The brands that do best in the marketplace today are visual. They embrace descriptive language in their copy, create visual media, and always employ images in their online communications. But imagery can be expensive. And free stock photos can look cheesy and cheap if you don’t know where to look. So where do you go for stunning images without breaking the bank?
Free Stock Photos: Top 10 Sites
Since visual branding captures, engages, and converts customers with stunning propensity, make sure you bookmark some of these top 10 sources for free stock photos that can make your brand pop.
1. Pexels: Pexels provides over 15,000 HQ stock photos licensed under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license completely free for personal and professional use. No attribution necessary. All photos are nicely tagged and searchable.
2. Kaboompics: Kaboompics was founded by Karolina, a web designer from Poland. There are no formal attribution requirements for her amazing portfolio, but she asks users to credit her when possible.
3. LibreShot: LibreShot is home to a unique assortment of vibrant and varied photographs taken by creative genius, Martin Vorel, who merely asks that you credit him.
4. StockSnap.io: StockSnap.io is another unique assortment with a versatile collection. The website boldly boasts that they are “not your typical crappy stock photo site.”
5. SplitShire: SplitShire offers sleek and high-res images totally free of copyright restrictions and “made with love” by Daniel Nanescu.
6. Life of Pix: Life of Pix is produced by an agency of photographers who donate tons of royalty-free stock photos to the public domain. They also offer a free stock video service, called Life of Vids!
7. New Old Stock: Like black and whites? New Old Stock offers tons of great B&W images free from any “known” copyright restrictions straight from the Flickr Commons.
8. Pixabay: Pixabay is quite popular for small and medium businesses looking for high-quality, free stock photos. The site is easily searchable, images are completely free for personal and commercial use without attribution, and the collection is nearing 800,000 images!
9. Stokpic: Sign up for Stokpic and receive 10 free stock photos every two weeks; images range from scenery to technology to people.
10. Gratisography: True to their name, Gratisography offers free stock photos taken by Ryan McGuire, a “whimsically creative visual artist.” Prepare for some quirky, high-resolution photos completely free under the Creative Commons Zero license.
BONUS: I was recently made aware of an up-and-comer, PikWizard, a new site with over 60,000 free images! Two very cool features of PikWizard: they seem to have more images of actual people than most other free sites, and they even allow you to edit your images right there on their site via their “Design Wizard.” Check them out!
