Photography has continuously been an essential aspect of design. Not only does excellent photo help in telling a story, but it supports setting the right mood.
Admit it. Nothing is a better turn off when you’re engaging with a site than poor photo quality and poor design. Well, people want to interrelate with beautiful things, so make sure it’s gorgeous, okay?
Free (and Almost Free) Stock Photos
When working on a project, it’s not unusual to download and save dozens of stock photos. You might actually devote hours picking out breathtaking images. Yes, that’s how significant they are.
It is also essential that you can choose from a wide variety while not needing to pay through the teeth. Luckily, there are free and cheap (almost free) stock media sites that save the day.
Shutterstock (Free and Almost Free)
It is impossible to look for online stock photography without coming across the mention of Shutterstock. And that’s mainly if what you’re after is its inexpensive stock photos.
Shutterstock is the industry’s top stock photo agency, which excels in the microstock model. Why? Well, they offer royalty-free images, and take note, at a meager price!
All you need to do is to sign up for free and discover their millions of magnificent stock photos. Now, if you’re ready to purchase, it’s good news! But if you’re out of budget, knowing how to get shutterstock images for free is your excellent option.
Gratisography (Free)
Are you searching for stock images that are unique, amusing, or maybe even wild? You might discover just what you need at Gratisography. It offers excellent photographs of Ryan McGuire.
McGuire has creatively and beautifully presented every single image here. His photographs are composed to catch every eye. They can all serve to energize up your work, as allegories, or to attest a point.
The site is actually easy to use. You don’t have to register. Just search or browse by category, then download after selecting your choice. Yes, it’s that easy.
Unsplash (Free)
This is typically everyone’s first stop. Well, it still depends on the needs. For many, Unsplash is their jam. The reason for this is three-fold: free, high image quality, and organic image feel.
The choices are minimal, and there are likely won’t be a lot of highly precise matches to your searches. However, if you find a photo that will actually work, it’s not going to appear like a stock image.
StockSnap.io (Free)
StockSnap follows the trend of delivering well-designed stock photos for free download. You can search for the inventory, or you can browse by trend or topic. Their collection is practically extensive, and the images do not feel like usual commercial fare.
Reshot (Free)
Reshot is an enormous collection of exclusive and top-quality free stock images that you won’t find somewhere else. It is created for startups, makers, and freelancers who are sick of messy stock photos. Try it; Reshot is free to use editorially and commercially. There’s no attribution required.
Death to Stock (Free and Almost Free)
Death to Stock is not your ordinary stock photo website. It’s more like a service that sends packs of “stunning images straight to your inbox” when you enter your email address on their page.
Its free version does not permit you to search for the image you need. Instead, it will let you build up an image collection. If you want to access the search functionality and see all the photos, get the premium version for $12-15 per month.
Here, the photographs are imaginative and sensitive, but some will work flawlessly and may offer just the inventive spark you need.
Final Thoughts
Today, there is an increasing number of whimsical sites and resources for stock photography. These have become a great blessing for bloggers, designers, and marketers. With their help, you don’t have to depend on cheesy and tacky stock photos anymore!
Remember this: the more inexpensive the photos are, the more expected they are to be cheesy and less professional. So, if you decide to use your money for a photo, then get what you pay for. Choose well, choose wisely, and choose beauty.
