15 Sites Where You Can Find Free Stock Photos

In addition to a catchy text, a beautiful tone-setting photo or image is the basis for a successful blog. Not only do images make your blog more beautiful, but they also provide the necessary padding for all your pages.

However, it is possible that you do not always have the budget at your disposal to purchase photos or that you do not have the right skills and equipment to get started as a (hobby) photographer yourself. Free stock photos offer a solution. In this article, I will tell you the differences between royalty-free and non-copyright photos and on which websites you can find the best royalty-free photos for your blog or website.

Stock photo: The Definition

Stock photos are professionally created digital photos that can be used for commercial purposes. When you take a photo or image from Google or Pinterest for your blog, you do not always have permission from the photographer who took the photos in question and you, therefore, run the risk of being sent a hefty bill if they do his or her work on your website. website or social media accounts.

You might think: ha, they really can’t find that one image that I use on my website? Nevertheless, copyright on the internet has really become a thing over the past few years. And: why take that risk, when you have so many other choices and options? Certainly, when you start or maintain a non-commercial blog, the costs if you on this ‘copyright fraud’ (because yes, that’s it) is caught being able to walk quite a bit. Not exactly something you’re waiting for!

Royalty-free and not royalty-free

When you google stock photos you will often come across two different types of stock photos: the paid ones with copyright and so-called royalty-free images. Royalty-free stock photos are photos that have been exempted for public and commercial use by the respective photographer.

So completely free! After all, you have a lot of choices, you don’t have to have a complete photoshoot for every blog (although of course this is always very nice for the reader and you also immediately show your unique content!) and for almost every topic you can find a nice matching image. You may have come across the same stock photo on different websites.

Using stock photos on social media

Royalty-free stock photos are also completely free to use for all your posts on social media. Think of a filling photo for your Instagram feed when you do not have or have not been able to make any visual material yourself, or as a background on your stories, quotes, and the like.

Read Also: Starting a Blog? Here is What You Need to Know

So very handy! Especially if you would like to post something several days a week (which is definitely recommended if you are urgently looking for readers for all your unique writings!), or the same royalty-free photo that you use as a featured image on your blog on your website would also like to show with your message on all your social media channels. You do not have to tag the maker of the photo or state the correct copyright under your social media message.

Stock Photos

And now the list you probably came for! The following websites are completely (or sometimes partially, so pay attention!) royalty-free and can be downloaded immediately for free:

1. Picography
2. Freeography
3. Pexels
4. Negative Space
5. Unsplash
6. Pixabay
7. StockSnap
8. Splitshire
9. kaboompics
10. Pxhere
11. Freepik
12. Raw Pixel
13. Piqsels
14. Hippopx
15. Pxfuel