One of the most common blogging mistakes is using images on your blog without proper permission or attribution. A Google image search will turn up thousands of relevant images for your topic. But many of them were created by professional photographers and designers for a specific use. Whether or not the photographs were professionally taken, bloggers cannot use someone’s image without their permission. You can find royalty free photos, images and even videos that are in the public domain, so you can use them on blogs and on certain marketing material.
Our CEO, Nadia Jones, a retired attorney, reminds influencers that using images found on the internet without the consent of the original owner can result in hefty fines and legal fees. “Providing attribution without the consent of the owner doesn’t prevent the blogger from liability,” said Nadia. Unless using an image that is royalty free, consent to use the photo must be given. As an aside, for sponsored posts, brands expect original images in the post rather than stock photography.
Here’s a list of free and paid places to find royalty-free images for bloggers. You may notice that the paid sites have a larger array of images, as well as more diverse faces.
Read the terms of use for royalty-free image sites. Many ask for proper attribution as the source.
— The Network Niche (@TheNetworkNiche) February 17, 2016
Tip, you can put your photo credit in the caption.
Royalty-Free Images for Bloggers
No Cost Sites
- Gratisography – Images are free. Attribution is welcome. See their terms.
- Free Range Stock – Images are free. See their terms.
- Morguefile – Images are free. Attribution is recommended. See their terms.
- Jay Mantri – Free photos with no attribution. See their terms.
- Unsplash – Subscribe to receive 10 new photos every 10 days. Free. No attribution required. See their terms.
- Life of Pix – Images are free and in the public domain. No attribution. See their terms.
- Startup Stock – Free images. No specified terms for attribution.
- MMT – Free photos. No fees or attribution.
- PicJumbo – Free photos for commercial and personal use. Attribution appreciated. See their terms.
- bigfoto – Free images to download for commercial or personal use. “All bigfoto asks in return for this free download is that you place a link to the bigfoto website on your own site.”
- Pexels – Free stock photos. No attribution. See their terms.
- Magdeleine – Free photos. No attribution mentioned but may be safe to attribute just in case.
- Stock Snap – Photos that are free with no attribution. See their terms.
- Free Digital Photos – Personal and commercial use allowed. Extended license required for commerce sites according to their terms. For example, putting their image on a coffee mug and selling it.
- Freeimages – Credit/Attribution appreciated in their terms.
- ISO Republic – Free photos. Attribution not required but appreciated. See their terms.
- Pixabay – Free photos with no attribution. See their terms.
- Shuteroo – Free images, largely focused on travel. Attribution appreciated.
- Good Free Photos – Free stock images. No attribution needed.
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Paid Sites
- Big Stock Photo – Quality stock photos and video available pay per daily or weekly download limit. See their terms.
- Deposit Photos – Stock images and high definition video available per image, per day or per month. See their terms.
- Stockfresh – Stock photos you can pay for per image, per day or per month. See their terms.
- Adobe Stock – Pay per image or subscribe for access to millions of “high-quality images, curated by Adobe.” See their terms.
- PicJumbo Premium – Subscribe for $7.50 per month and for images delivered to your inbox.
- ISO Republic Premium – Purchase packs of related photographs for a flat free. Commercial use allowed.
Comment below: Are their additional places you search for royalty-free images for bloggers? Where do you find images for commercial use?
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