Whether for social media images, sales pages, or your website, you’re probably going to need some photos at some point. But, you can’t just Google Image Search something and slap it on your website…that’s a big no-no and can result in some legal action (we don’t want that!).
So what do you need to look for? Images for commercial use (if you’re using this for your business), and a nice bonus is if it’s CC0 – or Creative Commons Zero – which refers to images you can use freely (including for commercial), ability to modify, and without attribution. Check out Creative Commons for more information about the various licenses and what they mean.
Here are my top picks for FREE, COMMERCIAL-USE, CC0 stock photo sources!
Pixabay
♥ FAVE They have the largest collection with most variety and style of images – both photos and illustrations which is handy! They are one of the most popular though, so photos from here do tend to be repeated a lot across the web.
Unsplash
♥ FAVE I love this website – it’s predominantly nature photos, which are gorgeous but may not be useful for you depending on your brand. I have noticed that they’re starting to add more variety though. I find their photos are more artsy versus obvious stock photos.
Death to the Stock
They send themed packs of photos to you monthly if you subscribe on their website.
ISO Republic
They have a variety of photos that can searchable or filtered by categories (though not a huge collection). They have textures as well.
Pexels
Similar to Pixabay; smaller collection, but I think nicer images.
Minimography
A nice source of minimalist photos
Foodies Feed
If you’re a nutritionist, or in food – this is a nice source – often not the healthiest of foods, though.
Gratisography
They’re very unique as they have really quirky and weird edited photos – but if that’s part of your brand and vibe – they’re really cool!
Startup Stock Photos
A nice feed of start-up type photos.
Stok Pic
If you sign up on their website, you receive 10 new photos every other week – or you can see previously released photos on their website. There’s a lovely variety here, from cute puppies to tech gear.
Realistic Shots
Another site with a nice variety of photos.
Photos with Diversity
I mentioned this in a previous post, but they deserve as much coverage as possible.
PicNoi
This one has a nice variety of variety people that aren’t the typical young skinny white woman.
Create Her Stock
This website is specifically of stock photos of women of colour – there’s paid photos, but if you sign up on their website, you can receive some free ones.
Women of Color in Tech Stock Photos #WOCinTech
Attribution is required for these, but it’s so hard to find any representation of: 1) women, and 2) women of colour. These photos are specifically of those in tech.
What’s your fave? Let me know if you have any I’ve missed!
thank you! I often have trouble with my own images and feeling they are not good enough, just to know there are heaps of other options helps me be okay with that. I really strive for quality but also authenticity. <3
Yes, definitely – glad it was helpful! Try Unsplash, I think they’d be great for you if you’re going for the free route. Otherwise try Creative Market or Etsy for paid ones.
Vivian, Here is one I use a lot http://www.dashmote.com/
Thanks, Michael! I’ve never heard of them, but I’ll definitely check them out. It’s nice that they aggregate a bunch of websites!