As a small business owner or sole trader, you might be thinking – I’d love to have more photography for my business to use for marketing materials, but I just don’t have the time to take photographs and I don’t have the resources to pay out for pictures on sites like Shutterstock.
Never fear, there are ways around this.
Besides asking friends or family to take photographs (if they’re decent photographers but don’t mind helping out), or even speaking to students from local colleges or on art courses to offer them work experience, there are actually several sites on the internet where you can find free-to-download photography.
So, if you’re after a generic computer image or seasonal stock imagery, here’s some sites we’ve discovered over the years.
1. Barn Images
With lovely aesthetic photography, as well as other freebies, Barn Images offers these images for commercial and non-commercial use. But check out the details on Licensing for more details.
Click here to discover the site.
2. Gratisography
If you’re looking for an image that’s a little bit different, unique and whimsical, Ryan McGuire of Gratisography can offer this.
It’s not just photos either – there are vectors on offer. Again, these are all free but it’s a good idea to check out the licensing for more information on how to use the photos and vectors.
Click here to discover the site.
3. Kaboompics
Another site that provides aesthetic photography, you can also search for images based on colour, not just on types of photos.
They also have a very good blog featuring tips and tricks with design and photography.
Click here to discover the site.
4. Magdeleine
If you’re looking for more aesthetically-pleasing images, on Magdeleine there’s a new one added every day. You can search by colour, so if you’re looking for specific images based on perhaps something fiery red or tranquil turquoise, this is the site for you.
Click here to discover the site.
5. Pexels
There are hundreds and thousands of photos on here to search for, so you’d be hard pressed to not find something on here. If you check out the tools section for extensions/plugins, you can then link this site to your desktop, including Photoshop. Once it’s connected there’s no need to go searching on google for them again.
Click here to discover the site.
6. Splitshire
Like Pexels, there’s a lot of photos to choose from here. They even have video stock to choose from. Search in the top bar or under categories. They also have a community where you can share your own photographs.
Click here to discover the site.
7. Unsplash
This is a great site to go to, and like the previous sites, offers hundreds of photos to choose from. Not only that, this site offers 3D renders, textures, and patterns, and all discoverable from different categories – not just through the search bar.
You can also submit your own photographs to the community.
Click here to discover the site.
If you’d like to know more about how to take your own photography, this post is a great place to start: https://cosmic.org.uk/news/5-quick-tips-taking-better-photos-your-phone
Blog Post written by Kate Anderson, Marketing & Design Executive