When I decided to start a blog, I got really hung up on how I would find the pictures for my site. 

First off, I don’t own a camera so I’m limited to the shots that I could get on my iPhone. And on top of that, it just felt like so much work to take my own photos. I honestly got overwhelmed because I didn’t know where I would even start.

But then I found out about this magical part of the internet that allows you to find and use stock photos on your site for free or for a minimal payment. 

I was relieved to learn that I could use stock photos instead of spending hours worrying about taking my own photos.

And while I still like to use my own photos whenever I can, it’s nice to know that I don’t need to spend hours staging photos for every single post on my site. 

In this post, I’m going to share my top tips for how you can find and use stock photos for your own blog.

Why are stock photos important? 

You CANNOT use any random photo that you find on the internet for your content. Do NOT use Google images to source the photos you place on your blog.

Posting photos that you don’t own on a platform like Pinterest could lead to your account getting suspended. And you can even end up getting sued by the photographer that owns the copyright.  

Stock photo sites are great because you can use high-quality photos for free or at a generally low cost. 

Stock photo licenses and terms to know

There are a few different stock photo licenses that will allow you to use stock photos in different ways. When choosing a stock photo site, be sure to look into what kind of license the site offers.

Here are some terms you’ll want to keep an eye out for when looking into the licenses various stock photo sites offer:

• Royalty-free: A royalty-free license offers you the right to use an image over and over again without any additional costs. This means that you only need to pay for a photo one time (or not at all if it’s free) to use it as many times as you would like. Alternatively, if a photo has a royalty agreement, you will need to pay a fee each time you want to use the image in any of your materials. For the vast majority of bloggers, I’d advise sticking to royalty-free images…it’s a lot to keep track of otherwise!
• Commercial Use: This license allows you to use the image for any commercial purposes. However, the image itself cannot be sold without significant modification. Each stock photo distributor has its own limitations so be sure to review the terms and conditions.
• Editorial Use: This license allows you to use the image for editorial purposes. Commercial use of the photo is strictly prohibited. 
• Attribution: Some sites will ask you to include attributions whenever using a stock photo from their site. This essentially means crediting the photographer. An attribution can be as simple as linking to the photographer and stock photo distributor. You can use a caption saying something like “Photo by Johnny D. from Unsplash”.

For most bloggers, I’d recommend sticking to royalty-free images that are approved for commercial use.

Free vs. paid stock photos 

There’s some debate on the interwebs around whether or not it is better to use a paid stock photo site vs. a free stock photo site. 

I’ll break down the benefits of using each here so you can decide what is right for you: 

Benefits of paid stock photos:

Paid stock photos can be great because fewer people will be willing to pay for those photos. So the images you use are more likely to be photos your readers haven’t already seen before. 

Using paid stock photos can also be nice because it can give you greater peace of mind around the legalities/copyright and license to use the photos. Free stock photo sites aren’t always as closely vetted. So a free stock photo site can have photos that aren’t supposed to be there.

Some bloggers also argue that using paid stock photos will tend to rank better on platforms like Pinterest because they are not being used by as many people. 

But I don’t personally think this matters so much because there are plenty of mega-successful bloggers out there that use or have used free photos at some point in their journeys. 

Benefits of free stock photos:

The biggest pro for using free stock photos is that they are, well, free. And you can find plenty of beautiful high-quality images that will instantly up-level your site without paying a dime.

Free stock photos are especially great for new bloggers that aren’t earning an income from their sites yet. 

I personally use a mix of free stock photos, paid stock photos, and pictures that I take myself for my blog. I haven’t seen much of a difference in SEO ranking when I use paid photos vs free photos, so I don’t currently pay for stock photos very often. 

If you’re a new blogger, I’d recommend starting with the free stock photo sites. But keep in mind that it may be worth paying for certain stock photos if you find images that are unique and fit your specific branding and style.

Also, it’s still worth experimenting with both paid and free photos to see if either impacts the traffic for your specific niche. 

A few recommendations on stock photo sites to try out

• Unsplash:

Unsplash is my absolute favorite free stock photo site to use. I’m able to find beautiful images on this site more often than any other stock photo site that I use. Plus, Unsplash is totally free! Users are able to use all images for commercial or non-commercial purposes with their license. Attribution is appreciated but it’s not required.

• Pixabay: 

Pixabay is also an incredible resource, with over 2.4 million high-quality images available for use. Similar to Unsplash, Pixabay is totally free for use for both commercial and non-commercial purposes. Pixabay also does not require attribution, but it is appreciated.

• Canva (paid and free options available): 

I’ve been able to find really great photo options through Canva lately! Many are free but some are part of the pro plan, which is Canva’s paid tier. Apart from photos, Canva also has a ton of cool templates you can use to inspire your designs and edits to the photos you find!

• Deposit Photos: 

Deposit Photos is a really great option for bloggers that want to start using or experimenting with paid stock photos. This site is also one of the more affordable paid options available. Their basic plan starts at $29/month for 30 images, which nets out to $0.97 per photo. With the standard Deposit Photos license, you are allowed to use stock photos for commercial or non-commercial purposes. See this link for more information on their license terms. 

• Shutterstock: 

Shutterstock is definitely one of the pricier options available, but you are able to find unique and beautiful photos through the service. Pricing begins at $29/month for a basic plan that lets you download 10 images a month under a standard license. The standard license is designed to work for most creative usage needs. It allows unlimited web distribution and in print up to 500,000 copies. (If you’re interested, read more about the differences between their license options at the link here.) 

And a few notes about when you *probably* shouldn’t use stock photos

I wanted to end this post with a little disclaimer… stock photos are awesome but there are still a few niches where they don’t really work so well. 

For example, your readers will likely expect most photos to be your own if you have a food or travel blog.

It would come across as disingenuous to use stock photos in those niches because readers are really expecting to read and see YOUR experience… not just a generic photo. 

And that’s all for this topic, friends! I’d love to hear about your experiences with stock photos in the comments below. Let me know if you have a preference for either free or paid stock photos. 

P.S. remember to subscribe to my email list to get blogging tips updates sent directly to your inbox.  

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