There’s plenty of websites out there that offer free stock photos but have you noticed that a lot of them actually seem to use the same photos? Or that you actually can’t use the photos for anything you want to because of the licensing restrictions? This is even a problem with paid stock websites (*cough* Shutterstock *cough*).
OR – and this is the big one – they’re just a bit, well, gross? Fake looking? So obviously stock it hurts?
I’ve spent a crazy amount of time looking for the perfect ‘desk’ picture for a blog post and in that time I’ve bookmarked all of my favourite sites. It now makes the whole process take a lot less time than it used it! So now I’m going share those favourites with you in the hopes it makes your next project a little easier!
8 Websites With Free Stock Photos You’ll Actually Want To Use
Stock photos don’t have to be gross. The following 8 websites are my go to resources when I need to use stock photos for a client mock-up, my blog posts or social media posts where I haven’t got my own photo to fit what I need.
Whether you’re a blogger, small business owner or designer, I promise that you’ll find at least ONE stock photo you love from these resources!
Kaboompics
My favourite thing about Kaboompics is that their free stock photos come with complimentary colour palettes which is perfect if your project is photo-heavy and unbranded. It’s also another resource where you’re unlikely to find the photos elsewhere!
Unsplash
The great thing about Unsplash is that it’s such a huge site that you’re bound to find an image to suit your needs. Better yet, you don’t have to check each image for specific licensing info (it’s all free) which will save you a ton of time on bigger projects!
Styled Stock Society
Styled Stock Society is actually a paid stock membership website but they very generously allow you 20 free stock photos when you sign up for their e-mail marketing, and each month you’ll receive a few more completely free of charge (as long as you stay subscribed).
You may see a few familiar images from Styled Stock Society as I use them quite a bit on Webhive Digital!
Burst
Sometimes when you are trawling through stock photo sites you see images that you’ve seen used a million times before which can feel a bit, well, ugh. I’ve yet to experience that with Burst, so it’s well worth adding to your bookmarks for later when you’re on the hunt for a unique image!
Pexels
Pexels is so simple to use that you’ll know within seconds if they’ve got the right image for your project or not. There’s some seriously Insta worthy shots within their huge archive of images so it’s definitely worth dropping your search by them!
Pixistock
Another paid stock membership website who are dishing out some fantastic free goods. If you sign up to receive e-mails from Pixistock you’ll get 25 beautiful stock photos and a free Canva template each month – a great perk!
Raw Pixel
Whenever anyone asks me where I got an image from, it’s usually from Raw Pixel. It’s a mixture of free and premium images but you can usually find some gems amongst the freebies that’ll make you keep going back every time you need stock photos for a project.
Moyo
If you’re a designer then you’ll love Moyo. Not only do you get 50 free stock images when you sign up to their e-mails, you get 5 .PSD tablet, laptop and phone mock-ups to showcase your designs. One of the best finds I’ve made lately and definitely worth parting with your e-mail address!
As a designer, the next logical step for me is to purchase a stock photo membership and I think exploring options with free stock photos makes a huge difference to this decision!
I’d definitely recommend ‘getting by’ with free stock photos in your first couple of months before venturing into a membership, just to make sure you get the right resource for your branding and business needs.
So, how did it go? Did you find a stock photo that you actually want to use? Let me know on Instagram!
