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Elan Creative Co.

whimsical web + graphic design

Where to find amazing stock photos

July 3, 2015

Where to find stock photos

I often browse the web in search of the perfect image to add to a premade theme demo or even for this blog.

I would love to use my own photos for the blog and social media, so I keep trying to take photos of my desk or office supplies. Unfortunately, I’m not the best photographer, the light is bad, and I’m also very picky.

Sometimes I see great images on Pinterest, but they are off limits because they belong to a blogger or company.

It’s pretty frustrating, isn’t it? Just so you know, there are many sites that offer amazing free stock photos, and there are also places where you can purchase styled images for your blog and business.

Here are some of my favorite stock photos resources:

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links to Creative Market shops that I recommend. That means I may receive a small commission if you decide to make a purchase using my affiliate link.

Unsplash – free

Unsplash has amazing landscape photos. They are usually dark and dramatic and work well on a website with a modern, minimalistic design. They post 10 images every 10 days. The images are free of copyright and you can use them however you want.

SC Stockshop – $$$$

If you are looking for styled desktop images, this is the place to go. The images are not cheap, but they look great and the quality is amazing. You can sign up for the newsletter and receive a free image every month, and the emails are great too.

KateMaxStock – $$

You can also find Kate on Etsy. The images are beautiful and affordable, and there many styles that will definitely match your website or products.

Gratisography – free

You can find many free images that you can use for personal or commercial projects. The images are gorgeous, but the site doesn’t have a search option and you have to browse through the categories.

Death to Stock Photo – free – $

I love these images so much! You have to join the email list to get a free pack each month, or for $15 you get access to their library. The images you receive are organized by themes and I guarantee that all of them are amazing.

Magdeleine – free

Every day a new image is uploaded to this website. It also has categories and a search box to make it easier for you to find great images. Oh, and you can even search based on the dominant color you want.

Dear Miss Modern – $$

You might be familiar with the beautiful logos and branding kits from Dear Miss Modern. I’m sure you’ve seen them on Pinterest. The styled stock photos are just as beautiful.

The Bloguettes – $

I discovered the Bloguettes this week and I plan to subscribe to their library. For only $10/month you have access to beautiful photos that are perfect for your blog.

Styled by Miss Poppy – $$

Styled desktop photography for those who like simple images. The colors are beautiful and you can use them to make images for your blogs.

Design Love Shop – $$

Another shop that has styled desktop photography. These images are very elegant and are great to use as shop or blog headers. My favorite products are their mockups and custom schene generators.

Pixabay – free

A great place for finding photos, illustrations, and vectors. No attribution required, and you can use them for personal and commercial projects.

PicJumbo – free

There are a lot of great free photos on this website, and you can search the site by tag or category.

UpStyled – $$

Lovely styled stocked photos that are perfect for displaying your prints and products. The images are inexpensive and you can often find discount codes.

20+ websites where you can find beautiful stock photos for your blog or businessClick To Tweet

SplitShire – free

Gorgeous copyright free images that you can use for personal and commercial projects. Besides the beautiful landscape photographs, you can also find fashion and wedding photos.

Foodies Feed – free

I love using food pictures on my demo sites. This website is dedicated to food photography, though you should check it out even if you are not interested in the subject.

Life of Pix – free

This website has mostly landscape and nature photography. The subjects are very interesting and the images have a warm tone to them that look great on blogs.

Startup Stock Photos – free

Startup Stock Photos is filled with images of computers, phones, and office supplies. It’s a bit hard to navigate, but your time will not be wasted.

RW | Productions – $$

Another great place to find styled photos. Most of them are very colorful, which is something I like. You can also find more elegant black and gold images.

Skitterphoto – free

The images are a bit too dark for my taste, but there are a lot of great photos so you’ll probably find something you like.

Lime Lane Photography – free

This site has been a favorite of mine for quite some time.  I’m not sure if it’s updated anymore, but the images are lovely and they are made for bloggers.

TwigyPosts – $$

I’ve been using stock photos from them lately and I love them. You can purchase single images or sets of photos for your blog or Instagram and they add new items every week.

Springs & Co. – $$

Another one of my favorite Creative Market shops. You can find beautiful and feminine stock photos for your website and social media.

White Hart Design Co. – $$

White Hart Design Co. offers many beautiful and affordable stock photos, mockups, and social media kits. I love their delicate and minimalist style.

Creative Convex – free

If you sign up for Creative Convex, you will receive beautiful stock photos every month. All of the images are made for bloggers and creative entrepreneurs and are under the Creative Commons license so you can use them for your blog or freebies.

Scatter Jar – free

If you are looking for beautiful, high-resolution food photos, this website is for you. New delicious photos are added each week and the images can be used for both personal and commercial projects.

Do you use stock photos for branding and product display? What are your favorite resources?

*The photo used in this post is from TwigyPosts
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Design, Inspiration 11 Comments

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About Cristina Silvia

Hey there! I’m Cristina, and I’m a self-taught graphic designer and illustrator. With an everlasting love of all creative endeavors, I found joy in sharing with others what I’ve learned over the years and helping bloggers and entrepreneurs bring their dreams to life through beautiful designs.

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Comments

  1. Chantal | Hues of Design says

    October 14, 2015 at 5:50 am

    Hello!
    I would love to join this elite group of gorgeous styled stock photography. I’ve purchased images from some of the folks above and then I was inspired to join in the fun and create my own as well.
    Have a look at my new Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/HuesofDesign.
    I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them.
    Chantal

    Reply
  2. Shanna says

    January 25, 2016 at 7:57 pm

    Hi Cristina! Thanks so much for including us in your list of stock photography! We definitely appreciate it–and you!

    Best,
    Shanna, Bloguettes editor

    Reply
    • Cristina says

      January 25, 2016 at 8:03 pm

      You’re welcome, Shanna! I found your photos while looking for something else and fell in love with them.

      Reply
  3. Holly Galvan says

    April 10, 2016 at 6:51 am

    Thanks for the great post! So hard to find quality images that are LEGAL to use. Thanks!!

    Reply
    • Cristina Silvia says

      April 13, 2016 at 10:02 am

      You’re welcome, Holly! I also have a hard time finding good photos, especially if I want to use them for the themes I sell.

      Reply
  4. Jana says

    May 15, 2016 at 12:26 am

    Thank you so much for mentioning Twigy Posts! I was searching for something on Pinterest and ran across this post! So kind of you to put together this list! <3

    Sincerely,
    Jana

    Reply
    • Cristina Silvia says

      May 15, 2016 at 10:07 am

      Thank you for your comment, Jana! I’m always looking for interesting stock images and your photos are gorgeous.

      Reply
  5. Rosemary says

    June 2, 2016 at 3:14 pm

    Hooray! Thanks so much for including me on the list! So much talent on here- there’s definitely something for every business owner and blogger!

    Reply
    • Cristina Silvia says

      June 2, 2016 at 6:41 pm

      You’re welcome, Rosemary! I really love your photos.

      Reply
  6. Shafaq O says

    June 17, 2016 at 2:44 pm

    Hi Christina! Stumbled on your site from pinterest while searching for some amazing free stock photos resources and inspirations! This is defo going in my bookmarks too! (in addition to pinterest ;))

    I recently started style photography and would love to know what you think!

    Best!

    Reply

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  1. Extremely Easy Non-Salesy Content You Can Create to Build Trust and Increase Sales - Vicky Law says:
    August 23, 2016 at 7:25 am

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