They are high-resolution and carefully selected. I am a big fan of it, and every single time that I have used this site, I have had good results. I recommend it with enthusiasm, for sure. I have no hesitancy in doing so, actually.
3. MMT
MMT, a website managed by Jeffrey Betts, is an awesome collection of stock photographs. Although there are photos outside of these themes, I would specifically recommend MMT for folks that are looking for stock photos that exist in the realm of two very specific niches or types of content: office/work culture, and nature/flowers. As you probably know, there is a lot of content that can use stock photography that encapsulates both of these themes. A disproportionate amount of content marketing tends to relate to “work” in the commercial, office-based sense, and that can be witnessed quite plainly. However, even more content can be matched with the vague connotations of a beautiful flower, which is also the type of image that can really catch the eye of a specific target audience or two! MMT adds new photos to its repertoire on a weekly basis, so the impressive collection continues to grow!
4. StockSnap.io
StockSnap is a great site that features a wide range of great images. Not only is the range vast, though, but the sheer quantity of images is also quite impressive. To put it simply, StockSnap is a site that features a whole lot of videos; the collection is huge! Does quantity negate quality? Not in this case. In my opinion, the quality of the photos on this site is not hindered by the large number of photos. This is a simple site that does what it is supposed to do, nothing more, nothing less; when that kind of simple mandate is delivered on well, like this one is, that is more than enough.
5. Unsplash
Unsplash is a good site. They add 10 photos every week-and-a-half, and their collection is very impressive. They are high-res, high-quality photos that are successful in their aim to be more, and better, than the average stock photography site.
This isn’t the best stock photography site on the web, but that does not mean that it is flawed, either. As a matter of fact, as far as I can tell, there is nothing wrong with this website. It’s just not the best. But not every site can be the best, and sometimes you end up sifting through quite a few collections to find the photo you need; that is the nature of searching for stock photography. I never hesitate to recommend this site to a friend.
Not only are the “stocks” on this site “good” but they are also quite high-quality, and very consistent. I have used Freestocks.org on more than one occasion, and I am confident I will end up sifting through this photo database once again. And, to be honest, I will be happy to do so.
8. Picography
I really like Picography, and the photographers that Dave Meier has got contributing to this site are very good. This is a really solid choice; if you are looking for stock photography, definitely drop by this collection and take a long look. I’ve found a significant amount of solutions on Picography.
Is “Death to Stock” a stock photography website? Simply: not really. This is a unique service, in which 10 high-quality images will be sent directly to your email inbox on a monthly basis. Since subscribing, I have never been disappointed with the ones that have been sent my way. Also, they offer a premium service which allows you to access their entire catalog, which I have greatly considered purchasing due to the general quality of the photos in their collection.
10. Picjumbo
Picjumbo has no glaring flaws at all, and it meets all of the requirements of your modern, high-quality stock photography resource.
11. New Old Stock
As suggested by the site’s title, this is a site that specializes in “old-fashioned” photos. But, if that is what you are into, this is absolutely the site you should be heading in the direction of!
12. Getrefe
If you need proof that modern technology has made an impressive amount of progress, look through these great images and then consider that they were all captured on mobile phones. I never would have been able to tell! This is beyond a gimmick, though; these are seriously nice photos.
13. Kaboom Pics
If the other 12 resources on this list fail you, Kaboom should be able to be a serviceable option! It’s not exceptional, but it is continuously good, and there are some very nice images stored on this site!
Author Bio:
My name is Jacky Chou; I am the founder of Indexsy, and my work’s also appeared on Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, and Forbes. In 2016/2017, I have worked with brands such as Grammarly, Trademob, East Dane (Subsidiary of Amazon), Movable Ink, One Football, Overdope, and much more.
Host Blogger’s Comments:
Update: Pixa Ocean is also available as a free stock photography site.
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