The Best Place for Stock Photos to Make a Visual First Impression
In modern web design, a picture really is worth a thousand words. It is also worth a few thousand clicks. Visuals are the main part of your online look. From the hero photo on your homepage to a small image in a blog post, the photos you use are as important as the words. Finding the best place for stock photos is a big part of that process. High-quality photos are not just for looks. They show your customers that you are a pro. They show that you care about the small details.
The problem is that most small business owners know they need great photos, but they have no idea where to get them legally. It is hard to find ones that do not cost a lot of money. You cannot just take whatever you find on a search engine. At Full Scope Creative, there are three main sites we use when we look for high-quality photos. The best places for stock photos that we use all the time are Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay.
A Breakdown of the Best Place for Stock Photos
The “Big Three” are our favorite tools, but they are not the same. Each site has its own feel and style. We often look through all three to find the best photos. It is a bit time consuming to search and search, but looking through all three can help to find exactly the photos you need.
- Unsplash: The Artistic Powerhouse
- Best for: High-quality, modern, and artsy photography.
- Why we use it: Unsplash photos often do not have the same “stock” photo feel. They look like professional photos from a magazine. It is great for brands that want a high-end look.
- Website: https://unsplash.com/
- Pexels: The All-Rounder
- Best for: Real-life shots and free stock video.
- Why we use it: Pexels is great for finding photos of all kinds of people. It is our top choice for social media and big website banners.
- Website: https://www.pexels.com/
- Pixabay: The Massive Resource Library
- Best for: Having a ton of choices. They have over 4 million items. This includes photos, drawings, and art.
- Why we use it: When you need a very specific object or a simple drawing, Pixabay is the best spot to check.
- Website: https://pixabay.com/
Navigating Licenses and Avoiding Costly Mistakes
These sites are the best place for stock photos, but you have to be careful. Free does not always mean free for every photo. It can be confusing, and even frustrating, to find a photo you love just to see that it isn’t free and open to use.
The “Free” Trap: Most images on these sites are ready to use for your business. But there are times when they are not. For example, Unsplash+ has images that you have to pay for to download. Also, all three sites show “Sponsored” rows from sites like iStock. These rows appear in your search results to try to get you to buy a photo. Be careful not to download a paid image by mistake without buying it first.
The Golden Rule: Always check the license before you download. If a photo costs money, pay for it. You probably know to never just “right-click and save” any ol’ image you find online. It is much too easy to find people who steal images with bots that scan the web. If you use a photo without a license, the consequences are bad. You can get a bill for a fine that is $1,000 or even much more per image. In the law, these are called statutory damages. Even if you did not know it was wrong, you still have to pay the bill. It is always cheaper to buy the photo than to pay a big fine later.
Best Practices for Attribution & Privacy
One of the best things about the sites we turn to for stock photos is the CC0 (Creative Commons Zero) license.
What is CC0? It means the creator gave up their rights to the photo. You can use it, change it, and share it for your business. You do not have to ask for permission or give the creator credit.
Because of this, you do not need to put a credit line under every photo on your site. This makes your website design look much cleaner.
The Privacy Page Hack Giving credit is still a nice thing to do for the artists. To keep your pages looking good, we suggest the “Privacy Page Hack.” Instead of adding credits on your blog posts, you can add a section on your Privacy Policy or Terms of Service page. You can just write, “Images used from Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay” and link to them. This keeps your site clean and keeps the photographers happy.
Stock Photo Fatigue
We have all seen that one photo of five business people in grey suits. They are always in a glass room smiling at a laptop. That “Everywhere Business Team” seems to work at 100 different companies just in Green Bay! Using photos like that can make your business look fake.
Dig Deeper: Do not just pick the first photo you see. Scroll down the page. Find images that really connect with your business. If your team wears polo shirts and jeans, do not use a photo of people in dress pants, shirt, and tie. At Full Scope Creative, we are very business casual. I have not worn a tie in years. I would never put a photo of a programmer in a tie on our site because that is not who we are.
The “Fake” Factor: If you use too many stock photos, your brand can start to feel cold. Stock photos are good to fill in the gaps. They should not, and really they can’t, tell your whole story. Use them along with your own real photos to show off your real team and your real office.
Your Next Steps for Finding the Best Place for Stock Photos
Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay are the best places for stock photos when you need a good look fast. They are great tools for your business. Just remember not to use too many of them. You want your website to feel real and easy to talk to.
If you are tired of looking at stock photos and none of them fit just right, we can help. If the rules about licenses make you nervous, we can help. We promise we will not pick that same Green Bay conference room photo that everyone else uses. Send a message to Full Scope Creative today. We would love to help you find the perfect look for your brand.