Good quality stock photos can be used in tons of ways. A lot of stock image sites like Adobe Stock or Shutterstock are incredibly expensive. Some images can be as little as $100 per image, and go up from there.
As a photographer myself, I understand the need to be paid for your photos, especially if they’re being used for commercial use. Cameras are expensive. Lenses are expensive. If you’ve been to classes, those are expensive. So, when buying a stock image, you’re really paying for equipment and time.
That being said, sometimes you need a good stock image, quickly, on a budget. The great thing about free stock image sites is that you have the option to pay the photographer what you can afford for its use. I strongly encourage this for all the reasons I mentioned above.
- Unsplash is my all time favorite free stock image site.
They have an array of high quality stock images with free license for almost anything. I’ve never been disappointed when doing a search here. What’s more, they give you a link upon download to the photographer’s Kofi page, which is great for quickly sending a payment for the photo’s use.
2. Pexels is another great option.
Just like Unsplash, they have a variety of photos, and list the photographer’s Paypal for donations, which is equally handy. I’ve found some great photos here as well.
3. Canva also has royalty free images.
I’ve never used Canva myself, but I’ve heard good things through the grapevine.
4. Pixabay.
I’ve used Pixabay a handful of times. I haven’t had any negative experiences.
5. StockSnap.io
Another site with some high quality images. I’ve used these images one or two times.
And, there you are! Five sites to get high quality royalty free images. Like I mentioned above, I highly recommend paying the photographer what you can, and potentially giving credit where you can. From what I can tell, neither is required, but well appreciated.
Good luck!
xoxo,
Ellie,