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Where to Find Free Stock Photos: 36 Sites
The number of sites offering beautiful, free photos for you to legally* use in your business branding, marketing, and blogging projects just keeps on growing! Hurray … the more resources the merrier, I say, because it means better visual communication for everyone!
Click to share these fabulous resources with your friends on Twitter!
Watch the resource slideshow or view as a list below. Grab the printable version of the list to keep this info close at hand (you’ll also get a series of tips on how to make searching for stock photos easier)!
1. Compfight
Compfight helps you search the photo sharing site flickr for images that are available for commercial use and licensed through Creative Commons. Always check licenses and attribution requirements. Photo Credit: gertrudster via Compfight CC
1. Compfight
Compfight helps you search the photo sharing site flickr for images that are available for commercial use and licensed through Creative Commons. Always check licenses and attribution requirements. Photo Credit: gertrudster via Compfight CC
2. Crow the Stone
Crow the Stone no longer offers photos.
3. Death to the Stock Photo
Death to the Stock Photo offers free monthly packs of images from photographers Allie and David. Bonus packs and extended access available for $10/month.
4. Foodie’s Feed
Foodie’s Feed offers free, high resolution food photos. Yummy!
5. Foter
Foter helps you search for free Creative Commons images from several online sources. Always check licenses and attribution requirements. Photo credit: mysza831 / Foter / CC BY 2.0
6. Free Images
Free Images offers a gallery of more than 350,000 stock photos.
7. Free Pixels
Free Pixels offers more than 5,000 images. Photo credit: Free Pixels
8. Free Range Stock
Free Range Stock offers high-resolution stock photos and textures.
9. Fresh
Fresh is no longer offered.
10. GetRefe
GetRefe Free offers high-quality images of people interacting with technology (free and for purchase).
11. Gratisography
Gratisography offers free high-resolution photos by abstract artist and designer Ryan McGuire.
12. IM Free
IM Free offers a curated collection of images, icons, templates, buttons. Photo credit: PhotoEveryWhere.co.uk
13. ISO Republic
ISO Republic offers high-resolution images.
14. Jay Mantri
Jay Mantri offers free photos to use as you wish.
15. Life of Pix
Life of Pix offers high-resolution public domain photos created by Leeroy Advertising Agency to use as you wish.
16. Little Visuals
Little Visuals offers 7 high-resolution images per week to use as you wish (no longer updated).
17. Magdeleine
Magdeleine offers a curated collection of Creative Commons licensed images. Some require attribution.
18. Morgue File
Morgue File offers high-resolution stock photos for your illustration, comp or design needs.
19. Moveast
Moveast offers photos from the journey of a Portuguese guy moving east to use as you wish.
20. New Old Stock
New Old Stock offers vintage photos from the public archives. Free of known copyright restrictions.
21. The Pattern Library
The Pattern Library compiles patterns shared by designers for you to use freely in your own designs.
22. Pexels
Pexels offers a curated collection of Creative Commons Zero (CC0) licensed images.
23. Photogen
Photogen offers high-resolution stock photos.
24. Picjumbo
Picjumbo offers totally free photos for your commercial and personal use. Premium packs available for $6/month.
25. Pickup Image
Pickup Image offers free stock images and public domain photos.
26. Picography
Picography offers high-resolution Creative Commons Public Domain CC0 licensed photos.
27. Pixabay
Pixabay offers more than 310,000 public domain photos, vectors and art illustrations.
28. Public Domain Archive
Public Domain Archive offers a public domain image repository. Premium membership available for $10/month.
29. Raumrot
Raumrot offers 544 handpicked hi-resolution stockphotos for personal and commercial projects. Photo Credit: Markus Spiske / www.temporausch.com / CC-BY 2.0
30. RGB Stock
RGB Stock offers more than 100,000 stock photos.
31. Split Shire
Split Shire offers photos by Italian photographer and web/graphic designer Daniel Nanescu.
32. Startup Stock
Startup Stock offers free “start-up” focused photos by Iowa City-based social media marketing agency, Sculpt.
33. The Stocks
The Stocks compiles several of the sites on this list into on one site for easier searching.
34. Super Famous
Super Famous offers images by Folkert Gorter CC 3.0 license.
35. Travel Coffee Book
Travel Coffee Book offers travel photos via CC0 license.
36. Unsplash
Unsplash offers free high-resolution photos via CC0 1.0 license.
Get photos from these free stock photo resources in your Twitter stream by following my list of sites here.
*Be legal: always check usage licenses! These sites offer free images for commercial (for your business) use. Exact licenses and attribution requirements vary by site and sometimes by image, and are subject to change, so always check usage licenses! Make sure what you plan to do with the photo is within the license granted and that you attribute (give credit) as required.
Giveaway
It’s Giveaway time at Jewels Branch!
Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway! Giving does a body good!
Winners!
One year subscription to Jewels Branch
Went to Dayna House on Wednesday, May 7
Come learn how to design a beautiful brand you’re proud to show off. $588 value
$50 Creative Market Gift Certificate
Went to Michele Christensen on Thursday, May 1st
Feed your love of fonts, icons, photos, illustrations, etc.
$25 Amazon.com Gift Certificate
Went to Kris Duvall on Friday, May 2nd
Is your book wish list as long as mine?
$25 Etsy Gift Certificate
Went to Erica Strauss on Saturday, May 3
Inspirational posters and “I’m the Boss” nicknacks…got yours?
Moleskin Notebook
Went to Meg Marchiando on Sunday, May 4
For the notebook hoarders among us (ahem). (US addresses only)
A Mini Jewel Session
Went to Bianca Melling on Monday, May 5
One-on-one consulting to help you get your BIG branding and digital product projects planned. $299 value
A scholarship for The PDF Workshop
Went to Melissa Hottinga on Tuesday, May 6
Learn how to conceive, write, design, and produce your own beautiful PDF ebooks, course materials, magazines and more during this live workshop (coming soon!). $500 value
3 Sites for Color Scheme Exploration
As you’re developing all the elements of your visual brands you can start with one main brand color (mine is orange) and then expand out from that color to create a larger scheme or palette. If you’re still looking for that one main color go here for some inspiration.
You can use basic color theory (stuff you learned in high school art): color categories (warm, primary, secondary, cool, etc.), common color schemes (like complementary, analogous, triad), and shades/hues (adding white, black, and gray to that main color), to create these color palettes.
In my site redesign, for the launch of the new Jewels Branch Creative Community, I wanted to add a wider range of colors to my palette and freshen things up a bit. So I turned to the following color scheming sites to help me quickly add some new colors to my palette that would match my main brand color.
Color Scheming
1) Color Wizard
You can see my primary color, orange #CD5928, and “complementary” colors that I could use in my brand color palette.
2) Color Scheme Designer
You can see my primary color, orange, and the “triad” colors that I could use in my brand color palette.
3) Color Schemer Online
You can see my primary color, orange, and many color choices that I could use in my brand color palette. Color Schemer lets you lighten and darken the scheme, too.
Give these sites a try and expand your brand color palette!
P.S. If you get all excited about color palettes, that’s a sign that your inner graphic designer is yearning to be set free. Come join the creative community and give that gal her wings. Early bird specials are good through May 1.