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by Teresa 1 Comment
Do you need images for your blog or social media posts? Don’t Google them, instead use one of these 10 free and legal stock image options for your next blog post.
Go ahead and pin this post, because you will want to find this list again!
Attempting to locate the right image for your blog post can really be time-consuming when you don’t know where to look. You can’t just Google a picture and borrow it because that’s not legal and can lead you into a heap of legal troubles. But don’t worry, there are plenty of websites that offer free and legal stock image options to choose from.
Blogging Pro Tip: Always learn exactly what you can do with images. Why? Just because it is free for use in a blog post does not mean you can make products or ebooks with it, and some image you cannot edit them… take the time and know what you can and cannot use any stock image for!
10 Free and Legal Stock Image Sites for Bloggers
In my search for stock image sites, I came across ten great websites that provide the images you are looking for! Here are the websites and their merits.
1. Pixabay
Pixabay offers over 970,000 free stock image photos, vectors, and illustrations right at your fingertips. Not only are they free, but they’re high-quality images that you can use anywhere.
2. Every Stock Photo
On this website, you’ll have over16millionfree stock image photos at your fingertips, coming from places like NASA and the Library of Congress. There are different license options so pay attention to the one you end up with so that you know how to attribute the photo correctly.
3. Free Images
This is a great place to access royalty-free stock images legally. There are close to 400,000 images to choose from! Caution: You may come across images that are not free so be careful when clicking. You may decide to pay for the image if you really like it, but make sure not to steal it.
4. Historical Stock Photos
Gain access to free historical stock images of historical figures, cars, and even old political posters. This includes several pages of presidential photos and several other categories.
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5. Free Pixels
Thousands of beautiful images await your discovery here. Download free stock images of nature, people, and even food. It’s a smorgasbordof beautiful images!
6. Public Domain Photos
All photos on this website are free to the public domain, and there are over 5000 free stock images to choose from. Be careful not to click links to other sites that lead to paid stock images, but the nature photos are definitely worth taking a look at!
7. Stock Vault
Get free stock images from photographers and artists all over the world. This site contains thousands of images of people, animals, buildings, nature, and more.
8. Image After
This website includes not just stock images, but textures that you might use as backgrounds for websites. With thousands of images to choose from, you can browse and download as many as you want for free.
9. Ancestry Images
Unique in its content, this website offers stock images of things you might use if you’re blogging about genealogy,history, or antiques. Get some great images to add some authenticity to your blog post.
10. Morgue File
The name sounds morbid, but this website contains millions of stock photosbilled as “public images for creatives by creatives.” There are some beautiful nature photos on this one, but make sure to credit appropriately when downloading.
Where do you get your free stock images? Include a link in the comments!
Some other great IBA tips for images:
- The Ultimate Blogger’s Guide to Stock Photos
- 10 Fun Ways to Easily Customize a Stock Photo
- The 8 Best Sources for Public Domain Photos
- The Perfect Combination of Graphics and Photos for Your Blog Posts
- Blog Images: How Important are Photos for Your Blog?
Related IBA Articles
- What is a Favicon and Why Your Blog Needs One
- 3 Reasons You Need to be Guest Posting on Other Blogs Already
- Top 5 Reasons You Should Join a Blogging Association
About Teresa
Teresa Cooper is a 30-something wife, mom, and teacher from Havelock, North Carolina. While she also holds a Master of Science in Education from Walden University, she has a BA in Psychology with a minor in Creative from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Having struggled with anxiety and depression most of her life and later having birthed a child with autism, she is passionate about spreading awareness and acceptance of mental illness and autism and has been writing for Embracing the Spectrum since 2011. She also writes for The Mighty, The Huffington Post, and The Educator’s Room.
