If you have a blog you know your need for images. Designers need images all the time. There was a time I used to think I can practically use any image out there on the web. But then I came through these fancy legal terms that made me realize: not really. I wanted to blog and I wanted images and I had zero cents in my pocket to buy any of those pretty images on the web. That’s when I came across these gold mines, websites with free stock photos.
If anyone here is new to all this, according to Webopedia:
Stock photos (stock photography) are professional photographs of common places, landmarks, nature, events or people that are bought and sold on a royalty-free basis and can be used and reused for commercial design purposes.
So, free stock photos simply mean you don’t need to buy them to get any license. They come with a CC0 license. You can use images from these websites:
- without crediting, although crediting is appreciated and I like to do it where ever I can.
- can edit or modify them to suit your or your business’ needs.
- use them on your websites/blogs or social media.
Here I would like to take a minute to thank ‘EVERY GENEROUS PHOTOGRAPHER’ out there who gives his work of art up for use by so so so many people out there. You guys are gems.
What is a Creative Commons Zero CC0 License?
CC0 License – Many of these websites come with free stock photos. They have a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license. This means you can modify, reuse, copy, distribute or use these images for personal and commercial projects for free. This license was released by the Creative Commons which is a not-for-profit organization.
#1 Unsplash
This is one of the first free stock photo websites I came across early in my days of blogging and I was amazed at the gorgeous collection of free photos on the website. The images on the website come under the CC0 license. The best thing about this site is that they have a huge database of images.
These are best for designers as well as bloggers.
#2 Pexels
All photos on Pexels are free for personal and commercial use which means they come under the CC0 license. You can use these images for your personal projects like theme designs, for your blogs and for your social media.
Pexels is one of the most famous free stock photos sites like Unsplash and Pixabay.
#3 PicJumbo
Once a rejected photographer now a stock photo site owner. PicJumbo is a stock photo website with both free and paid images. It has quite some collection of free stock images and then very affordable monthly subscription plans for bloggers, designers, and agencies.
#4 Foodies Feed
Are you a food, health, lifestyle and fitness blogger? Foodies feed is for you. It has amazing collections of gorgeous food photography that are absolutely free to download. These images come with a CC0 license.
#5 Freepik
Freepik is another great site for gorgeous, professional stock photos and vectors. The only downside is you need to credit the author on your website or in print wherever you are using their images or graphics.
If you are a blogger looking for some nice high-quality free images and aren’t much worried about giving credits to the authors, Freepik is for you.
#6 Burst
Burst is easy to navigate free stock photo website that has a ton of categories to look for beautiful images for your blog and business. They also have ‘Start a Business’ collections where you can get ample of images for a specific business idea you have in mind. These are high-res images for website/blog or commercial use.
#7 Pixabay
Another great goldmine for gorgeous free stock photos, Pixabay is one of the most well known free stock photo sites out there. The images come with multiple download size options so that all your needs for resolution are graciously met.
#8 Stokpic
StokPic again doesn’t allow you to redistribute their images but apart from that, you can do anything that comes under the umbrella of CC0 license. As you can see the website has a crystal clear navigation and good search engine capabilities. You can find images for almost all your needs.
#9 Travel Coffee Book
Travel Coffee Book is a collection of beautiful travel moments. These are photographs specific to traveling and places. Travel bloggers can greatly benefit from these images which come under the CC0 license.
#10 KaboomPics
Images in Kaboom Pics come with complementary color palettes as well. This is a huge plus point for all the designers out there. The images are free for personal and commercial projects, there is no need for attribution, they can be edited as well, but for redistribution of the images, you need to seek prior permission.
So, this was a brief list of websites that are generously giving you free stock photos. If you are a designer or a blogger or a small business owner, you can greatly benefit from these.
Next time you are out there hunting for blog images this list will definitely come in handy. Pin it for a rainy day.
Pexel is my favourite site for free images. This site is best. Anyways, thanks for the list.
Oh yes! Pexel and Unsplash have such an amazing mine of resources. I find great value in them.