3 helpful resources for free or low-cost stock photos.
While you or your organisation might subscribe to one or several online image libraries such as Getty Images, iStock Photo or even Adobe’s own photo library, in this post I’d like to highlight three low-cost (or even free) photo resources that let you search for and access photos instantly.
- Unsplash (https://unsplash.com)
Unsplash is a well-known photo library that lets you use images for free (and without attribution) for personal, as well as commercial projects. The site lets photographers submit their photos who hope to get further (paid) business due to exposure on the site.
- Pexels (https://www.pexels.com)
Another free photo library that lets you use photos freely without attribution. There is also a sister site called Pexels Videos which gives you access to free video resources. - Death to Stockphoto (https://deathtothestockphoto.com)
This site also offers photos, which can be downloaded by paying for a subscription. There is a separate subscription for companies/brands and for freelancers.
If there are any other good photo libraries you’d like to share here, post them in the comments!
It’s great to get free resources, but I’m also glad you included some paying sites in this list. Photographers (and graphic designers and other artists who post images) do great work that enriches our content and often the fee is not exorbitant for non-exclusive, royalty-free access.
I agree, great work should be compensated fairly. Unfortunately some client budgets don’t seem to cater for high-quality stock photos, so low-cost photos are often a way around this dilemma. Anyway, I tried to compile a list of resources that maybe not everyone in this community might be aware of yet and that I either use myself or would like to utilise in the future. Not sure if you’ve read through the comments below – I’ve listed another (paid) stock image site called TONL (https://tonl.co/), which might also be of interest!
Great resources! Freepik.com is another great one where I often find resources.
Indeed, have been using that as well. Good suggestion.Be careful to read the ‘small’ texts as well. Sometimes free pictures can only be used non-commercial use, or you need to pay respect to the author (which is logical).
I have a premium subscription and am always meticulous about checking my sources and giving credit when required.
I am sure about that, Lita! Warning was certainly not meant for you but for all readers of these comments.
Thanks for the heads up on these sources. One of the biggest problems I have is finding pictoral content that is racially diverse. Many of my clients employ and work globally and look for diversity in the pictoral content in my elearning work. I have found that Adobe Stock is too vanilla is not meeting that need so always looking for additional resources.
David, check out the following stock photography site: https://tonl.co/ Maybe that’s gonna provide you with some additional resources for racially diverse stock photos! And here’s an interview with the founders that might be an interesting read too: https://theoutline.com/post/1724/tonl-diversity-stock-photography
Thank you
I use Unsplash often. Such a great resource. I’m looking forward to exploring the others. Thanks for taking the time to point these out.
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