📺 Stream EntrepreneurTV for Free 📺

The 8 Secret Places to Find the Best Stock Images Buying and searching for stock images can be a tedious and expensive task, especially if you stick to the standard sites. Here are eight platforms that are flying under the radar.

By Michelle Blackshire

entrepreneur daily

This story originally appeared on Visual.ly

Buying and searching for stock images can be a tedious and expensive task, especially if you stick to the standard sites. But there are other sites out there, and many of them are better than the status quo. Here are eight sites with great stock photos.

8. Unsplash

Unsplash is a great source for free high-resolution photos that are updated often. It's a mixture of urban and rural landscapes, as well as close up shots of objects and growing things. You can find almost anything here. "Made With Unsplash" is a page where users can post projects where they've utilized stock images from the website, so visitors can see the photography in action. They update every 10 days with 10 new images so the selection keeps growing. With their Creative Commons license, you can copy, modify, and distribute the work, even for commercial purposes, without asking permission.

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Unsplash

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Unsplash

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Unsplash

Related: Creating Shareable Visuals is Easy With These 7 Online Design Tools

7. Albumarium

This is another great resource for high-resolution stock images. This site tends to have more close-up images of animals, nature, and people with a mixture of modern and vintage styles. Instead of a Tumblr-like user experience, you search by album and get a full collection of images for each subject. Currently there are about 30 albums, and with titles like Converse, Babies, Elephants, and Redheads, you can see there is a fun range of topics for a variety of projects. Also, I really love their website design.

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Albumarium

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Albumarium

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Albumarium

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Albumarium

6. Picjumbo

As a web designer who recognized that many other designers have trouble finding quality stock images, Victor Hanacek created this site to solve that very problem. I've used a few of his images from the technology collection and they worked really well. Per the creator, attribution isn't necessary, but appreciated!

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Picjumbo

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Picjumbo

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Picjumbo

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Picjumbo

5. Gratisography

If you're looking for quirky images of clowns, men in rollerskates or someone climbing into a washing machine, look no further! Gratisography is updated weekly and offers a range of images, most of which will have people asking "wait, what?" Though some of the photographs might only be useful for a greeting card in the Humor section, some of these can be suitable for a project when you just can't find a literal image to fit. They might also work well for a blog post where the usual stock images just don't match the irreverence of the writing.

Related: Oh Snap! Getty Images Makes Photos Free for Noncommerical Use

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Gratisography

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Gratisography

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Gratisography

Related: The Top Visual Design Trends for 2014 (Infographic)

4. Start-up Stock Photos

This website is a newer source for free stock images, with a library of pictures starting from May of this year. Created by Sculpt, the website features a lot of images of people working in coffee shops, along with the requisite mobile phones and laptops. It's perfect for websites that regularly cover the free-lance or startup lifestyle.

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Start-up Stock Photos

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Start-up Stock Photos

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Start-up Stock Photos

3. Little Visuals

Much like Unsplash, Little Visuals is a source of high-resolution images in the public domain and provided under a Creative Commons license. They send you a zipped folder of 7 images every 7 days straight to your inbox. I've found Unsplash's images a bit more intriguing and practical, while Little Visual's site offers more images in the abstract and conceptual category.

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Little Visuals

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Little Visuals

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Little Visuals

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Little Visuals

Related: How Photos Can Make or Break Your Marketing Campaign

2. Life of Pix

This website was created by an advertising agency in Montreal called LEEROY Creative Agency and all images are free for any personal or commercial use. With multiple themes throughout each page, you'll find a lot of really great close-ups in nature including heads of lettuce, bees collecting pollen, and even a polar bear under water. I find these images very useful for backgrounds and patterns.

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Life of Pix

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Life of Pix

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Life of Pix

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Life of Pix

1. Death to the Stock Photo

Although this site is probably the most popular and their images are showing up everywhere, it's still number one on my list. Each month, subscribers get a package of about 10 new images from a DTS employee to use for anything they want. Subjects range from a relaxing lake vacation to a day of working in a coffee shop, and almost always tend to have a few gadget shots. Among all of the great resources for free stock images, this one ranks at the top because of the quality, creativity and utility of each photograph.

Related: Optimize Visibility with Quality Photos

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Death to the Stock Photo

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Death to the Stock Photo

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Death to the Stock Photo

Where To Find The Best Stock Images

Image credit: Death to the Stock Photo
Michelle Blackshire

Brand and Marketing Designer at Visually

Michelle Blackshire is a brand and marketing designer at Visually.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Innovation

How to Ensure High-Quality Patent Filings — 5 Key Steps for Portfolio Managers

Portfolio managers face challenges in selecting drafters who balance cost with quality, amidst complex patent jargon. This article aims to make it easier for portfolio managers to get the quality applications drafted.

Business News

Hulu, Disney+, and Max Are Combining to Make One Giant Streaming Bundle — Here's When the Big Changes Begin

The companies did not disclose the new pricing model for the combined service but announced it is set to launch this summer.

Side Hustle

These College Friends Started a 'Fun' Side Hustle That Landed Them on 'Shark Tank'— Now the Idea Is Helping Dozens Make Extra Cash: 'Start Saying Yes'

Jess Blakely and Willow Sprague brainstormed a business that would allow them to hang out more — but it turned into something much bigger.

Side Hustle

Want to Start a Simple Business That Helps the Planet? After 'One Night's Worth of Research,' He Started an Eco-Friendly Gig And Now Makes $200K a Year

Environmentally-conscious laws are picking up steam across the country. When one went into effect in Zach Cavacas's home state, he saw a lucrative business opportunity. Chances are, a similar law is coming to your state, or is already there.

How to Go Green

3 Ways We Can Help Eliminate Waste by Creating a Circular Economy

Circularity, a practice to reduce e-waste, drives humankind's quest for a circular economy and reshapes sustainable resource use.

Living

3 Steps to Prime Your Brain for a Growth Mindset

Take these three steps to cultivate a growth mindset and enhance your happiness and success.