11 ways to get photographs free and create an amazing visual

Content on social media, a blog or a website should look fantastic. Quality content simply cannot do without a creative visual. An attractive visual raises the chance your content will be read to the end by as much as 80%. For a blogger, influencer, designer or "lover of sharing content on social media" it matters to find the right photos that support the shared content and take it to the next level. Not everyone has a budget for expensive photos. In this article we will introduce 11 free stock photo sites offering beautiful, high-quality photos to download.

A list of free stock photo sites

Unsplash

Unsplash - the first stop for amazing free photographs. It offers a wide range of categories. From beautiful images of nature through architectural gems to photographs of technology and people. What makes Unsplash even more exceptional is its community, which collaborates on creating content. Photographers from all over the world contribute their photos, which means you will find genuinely unique work here.

The content on Unsplash is updated regularly, so you always have access to the latest photographs. Unsplash is not only a place to get fantastic photographs but also an inspiration for every creator of visual content. Here you can follow your favourite photographers, comment on their work and even become part of this community by adding your own photographs.

Lummi.ai 

Lummi.ai is a revolutionary tool that transforms how we create and manage content.
Lummi.ai  is an innovative platform using artificial intelligence that helps you create high-quality content faster and more effectively. With a huge library of quality images, Lummi.ai is an ideal solution for anyone who needs excellent, modern visuals.

Kaboompics

Kaboompics is another excellent source of free photographs. If you are looking for simplicity and minimalism, you are in the right place. It offers the option of filtering images by colour, which makes it easier to find photographs matching your project's colour palette. Photographs from Kaboompics can be used for commercial purposes too.

StockSnap

StockSnap stands out with a large database of high-resolution photographs. It is organised into thematic categories, which makes finding particular images easier. Besides that the content is updated regularly. Images on StockSnap  have a CC0 licence (Creative Commons Zero), which gives you complete freedom in using them. You will find a large selection of images here that are available free without having to credit the source.

Burst (by Shopify)

Burst is a free stock photo site from Shopify. It offers quality images aimed at businesspeople, including categories such as business, technology and lifestyle. These images are ideal for website designs, marketing campaigns and social media.

Pexels

Pexels is another place where you will find unique photographs and videos free. Visit Pexels and see for yourself. One testimonial from a satisfied customer says it all. "I consider this website excellent because it provides beautiful free photographs people can use free of charge, even for commercial purposes…"

Pixabay

In November 2018 the sites Pixabay and Pexels were bought by the Australian design and publishing platform Canva. Besides photographs and videos you will find vector graphics and illustrations here. To download or upload images you have to register. Registration is free.

Freepik

Freepik is today one of the most popular free stock sites. You can download content free but with a limit on the number of downloads. Although Freepik requires attribution for free content, it provides a huge amount of high-quality images suitable for various projects. Whether you need illustrations for your blog, graphic elements for your website or templates for your presentations, on Freepik you will find everything you need.

Picjumbo

Picjumbo is a free stock photo site created by the designer and photographer Viktor Hanacek. It offers plenty of quality images, added daily. A large share of the photos on Picjumbo is available entirely free, which is a great advantage for those with no budget for buying expensive images. Picjumbo also gives creators room to share their work.

Gratisography 

Gratisography is a free image bank offering unique, striking high-resolution images. All the photographs were created by the photographer Ryan McGuire, who has a distinctive, creative style. It is an excellent choice for those looking for compelling, out-of-the-ordinary images. If you are looking for something unusual, do visit Gratisography.

Dupe Photos

Dupe Photos is an exceptional project focused on authentic photos. Its creators try to select the most relevant, most authentic photographs. Most photographs are portrait format and work excellently on social media. The aim is for the photographs to give the impression of a photo taken without a professional's involvement. 

What to watch out for when downloading from free stock sites

When using images from free banks you have to take several important factors into account:

• When downloading images, make sure the image has sufficient resolution.
• Check whether you need to credit the author or can use the image without restrictions. If it has to be credited, do not forget to refer to the author, or their profile or website. 
• Do not forget to read the terms of use in detail. That way you will avoid legal problems.
• We recommend checking the images you use regularly. If an image is no longer available or its licence or terms of use have changed, do not forget to adjust your use of the image according to the new terms.

These 10+1 free stock photo sites are full of incredible visuals. Whether you are looking for images for a blog, social media or web design, these sites certainly will not disappoint. Read how to use images effectively on our blog: images in advertising. And one last warning. Watch out for the terms of use of the materials you download. We are rooting for you!