The 5 Best Websites to Find Free Content For Your Blog
That old saying ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ has never been more apparent in this instantaneous world. It’s fair to say that social media has made some big changes in the way we promote our content, with many users favouring image over the written word.
But when you’re running a blog, it can often be difficult to find free images or photos to use in those instances where you don’t have the time or resources to run your own shoot. Here at Flaunter, we know a thing or two about image sourcing. So without further ado, we present our five top places to source free images for your blog.
Flaunter
So you’ve been asked to put together a brief for zebra patterned shoes with a silver heel… Before you momentarily facepalm, you’ll be glad to know that the hours you would have spent searching through endless content can all be done for you.
Flaunter boasts an extensive database of high res images from brands that you can download and publish for free. From high-end fashion, beauty, interiors and emerging labels, you’re not limited for choice, plus the super refined search tool lets you skim right down to the exact material and make of a particular product.
But wait, it gets better! Every image comes attached with in-store dates, price, and other credit information – updated by the brands themselves.
Free Range Stock
Untainted, free commercial stock use? Yes please! We’ve all had that glory moment finding a perfect image, only then to realise the quality was way below par.
Put your worries aside and say goodbye to the days of low-res images! Every Free Range Stock image has a 4000 dpi quality, meaning you’ll never need to search for a 72-dpi image replacement ever again.
Videvo
Just when you thought finding images was hard enough…where do you find stock video content? The answer is Videvo. Although you’d don’t technically own anything you download, it’s free to use and well within legal rights.
So what’s the catch?! Well, they do have a ‘karma’ policy and encourage you to share your experience via social media, although this is not compulsory so the choice is yours.
Unsplash
The site feels more like an awesome Tumblr or Instagram rather than a stock photo site. The photos are actually pretty extraordinary to look at. This is because content has been generously donated by thousands of actual photographers within their user base.
Photo categories are arranged into artistic ‘collections’, making for a more interesting approach to sourcing than the standard text search – (which they also provide). So how can you use this commercially without the backlash?
Legally everything is free to ‘sell’, however you may get some pretty upset creatives knocking on your door if images are left unreferenced. Be ethical! If you do want to use anything, make sure you value the photographer’s hard work and link it back to its original source!
Stock Snap
When you’re after something more artistic, Stock Snap is another well-rounded site available for use. Everything is free and covered under a ‘Creative Commons Zero’ License – meaning it’s acceptable to use commercially. The site is also divided into some handy categories. Our favourite is the ‘trending’ bar, where you can see the most popular images. This can be quite valuable if you’re trying to source something that’s been relatively unused. Furthermore, attribution isn’t necessary legally, reducing the hassle when you need something for a small scale brief fast.
The future is looking bold and colourful!
Cover image: Jesse Orrico via Unsplash