An integral part of blogging – and the marketing that goes with it – is photography. One cannot simply post an essay and expect rave reviews without a few topic specific pics to compliment the writing. Personally, photography is not a strong suit, though I do use my own photos in my blog and social posts. But more often than not I utilize images from FREE stock photo sites!

So, why should a blogger use stock images?

The real question – why not?! Adding a photo to your awesome blog post from a professional photographer is really a no brainer! Here’s why!

• You can save a tonne of time. Basically you pick and stick!
• Professional photographs mean high quality and that quality will be reflected in your work and social media posts.
• The hard work of editing is already done! A little crop here and a custom filter there and this stock pic is customized to your own unique brand.
• Hundreds (if not thousands) of pictures for any and every niche readily available whenever you need them. Talk about convenient!
• Not just photos to be had! Some sites also showcase graphics and other visual must-haves that every blogger needs. (Note: Site subscription may be required to access these features.)

Unsplash

This stock photo site is my go-to spot for blog and social media images! There is something for every niche – and more! The flexibility of downloads from this site is really fantastic. You can select the image size to best suit the application.

Be sure to show a little love for the photos you download by liking, adding to your collection and following the Unsplash photographer!

Pexels

Another FREE stock photo site, Pexels pretty much has the same type of content as other stock image websites. It’s good practice to browse multiple sites for images to see what’s out there. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket – so to speak!

Canva

Here is another option for stock images – though this f*cking awesome site offers sooooo much more than that!

Unlike other photo editing and stock photo sites, Canva does it all! One can create custom images for Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest – all with free stock images!

Please keep in mind that the free aspect only takes you so far! There are limits to what you can create for free and eventually you may need to purchase a subscription. P.S. A Canva subscription is totally worth the relatively inexpensive monthly fee!

Like Free Downloads?! Check out my Free Printable Calendar

One important Note!

Please, be sure the credit the site and photographer whenever you use a stock image. It’s not a strict rule, but more of a polite gesture to provide a link to the artist as a thank you for the incredible work they created!

Most sites make this process fairly straightforward. A simple copy and paste is all you need to credit the image’s rightful owner.

Time to browse folks!

Be sure to check out these super useful & FREE stock photo sites for your next blog post or when scheduling your social media posts. These artists capture some incredible shots that are lovely on their own, least of all featured on your site!

Cheers everyone and happy browsing (and content creating)!