If you are a blogger or you have a photography business, you know that stock photos are important to your livelihood. This is why I put together a list of free image website resources for you to refer back to when you are just having a tough time finding the right photo.
I know as a blogger you don’t want to be caught using a photo that is not public domain or wasn’t created by you. That’s why having free image website resources is very integral to a blogger.
Starting out as a blogger, you need to have these resources until you can either get your own camera or have the funds to hire someone to take photos for you. In that spirit, I’m going to give you 15+ top free image website resources.
15+ Free Image Website Resources
Pixabay
Pixabay is one of my favorite places to get photos. As you browse through my site, you will see many photos that have come from this site. Combine Pixabay with Canva and you have a blog masterpiece.
Not only can you get free images, but you can search vectors (mathematically generated images that never get blurry when resized), and video.
Life of pix is a free resource that I have really overlooked but when I write posts like this, I’m reminded that I should be checking in on this site more often. They have some great resources for bloggers that other sites do not have.
One thing you’ll notice is that if you type in the same terms on different sites, you’ll start to see the same photos pop up. This seems to be the case here as well, but they offer more images that other sites do not have.
A site that touts death to anything is usually not worth taking a look at. However, I found this one a bit off the board. It’s not stock photography in the sense of the word. it’s really a site all about the non-standard photo.
Photos with models that may have signed their name saying that you can use their image from this website.
These free image website resources are worth bookmarking so you’re never stuck hunting for a photo at the last minute.
Canva
Canva is yet another resource that most people do not think about using. Yes, this is a place to create your images for your blog posts, and social media. Yes, this is also a stock photography site that has many FREE images, vectors, etc. However, they also have a paid option. If the photo is worth it to you, you can pay $1 for the photo. Do as many edits to the photo for 24hrs and then your access is shut off.
I get around this 24 hr bit by downloading a copy of that photo to my hard drive in a Canva folder. I see no reason to pay for an image 2 or more times. You shouldn’t either.
I’ve found this one intriguing. However, the only reason for this intrigue is the mere fact that the free photos are there to entice you to sign up for there service. All of these photos after your free 10 pack allotment are on a paid basis.
Sure, I would trust them that they would have great photos to use. Just remember, whatever you do, it’s going to be free at first. But then.
This site is one of those paid subscription sites that will give you rights to the photos you download. it’s a one time fee and you buy your photos by purchasing packs of 10, 150, 200, 780 or more. These are allotted to you in a one time fashion or on a monthly basis. The monthly plans start out at $39/mo and go up to $229/month for the 780 plan.
They give you a pretty good discount for purchasing the plan on a yearly basis. For instance, you can get the 10 plan for $25 instead of the regular $39.
This site is also in the other post that I wrote about free images. I chose this again because the site is not as robust but it has so many different images to choose from. I would recommend using the search function if you’re short on time though. The way its setup you can really spend some time on this site searching for your photo.
The only downfall to this site is that Tumblr is the system of choice. I’m sure the reasoning is due to the cost (free). I also presume this is why the site is not very friendly in searching for the photos.
The site is completely free, which is why I’m including it here for your reference.
To round off the top 10 is a site that has photos in categories for you. Both free and paid photo categories show up in very obvious places. However, they are presented to you up front before clicking on the image, then being notified it’s a paid or free image.
As I go through some of the photo sites that I see on other blogs, I want to get a good feel for them.
One thing that I am almost always never going to promote is another blog on a free site such as blogger, Tumblr with free photos of them. Long story short, they need to be self-hosted sites. To me, that shows they are truly providing value and aren’t bound by the T’s & C’s of the site that’s hosting them.
As you can see in the photo below, this is another site that promotes free creatives by creatives. In my book, it’s always great to see people in the same niche supporting each other.
Whenever a shoot doesn’t go as planned, these free image website resources are my backup plan.
Dreamstime
Free pictures for your website can be tough if you’re looking for the photo for free. Dreamstime is a site that covers a vast amount of subjects and you could very well find the perfect photo here.
As you can see, there are free photos to be searched here as well.
Originally, I found this photo site as a top professional site for photo enthusiasts only. However, upon review, you definitely can search this site for the perfect photo for your next social media or blog post.
I think the trend (as of Jan 2018) in this world of stock photos is to have a site that has a section of free photos – if you sign up for an account. Then offer you photos that are just too good to pass up but they are not free.
Now, I haven’t done much searching on this site, but one thing that I took note to was that my firewall blocked this site on my home network. I checked it out on my phone and everything seems to be all in the clear. The error that shows up on the block page says.
These are the top 15 that I have full confidence in. Most of these are free to start out and have premium features if you choose to go that far. Some, have premiums right out of the gate. That said, if you’re on a budget, I think it’s a no-brainer to do all you can and stick with the freebie photos until you have a budget to spend on photos. Some bloggers never do any spending on photos. it’s all a matter of your photo-taking skill set. Which really isn’t tough these days with a selfie iPhone / Android available at a moment’s notice.
I will be adding to this list as I get more resources for you to check out. Side note: each link will open in a new tab/window. Remember to please bookmark this post and share it around.
