When you’re blogging, it’s best to use your own photos where possible. It greatly depends on your niche, but almost always you should use your own. You don’t have to have a fancy camera and a photography course, a phone camera will do. Take clear, non-blurry shots which are free of clutter. But, occasionally you will need a stock photo. I use them a lot on this site because I like pretty office flat lays and I don’t have a pretty office! I have some of my own that I use though. On my family site, I mostly use my own, but if I’m writing a particular piece that needs a stock photo, this is where I go to for royalty-free images and free blog stock photos:
These sites are stock photo subscription sites or bloggers, but they send out free monthly photos or a free bundle if you sign up to their newsletter. You can always unsubscribe afterwards.
Paid for subscriptions
If you’re just starting out or you blog as a hobby, there’s no need to buy stock photos or photo subscriptions, but if you blog as a business, having unique or less commonly used photos makes a difference, especially on Pinterest.
Canva – they have free photos, or if you’re on the pro plan (well worth it for all the features) you get all the pro photos included and that alone is worth it for me.
Shutterstock is mostly used by journalists and big companies but they have some great photos. You can get 10 free to start.
Stock unlimited – this is what I have and use, along with the above-mentioned sites, but I got it under a lifetime deal with Appsumo. I recommend Appsumo a lot because their lifetime deals are amazing for all sorts of blog-related tools. It’s also worthwhile contacting brands directly and asking for a deal, perhaps in exchange for mentioning them on your blog.
Deposit photos will give out free photos as above, but they also have regular deals of 100 photos so it’s worth staying on their list.
Once you have a few stock photos downloaded, organise them on your computer or phone into relevant photo albums so that you can easily go to the folder for what you need.
I hope that’s helped you with your stock photos for your blog and business. Any questions feel free to ask me.
1 Comment
So helpful, thank you! I’ve always found searching for them confusing; having a few specific places to look is really handy.
29/09/2020 at 5:35 pm