Finding the right image for your next poster, website or social media can be a tedious process. How many times did you get into the situation of browsing through google to find the right photo? Photos that are copyright free (licensed for commercial or personal use) for your next project. Images that are higher quality and fit with the theme you try to put together.
I had that moment I think every week at least once. It is a real time trap. Over time I created a small library of websites that give you exactly what you are looking for. I saved them in my browser bookmark list. Hope they will help you with the projects you are working on.
The free ones of Business Stock Photos
There are three options really, the free ones, the free but sometimes not so free ones and of course, the classic paid versions. Let’s start with the free ones, usually, they will be enough.
These websites give you the opportunity to use their images for both personal and professional projects. Without any restrictions.
Unsplash - my personal favourite
Do whatever you want with their collection of over 1,000,000 beautiful, high-resolution images from more than 50,000 contributors (I am one of them). Unsplash doesn’t offer the sheer volume of choice as some paid sites, but the photos are top-quality and thousands are added every day. Chances are good that you’ll find something to work with on this free stock site.
What I really like about Unsplash is that most photos are not stocky. They have a genuine look. Most of the time we need these shots for our marketing efforts. Especially if you want your brand to look more down to earth and artsy.
Pixabay - The backup
This site has a very large database of high-quality images. It’s somewhat more oriented towards business and marketing than Unsplash, which is often helpful for content marketers and bloggers. Another big advantage of Pixabay is that they also offer free vectors and illustrations.
Pexels - The backup for the backup
I can’t stop the free stock website list without mentioning one of the first websites in this field, Pexels. Their vast, well-organized collection of free stock photos is one of the best curated on the internet. In addition, they have free stock videos! Pexels is the go-to image source for many bloggers.
The Middle option of Business Stock Photos
There are places where there are both free and paid images that you can download. It’s somewhat of a middle road when it comes to curating images for your marketing projects.
Freepik - The one-stop-shop
When you first enter Freepik you will find vectors and images. Anything really that you can think about. There are two ways of going by here, free or paid. The free resources are available by just clicking the free button on the filter section. If you download a free resource, you need to credit Freepik upon using their resources publicly.
On the other side of this is the paid subscription. This opens up a whole lot more opportunities for you to find the right images for your need.
The paid ones of Business Stock Photos
This is where the world opens up and where you can find literally whatever your heart desires. Yes, they cost a fair bit, but the options are limitless. Let’s start with classical ones.
Shutterstock - The one that started it all
Shutterstock is one of the first companies to offer public domain photo subscriptions, and offer one of the largest collections of royalty-free images. Besides images, you can find vectors, illustrations and even videos.
A few of my photos from my collections can be found here and you can check them out here.
Adobe Stock - The giant
It is a collection of curated photos, videos, illustrations, vector images, templates, and 3D assets to find the right image for your creative projects.
You can access it directly via the website. It is also integrated into the Creative Cloud platform, which makes it easy to use within any Adobe software like Photoshop or Illustrator – ideal for designers!
Getty Images - The accessible one
Getty Images gives you an extensive collection of recourse (photos, vectors, illustrations, videos, and music) that cover creative, editorial, current, and vintage photos from their archive content. The latest addition is free virtual backgrounds for your Zoom video calls.
Stocksy - The artsy one
Stocksy or Stocksy United is an art-forward, royalty-free stock photo + video agency that makes discovering unique, beautifully authentic imagery effortless. Think of it like Unsplash, but with the guarantee of creative expression and innovation. Their way of doing things ensures that your content is one that is unique, authentic and creative.
A good start
These are just a couple of image providers present on the internet. There are plenty more. I personally recommend these ones from past experiences. They are a good start when jumping into finding the right images for your business. Save this blog for later or share it with someone you know could benefit from it!
See you around the interwebs!
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