Visual content has always been an important element of the web, but with the rise of social media and social sharing, its significance has grown manifold. Images, of course, are the biggest part of this puzzle.
You probably already know that images for your blog (or website) should be taken from sources that explicitly allow for their reuse — this usually either means a Creative Commons license, images that are in public domain, or those that are purchased via websites that sell stock photos and art.
But where can you find good quality free images that have been cleared for use on your blog? Here is a list of 10 great sources for free images:
Free Images
Previously known as Stock.xchng, this one offers a wide range of images and photos that can be used for free after you register. More than 400,000 images are available, extensively categorized, and you can search for keywords or browse through the site to find the ones you need.
www.freeimages.com
IM Free
This website offers stylishly curated collection of free resources, including images that are available for commercial use. You can search for keywords, or browse through tags to download images that can be freely copied, modified, and distributed.
www.imcreator.com/free
Stockvault
Photographers, designers and students meet at this place to share photographs, images and graphics with each other. You can download files for free and most of them can be used for personal or noncommercial design work, making them an excellent option for blogs.
www.stockvault.net
Openphoto
Billed as an alternative photo sharing platform, this website was founded in 1998 by Michael Jastremski, and has grown into a very large source of photos since then. Photos are available under dozens of categories, ranging from animals and food, to holidays and conceptual shots.
www.openphoto.net
Free Range Stock
Another handy source for free high quality (and high resolution) stock photos. Registration is required, but it grants you access to a large gallery of searchable photos. All images are reviewed before they are posted, and the website also offers free textures that can come in handy in a graphic design project.
www.freerangestock.com
Rgbstock
Another website created by photographers and graphic artists to freely share their images and creations. Registration is required to download photos, but there is a decently extensive collection available for you, once you do.
www.rgbstock.com
Unrestricted Stock
Going far beyond just photos, this unique site offers everything from icons, buttons, illustrations, vectors, fonts, even videos. All work available here is well, unrestricted, in the sense that it can be used for commercial purposes.
www.unrestrictedstock.com
New Old Stock
True to its name, New Old Stock is a great place to find vintage photos from public archives that are free of copyright restrictions. The inventory might be limited, but this is a great bet for classic black and white images from the eons gone by.
nos.twnsnd.co
Pickupimage
This large collection of free stock photos primarily focuses on nature and outdoor scenes. The pool may not be too broad for this one, but if you are looking for these type of images, there are plenty on offer that can be copied, modified and distributed without any issues.
www.pickupimage.com
Good Free Photos
Thousands of unique and free public domain stock photos are available for download in this gallery, ranging from food, plants, and animals to weapons, sky and cloud. A pretty substantial amount of content, from what is, essentially, a single photographer.
www.goodfreephotos.com