I really want to share my favorite free stock photo sites — for all you blogging and design nuts out there. Seeing as I’ve spent hours on these sites, maybe I can help you not waste so much time yourself, hehe.

Needless to say, they’re full of awesome photos, the non-cheesy kind.

I’ve only listed sites that don’t require any attribution. Also, I haven’t even explored the ones with bad design/UX. Can you blame me?!

#1 is Pixabay

Pixabay is by far the biggest resource for absolutely free photos.

And it’s searchable, so every time I write a blog, I go there for a quick featured image. Some images are rather plain, but trust me, if you dig around a little, you’ll find exactly what you need.

#2 is SplitShire

It’s only about 55 pages long, but you’ll find absolutely original pieces there. The photographer — who is Italian — has just nailed the art of photographic random objects and people, and making the photos sing.

(Unless it’s a sham and he’s collected other people’s photos.)

This is my favorite one, but there are many, many more.

#3 is Snapwire Snaps

Uniquely gorgeous images here. I mean, I’n not a fan of scrolling down and waiting for images to load, but there are amazing photos here, also unique, and I think perfect for designers.

Once again, my favorite of the bunch:

#4 is Smithsonian on Flickr

It’s full of old-timey photos, which I think are great for shaking it up a bit.

I mean, is this monkey awesome or what?

#5 is Everything Else 😀

The biggest archive of free photos is via Canva (74 in total). It just so happens that I got the link in an email *just* when I was tweeting about free photos. Well played, Canva.

Buffer goes close with 53+. And I like this short one on Hubspot (top 10).

In conclusion,

I guess it’s all about taste, so maybe you’ll find some sites with photos you like better, but remember, all those other sites have overlapping photos, so chances are, you can find them on Pixabay. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Happy photo hunting and feel free to share yours!