TOP 10 FREE STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY WEBSITES

The days of high-key white backgrounds behind smiling suited office workers with their thumbs are up are numbered, thankfully. They are cheesy, overused and no longer reflect the growth in youthful lifestyle business imagery. We recently showcased a client of ours, Baa Ram Ewe, who have a beautiful style to their photographs that reflects their earthy, natural company ethos. They do not use stock images, everything is professionally captured to suit their exact needs.

For many businesses this is not possible, due to cost or access to appropriate locations or models. There are plenty of websites that require you to pay a monthly subscription to gain access to the library of images but the fees vary from £10 to over £100. Some sites that offer free images require attribution or restrict the ‘free’ use of images to personal projects. The key thing you are looking for is images under the Creative Commons Zero license, free to copy, modify and distribute for any purpose without restrictions.

So if you are looking for photographs that capture your business in a current creative style while saving on subscriptions and hassle, check out these great sites:

kaboompics.com

Subscription to the KaboomPics updates is free and you can also access all the images through the website without giving up your email. The images are in some basic categories with an additional search facility to help you find what you are looking for. These are great quality from a variety of beautiful locations so your sure to find something that fits the bill.

pexels.com
This is more of a one-stop shop, collating images from a number of sources that are all under the Creative Commons Zero license. There is no subscription but they do ask for financial support to allow them to continue their great work.

stocksnap.io
Similar to Pexels, StockSnap collate from around the web the best Creative Commons Zero images. But they also have a network of photographers that contribute directly to them to provide unique work through their site.

unsplash.com
Unsplash provide an email subscription, 10 free images delivered every 10 days, but you do not need to subscribe to gain access. Their images are more nature or people lifestyle related but they are beautiful photographs if they suit your needs. Just think outside the box.

picjumbo.com
For the tiny sum of $6 (£3.84) a month, Picjumbo can provide a premium service where they supply you with at least 30 images every month, straight to your email. You can access images for free and there are some great images separated into categories, such as business, food or people.

gratisography.com
If you are looking for something a fun with a sprinkle of quirky, Gratisography should be at the top of your list. The site is easy to navigate with categories for the images and they are a simple one click download. If you like what you see and want to donate to the site, why not buy them a coffee?

deathtothestockphoto.com
If you provide your email, these guys give you a bonus pack of ten images to get started and email you new images on the 1st of every month. You can also subscribe to the premium content for $15 (£9.60) a month getting you exclusive content, unlimited access and Big love!

splitshire.com
These guys have content that we have not seen on the other sites, if you want audio related images this is a good stop. They also have blurred backgrounds which is great for your creative projects or behind website text. Its all free of course but to save you time you can get premium access for just $20 (£12.80) a year, getting you updates everyday with no manual download.

startupstockphotos.com
If you are a start-up business, especially in the creative sector, this is the place for images. They have the widest variety of photographs of people at work in inspiring office locations. We would love to hear what you think of their minimalist website too!

skitterphoto.com
All images on here are created by their own contributors so you will find plenty of unique images. Everyday they update the site with a new image and there is no subscription or premium options available. Just great images for free use.

If this has inspired you to take your own images for that personal touch, check out our tips for better photographs with this other article: Take better marketing photographs

Lisa Cooper

Lisa Cooper is a photographer and marketing writer working for Print-Print Limited, promoting business and building your brand through quality print marketing.

If you’re interested in small business promotion then please get in touch info@print-print.co.uk