Pictures paint a thousand words. And let's face it, a post can be pretty boring without something to make it a bit more interesting, or even better to illustrate a point.
But let's be honest, most of us who blog would prefer to use a free image than pay for one.
Can't I just get them off Google?
Tempting, but no.
There is a difference between 'free' as in no cost, and 'free' as in free to use without any kind of restriction. Just because it's free (i.e easy) to download, it doesn't mean it's free to use however you please.
Copyright is an automatic right, so assume an image is copyright unless you find out you can use it legally and how. Here is some information about copyright in NZ. So don't just go lifting them off Google without checking if you can do it legally – especially if you going to use it on a commercial website.
Free can mean no cost but it can also mean royalty free. In other words, 'without a whole bunch or restrictions and a small charge for the privilege'.
Most royalty free (but charging) image sources will restrict how you use the image. Generally you won't be able to use the image as a stand alone or as part of a product – i.e. you can't re-sell it, stick it on a t-shirt or mug and sell it. Some restrict images for 'editorial use' – i.e. they can't be used in a commercial situation where the image is being used to sell a product (like on a website), but could be used to illustrate a point in a story in a commercial magazine (or on your blog).
You can get free images that cost you no money – but they may not be free to use without some limitations on how and when you can use them. Always check to see what an image's usage terms are even if you've paid for them.
Some photographers give away their images for non-commercial websites while charging fees for commercial use. In some cases you can use an image without having to pay anything, as long as you include an attribution – i.e. a link to the photographers profile or website.
Even when an attribution is not required, I think if you use it for your blog, it doesn't cost much to link back to the photographers site or bio. It's just polite.
Image from pixabay.com by Inspirator
So - always check the licensing or terms of use
25 'free' Image sources
Below are some image sites you can source for your blog.
When browsing these image sources take care. Some of them also have images from paid sources like Shutterstock or iStockphoto – but these will normally be watermarked.
Rather than try and explain the sometimes convoluted usage policies and pricing for each (because some have both no cost and low cost images), you'll need to check the individual site for image restrictions:
- freedigitalphotos.net - Free with attribution, larger sizes cost
- flickr - you can search for those photos available via creative commons license (link) that are free but will need attribution
- pixabay.com – free to use and no attribution is required
- morguefile.com Free and no attribution required
- www.123rf.com Not free but reasonable pricing
- freeimages.com – some free and some premium images
- istockphoto.com – not free, but can be used without too many restrictions and obviously no attribution
- shutterstock.com – similar to iStock
- dreamstime.com – a mixed bag of free and not free. Quality can be average but a large range if you're looking for something specific
- stockfreeimages.com – free with some restrictions on quantity
- gratisography.com - all the work of one photographer but quite quirky if you want something different
- unsplash.com focus on nature photography but some stunners here
- superfamous.com The work of one guy. Attribution required. Very nice images that are nature and geography based
- lifeofpix.com the work of one agency, esoteric
- startupstockphotos.com yet another free source – number is limited this one has pictures of people working on computers, pens on paper etc which can be hard to find
- mmt.li another esoteric but some good nature/plan type an moody ones
- www.resplashed.com more from a single agency but some real nice architectural, wildlife, nature (especially mountains for some reason) ones.
- picography.co - good built space ones, a few quirky ones but you have to scroll through which is a bit cumbersome
- isorepublic.com free to use/no attribution required and some good architectural, and some nice close up high colour ones
- stokpic.com - also no attribution required. Large variety, including food, events, objects and people - although limited number in each category
- foodiesfeed.com - one person's images of food. Good close up images.
- raumrot.com - attribution required, but good 'sets' of images such as "mountain views' and 'hipster office'
- cupcake.nilssonlee.se another single person's collection. Some esoteric and nice nature shots.
- getrefe.com -some free and some paid images of people and technology
- unsplash.com - 10 new photos every 10 days. Free to use without restriction
What is a creative commons license?
Basically means the owner of the work has dedicated their work to the public domain and waived their rights under copyright law. Check it out here: creativecommons.org.
Final note
Real photo's of your staff, your products or your customers are always better than stock photo's. For your main site promotional images, getting a photographer to take photos will have more impact.
There are those that say you should never use stock photos. But there is a lot you can do with an image when you don't have the time, inclination or budget to accumulate a library of photo's to use in every instance.
Blogs are a good example.
