Stock photos suck.
For years, they’ve robbed the internet of any shred of creativity. Any time you needed an image for your website, blog, or email newsletter, you went searching for free stock images to fill the void. (and sometimes even paid ones)
And they were all terrible.
Stock photos are so generic and bland that you probably didn’t even notice that this is actually Hollywood superstar Vince Vaughan parodying stock photos in this stock photo.
So, it was time for a change. The internet responded to our collective need for free stock photos with a fantastic variety of high-quality images in all sorts of categories.
There are a ton of resources here for free stock photos, but I probably only use about a dozen of them. They serve my needs just fine. But I’ll let you decide which one of these free stock photo sites is best for you.
41 websites to find awesome free stock photos
- Pixabay.com
- StockPhotos.io
- Pexels.com
- Flickr.com/creativecommons
- Wallhaven.cc
- Sitebuilderreport.com/stockup
- Finda.photo
- Labs.tinyeye.com
- Stocksnap.io
- Unsplash.com
- Gratisophography.com
- Littlevisuals.co
- Lifeofpix.com
- Superfamous.com
- Picjumbo.com
- Nos.twnsnd.co
- Getrefe.tumblr.com
- Snapographic.com
- Picography.co
- Foodiesfeed.com
- Magdeleine.co
- Jaymantri.com
- Viintage.com
- Isorepublic.com
- Lockandstockphotos.com
- Travelcoffeebook.com
- Splitshire.com
- Publicdomainarchive.com
- Raumrot.com
- Jeshoots.com
- Freenaturestock.com
- Stokpic.com
- Kaboompics.com
- Splashbase.co
- Mmtstock.com
- Startupstockphotos.com
- Moveast.me
- Snapwiresnaps.tumblr.com
- Albumarium.com
- Pikwizard.com
Use free stock photos wisely
I generally follow one simple rule when it comes to stock images. I never use them when I need an image of people. They always look fake, unnatural, and detract from whatever message I’m trying to convey.
The best time to use stock images, as you’ve seen on most of these websites, is when you need photos of landscapes. Nature, cities, wildlife, space, travel, etc…
If you’re in need of a photo of human beings, make sure it is genuine, natural, and unique.
Example of a bad stock photo
Example of a good stock photo
So make sure you use free stock images wisely.
