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5 Great Sources for Free Stock Images

It’s no secret that using compelling high-resolution photography in your presentation is the best way to put your audience in the picture.

But where do you find these amazing mood-selling photos? Forget the free stock images of the past (those bland representations of airbrushed models using sleek computers and guys in suits shaking hands). Answering the need for visual inspiration, a growing number of websites across the web have curated and collected a new wave of stock imagery.

Best of all, they’re free, meaning you can use them for commercial purposes without infringing on copyright laws. Depending on the licensing, you needn’t even ask permission.

Here’s our list of free (and fabulous) stock images sites, but please double check the licensing – some images may require attribution.

1. The new heavyweight resource of beautiful stock images.

Unsplash releases 10 high-resolution photos every 10 days, all of which fall under the Creative Commons public domain license. Browsing this site should come with a warning – once you start, it’s tough to stop. This collection of images will inspire stories.

2. If you’re looking for something specific – or chasing a deadline

StockSnap.io has a handy search feature that makes it easy to browse the thousands of free images available. The site also tracks your views and downloads, so that you can find the most relevant images for your search.

3. Another great resource for free high-resolution pictures

Gratisography adds new photos on a weekly basis. All images are captured by one photographer, yet offer a surprising range of subject matter and mood. While there are many quirky gems, a few photos still suffer from the old stock image hangover.

4. Agency-created and curated

Life of Pix offers free high-resolution photos with no copyright restrictions. New pictures are added weekly and these range from seascapes to cityscapes with a little bit of everything in between. Think close-ups of appetisers or a textured shot of wine corks. Just what you needed, right?

5. As its name suggests

Picjumbo offers big images, totally free. If you’re looking for stock photos that feel like stock photos, this is a good destination. Browse by tag and you’ll get what you want, albeit slightly on the more impersonal side. There’s an overriding sense of professionalism about these images that will no doubt reflect in your presentation.

Unsure of what images to use for your presentation? Chat to us about the kind of mood or emotion you’d like to convey. We’ll make sure it’s visualised.