The best sites to get
free stock photography
PEXELS
Pexels hosts stock photos under the Creative Commons Zero license, free for any legal purpose. This source includes over 3,800 pictures, adding ten pictures a day, grouped in a continuous stream layout or divided by categories.
STOCKSNAP
StockSnap provides free stock pictures under the Creative Commons license, and brands itself as the “best place on the internet to find beautiful free stock photos.” The team selects only the highest quality, highest resolution images given out for free by their photographers. The carefully curated selection of stills results in an awesome repository consisting of a wide range of subjects.
PIXABAY
Pixabay provides free stock material including photos, illustrations, vector graphics, and videos. Over 490,000 free selections from their own userbase, divided into categories, and all under the Creative Commons license.
UNSPLASH
Unsplash is a source for free stock footage made by CREW, with ten new images added every ten days. The selection of pictures is divided by “featured” or “new,” and the minimalist layout of the site features a continuous stream of photos for use under the Creative Commons license.
GRATISOGRAPHY
Gratisography is a beautifully designed stock photo host, all images provided solely by photographer Ryan McGuire. Pictures are divided under fun categories, with new ones added weekly, and all free of copyright restrictions.
NEGATIVE SPACE
Negative Space is a stock photo source with new images added every week, all free from copyright restriction. The site enables filtering of pictures as well as the ability to subscribe to a mailing list.
ISO REPUBLIC
Iso Republic is an exclusive stock photo host, providing free high-resolution pictures for commercial and personal projects. The site is divided into categories featuring content from exclusive photographers and designers. This source also features a mailing list, and the ability to contact the creative creator Tom Eversley for more information.
PIC JUMBO
Pic Jumbo is a stock photos source, all provided for free by Viktor Hanacek for personal or commercial use. The site features categories, a mailing list, and an impressive download count of over 5,600,000 pictures.
NEW OLD STOCK PHOTOS
New Old Stock Photos hosts vintage stock photos from public archives, free from any known copyright restrictions. The site features oldschool style pictures, the entire layout gives off that “old timey” vibe, and its premise is “recapturing history.”
POND 5
Pond5, the marketplace for creativity, is a stock photo host featuring over 64,000 public domain pictures. The wide variety of material, for free and for sale, include video footage, music, sound effects, after effects, 3D models, and still images.