My Design Process

Stock photography is a fundamental part of design and defining a brand. It can be vital in occupying spaces like advertisements, brochures and websites, as well as so much more. It’s this, which makes choosing the right images and having access to good stock photography archives so important.
If your budget is tight, you still have access to an amazing variety of free to use stock photography images if you look in the right places. These can be used in commercial projects too.

Here are my top five resources:

1. Unsplash

Boasting a library of over 1.5 million royalty-free photographs, it’s no wonder this is one of the most popular resources available. With so much choice and quality, it’s a shoo-in for top spot.

2. Pexels

If you’re craving a more streamlined approach to importing stock imagery, Pexels has got you covered. The Pexels Photoshop Plugin, which integrates directly with your design work opens as a tab in Photoshop. Getting stock imagery can be as simple as choosing an image and clicking to insert within Photoshop. All photos are free for any personal and commercial purpose to boot.

3. StockSnap

With a comprehensive tagging structure as well as a trending images section, StockSnap has all of your stock photography needs covered. Another reliable resource which is absolutely jam-packed full of stunning images.

4. Reshot

Go a bit further off the beaten track and you will find a free to use stock photography site by the name of Reshot. If you’re looking for something different, more quickier and is far away from the generic stock images in most free image libraries – you’re in luck. Reshot has a really great selection and it’s clean interface makes it a joy to use.

5. Gratisography

Another great site for harder to come by images, is Gratisography. “The world’s quirkiest collection of free high-resolution pictures, comprised of the world’s best, most creative images – photos you just won’t find anywhere else.”