Images are one of the best ways you can represent something visually to someone. If you have a blog or are thinking of starting one, you’ll need to start thinking about where to find images. And unless you’re a large company, you probably can’t afford to buy many images. Luckily there are a lot of websites offering free images for blogs. This article is an overview of the most popular sites.
One quick note – a lot of bloggers think they can use any image they find on Pinterest or Google for free, especially if it’s “not commercial” You should absolutely always ask for permission from the photographer or use a reputable free site. Otherwise, you could land yourself in legal hot water.
1. Wunderstock
Source: creativebloq
Wunderstock has quickly become of my favorites because it has such a huge selection and lets you edit any image directly on the site. There are millions of photos for any topic with a great modern look.
The editor is quite nice because you can do anything from rotating, flipping, switching aspect ratio, and cropping. You also have access to a brush, pen, and text tool. It also allows you to apply a variety of filters that can make the image look a bit more colorful or you could adjust the contrast or brightness by yourself. Once you’re done, you just press the download button.
2. Unsplash
Source: medium
A close tie for first place is Unsplash. It has a similar level of quality and variety as Wunderstock. However, the site now has many commercial sponsorships. For example, if you search “shoes” you will get branded results with images clearly depicting paid placement of shoes. This may have been sneaky and worked in 2017, but it’s 2020 now and no one wants subliminal advertising on their blog.
But overall Unsplash is still an amazing source of free images and is popular with many bloggers.
Of course, the library is not as big as some websites where you have to pay for an account, but considering that this is completely free, it is more than useful.
3. StockSnap.io
Source: stocksnap
StockSnap.io is a much younger library when compared to some of the other websites I have or will mention in this article. They have a great community and interesting content, though I sometimes find it hard to find results for certain topics.
4. Pixabay
Source: pixabay
Pixabay has millions of free photos. It’s a close competitor to Wunderstock and Unsplash. The only reason I didn’t rank it higher is that while it has a diverse range of subjects, many of the photos are older and have somewhat of a cheesy feel.
5. FoodiesFeed
Source: youtube
FoodiesFeed is a must-visit for food bloggers. You can find photos of any kind of food imaginable. So, if you ever want to visually represent food as best as possible, I would recommend using this search tool. The quality is as good if not better than any paid stock photo site. I am genuinely impressed by and grateful for the food photographers who contribute to this site.
6. Pexels
Source: pexels
Pexels used to be a bit sub-par but have really upped their game as of late. They’ve done a lot lately to focus on diversity and inclusion, which I think is important. Otherwise, you will find similar photos here as on other platforms.7. Rawpixel
Rawpixel has more than just photos – they also have vectors and other graphical assets. Not all the photos are free, but there is a decent enough library of free photos for blogs. The quality is good all-around.
7. Burst
Source: lifesavvy
Last but not least, Burst is a great option for startup companies and entrepreneurs. Sponsored by Shopify, the site is clearly marketed toward avocado toast millennials like me. You’ll find lots of photos focused on topics such as yoga, mobile payments, sustainability, and eCommerce.
If you’re serious about blogging, you should be serious about taking photos. I know some bloggers who take their own photos exclusively and this can work, but at some point, you will need a photo of something you can’t shoot on your own. Not to mention that capturing photos can often take longer than writing posts. Use the resources you have available to you!
