Best Free Stock Photo Sites in 2022
If you’re a social media manager, you may have the best social strategy and posting schedule in the world, but it doesn’t guarantee you’re a good photographer. Perhaps it would be more prudent to search for free stock photographs instead.
Yes, of course! Please don’t think we’re laying the blame on you! No one is competent in every field. (Even Michael Bublé, who has won many Grammy Awards, can’t handle corn like a regular person.)
Even though you’ve read up on the best practises for Instagram photography, there are instances when you should let the experts handle the visuals. The solution lies in the use of free stock photographs.
You’re in luck since the web is stuffed to the gills with stunning images that you may use without worrying about infringement on any copyrights or other legal issues.
To prove that, we’ve compiled a list of the top resources for free stock photos online and offered them to you. Read on if you’re in the market for some high-quality stock photographs that won’t break the bank but will give your social media profiles a professional edge.
Table of Contents
Unsplash
Because it provides users with access to a vast library of free photographs with excellent resolution, Unsplash has emerged as one of the most reliable resources for stock images. The crew at Unsplash goes through all of the newly uploaded photographs and selects the very finest ones to publish on their site. Under the terms of the Unsplash licence, each photo is available for free download.
Pixabay
Pixabay is another another fantastic resource that provides users with free stock pictures in a variety of areas. It offers unrestricted access to more than 2.5 million high-quality images that may be used for any purpose. The layout of the website is straightforward, making it easy to search for and get the specific image that you want. It provides photos, vectors, and graphics, allowing you to conveniently obtain the products you require.
Gratisography
Gratisography is a website that provides free high-resolution images for you to use in any project, whether it be personal or professional. Each week, we upload some truly incredible new photographs, all of which are free to use without any copyright limitations. Bells Design’s Ryan McGuire is responsible for taking each and every photo.
Picjumbo
PicJumbo is currently a growing free stock picture community with a large variety of gorgeous free photographs. It is run by a 24-year-old photographer who was tired of having his photos rejected by major stock sites and chose to build his own rather than continue submitting them.
Morguefile
And this website is also a little bit unique. Unlike on Unsplash or Gratisography, the photographs here aren’t vetted and aren’t as polished. Like your aunt Sally showed you her Google Photos feed, you’ll see random photographs of people and commonplace items. While Morguefile isn’t the best resource if you’re looking for a large banner picture, it’s perfect if all you need is a basic free photo of a youngster cleaning his teeth.
Pexels
Pexels is an amazing option for you if you are seeking for free stock photographs to use in your projects. This website provides users with access to a vast library of free stock pictures arranged in a variety of categories. As a result, you won’t have any trouble locating the perfect image for your project. This site is extremely user-friendly, and it offers you free, high-quality images to utilise in your work.
Stocksnap.io
StockSnap.io offers a wide variety of high quality, royalty-free stock photographs for your next project. The site’s search function is also incredibly useful, and it’s quick and simple to look through the many photographs on display. The service also keeps tabs on how often each photo is seen and downloaded, making it easy to locate the most often used images. Every day, StockSnap updates with hundreds of new photographs, all of which are free to use (no credit is necessary) and released into the public domain by the creative commons licence.
Free images
FreeImages provides a growing collection of high-quality photographs from a variety of sources. You’ve probably noticed that the vast majority of free stock picture websites only provide landscape shots. FreeImages doesn’t specialise on anything; it has all kinds of pictures. Each photograph on FreeImages is accompanied by a full explanation that includes information about the camera used, the length of time the image was exposed for, and the location where it was originally shot. These photos can be used for free in both personal and commercial projects, with the following content limitations (detailed below).
Life of Pix
Life of Pix provides users with access to a comprehensive collection of high-resolution photographs, with a particular emphasis placed on the photographers themselves. The site features the work of a different Photographer of the Week on a rotating basis, with a fresh group of pictures being highlighted each week. Even further, Life of Pix provides a photographer directory that enables users to search for photographers by name, browse profile pages that are similar to Instagram, and add photographers to their list of favourites.
Death to Stock
The people at Death to Stock are well aware of how challenging it can be to track out unique photographs for creative endeavours. Which is why they made a photo library with just the best pictures available to users. We took great care in selecting and labelling each image so that you could quickly and easily locate exactly what you were searching for. A Death to Stock subscription grants you unlimited access to the site’s 3,500+ high-quality images and many hours of video. And every month, customers may take advantage of a brand-new media pack.
Getty Images
Getty Photographs is an online stock picture agency that displays premium images in a variety of categories and sells photos with rights-managed licences. Therefore, you have the flexibility to utilise the images that you have acquired from this site for a variety of purposes, depending on your requirements. On the other hand, this licence is rather pricey in contrast to a licence that does not impose any royalties. It is certainly one of the most well-known websites in every region of the planet. There is no free trial available through Getty Images.
Foodies Feed
There can be moments when you wish the free stock photo website you use to be more focused. FoodiesFeed is only dedicated to providing stunning photographs of food. FYI, if you’re reading this roundup right before lunch, this particular location is not the best spot to search.
Conclusion
Stock picture websites are old. Many services are available. Searching for an image in these large databases might be intimidating, but importance matters. Be aware that the picture you use for a website or brochure symbolises your brand. Choose an image that best communicates your message.
Free stock picture sites usually enough. If you use stock photographs daily, it’s worth the cost. Paying for high-quality photos and saving time.