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As we’ve discussed before, blogging can get expensive quickly. But it doesn’t have to! As long as you know where to look.
Last week, I talked about why blog post header templates are so important to my blog. Well, they wouldn’t be as effective if they didn’t have photos, and I don’t have the blogging budget to pay for stock photos. And as much as I’d love to take photos and use my own photography, I just don’t have time for it.
Well, good news: there are lots of places online to get free stock photos and free graphics for your blog!
Unsplash
This is probably one of the most popular sites for free stock photos. The good news? The photos are amazing. Seriously. And you can edit them however you’d like. The bad news? Basically everyone knows about them, so basically everyone uses them. These photos don’t necessarily help your brand stand out.
Picjumbo
Similar to Unsplash, Picjumbo is an online catalog of free-to-use stock photos. Just as amazing, and you can still edit them however you want. They’re not as well known as Unsplash, so plus-one for Picjumbo in that department.
Death to the Stock Photo
DTTS is another amazing source for stock photos. However, two bits of bad news: 1) they’re just as well known (if not more) than Unsplash, and you get them in your email. So you can’t get previous photos unless you pay. The photos are great and well themed every month, but if you accidentally delete the email, you don’t get them any more. #whoops
CreateHER Stock
I just recently found out about CreateHER Stock and I love it. I haven’t used any of their photos yet, but I plan on it soon. They aren’t very well known, so very few people are using these photos, helping your brand stand out. Also? The photos are of and by people of color. Diversity just isn’t something we see in stock photos, so plus-one to CreateHER Stock on that front.
Creative Market
Creative Market is the #1 place I go for any and all graphics and web design elements. Sure, they can be a little expensive, but the nice thing: every Monday, they give out 6 free graphics for your blog. (Good news! Today is Monday!) Just visit the website and click on “Get Free Goods” (or visit this link) and download the free stuff! I signed up for their newsletter so I never forget. I then keep a folder on my computer of all of the free goodies. Even if I don’t need it now, I might in the future!
Flickr
Depending on how you search Flickr, you can actually get quite a few free stock images for your blog. Just make sure you change the license from “Any License” to “Commercial Use & Mods Allowed” in the top left corner of the search page. They aren’t all good, but if you’ve got a specific need, it might help! (For example, all of my Wanderlust Wednesday posts use Flickr images!)
And Possibly Dinosaurs
Wait, what?! That’s right! I’m happy to announce that starting today, And Possibly Dinosaurs has a Resource Library available to any and all email list subscribers! I’ve got lots of free graphics for your blog as well as other goodies in there for you to use, and I’ll be adding more every month! Just sign up for the email list and you’ll get your the password!
These are my favorite resources, but I could be missing on some! What sites do you use for free graphics for your blog?
Great resources here, thanks! I am trying to make money with my blog, not spend a bunch of money on it 🙂 lol
Yes! Exactly. Glad I could help! 🙂
Great post! I also recommend Canva for graphic images…lots of free ones on there! It’s my baby (:
Ooh, I’ve heard of it but haven’t actually used it. Thanks for the reminder, Chelsea! 🙂
Thanks for this resources
You’re welcome! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Super good resources- thanks!!
Thanks, Sara! 🙂
I like Flickr the most, but truthfully I make my own graphics and photos. 😛
That’s so awesome! Definitely the best option if you have the time. 🙂
I don’t use graphics on my website. But I do use my own photos.
That’s awesome, Beth!
That’s a great post. I rarely, if ever use stock photos ( I do use Pinterest and mostly make my own graphics), but those are amazing resources! I’ll definitely refer back to this post if I ever need any. 🙂
Thanks, Andrea! Glad I could help. 🙂
Thanks for the resources. This will come handy every once and a while.
Glad to help, Jess! 🙂
I love Unsplash. Such pretty things there 🙂 Thanks for the heads up on all of the other ones and congrats on starting your own!
Thanks, Trish! I agree about Unsplash–I’m amazed at how beautiful the photos are!
Thank you for these amazing resources ! this is going to be very useful 🙂 keep up the good work
Thanks so much! Glad I could help 🙂