Where to Find Free Stock Images That Don’t Look… Free
Finding beautiful stock images that don’t cost an arm and a leg can be frustrating and sometimes feel impossible! I have been working with small business owners who need gorgeous photos for their websites for close to 10 years and I have found some amazing websites that offer beautiful images perfect for social media and websites. Most of these resources are free but I am also adding in a few ways to pay for images that are budget friendly.
Included in this list are resources for LGBTQ+ and People of the Global Majority because these tend to be the HARDEST to find.
When choosing stock photos for your website make sure to match the photos to your aesthetic and branding - this will immediately elevate your brand and make your website look polished and luxe. I don’t like cheesy photos so everything I am listing below is a good place to find stock photos that will actually elevate your brand - whether you’re a coach, healer, sexologist, or a service provider, these resources will take your website from so-so to gorgeous!
Let’s get into it!
Pexels is my go to resource for images of LGBTQ+ and People of the Global Majority. They have a ton of gorgeous photos that will knock your socks off and take your brand to the next level. Their images are top quality (no phony looking stock images here) and completely free. They also have FREE video loops perfect for reels when you don’t have anything on your phone you want to use. No matter what you are looking for you will find gorgeous images + videos on Pexels.
If you are a sexologist or intimacy coach Pexels is your best bet for finding images for your website that create that feeling of sexual freedom you want your clients to experience.
If you’re a therapist or healer this is the perfect place for images that offer inclusivity and the aesthetics of freedom, joy and creativity.
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Unsplash
If you’re looking for the most amazing nature photos you can find then Unsplash is your go to. I once had a client who was a sexologist but instead of using people in her images she wanted to use nature photos - most all of the ones we used came from Unsplash.
They also have gorgeous and very high end images of people in every context imaginable, flat lays, and endless other options. However, they aren’t as diverse as Pexels and don’t have as many options for coaches or healers. They do have both free and premium options for images as well as drawn graphics.
Dupe Photos
Dupe photos is pretty cool - you can search by vibe/aesthetic so it makes it super easy to match photos to your branding. They have a whole bunch of categories at the top or you can type in your aesthetic into the search bar. They also have video loops for every category. Their photos are more down to earth and realistic - think everyday Instagram, so they feel relatable and grounded.
Nappy.co
Nappy.co has beautiful images of black and brown people absolutely free! The images are high quality and most don’t have “stock photo” vibe like so many images online do. They focus solely on black and brown people so it makes finding images for your website easy instead of having to search endlessly through other sites that might only have a few images of POC. While they don’t have the biggest library of images there are still plenty of gorgeous images, many of which you will not find anywhere else. I highly recommend!
Canva
Canva offers some great images with a free account but if you upgrade to their paid subscription (for about $13/month) you will get a HUGE library of premium images that include graphics and videos. These images include LGBTQ+ and BIPOC options and there are so many great options for coaches of all types including meditation images, yoga images, healthy and delicious food for health coaches, sexy images for sexologists and more!
PLUS, having a paid Canva account allows you to create so many things for your website and for social media. They have ready to go templates for almost anything and you can save your brand colors and fonts so they are ready to go for anything you create!
Canva is your marketing bestie and so worth the monthly fee!
Styled Stock Society
Elle from Styled Stock Society is amazing and if nothing else I recommend getting on her list just for her emails. She sends out all kinds of goodies each week with tips for Canva, using images on socials, etc. Its really fun! Her images are also GORGEOUS and include something for everyone including BIPOC options (lots of them). This is a paid option at $45/month which for the quality of the images is a fabulous price and includes stock photos, videos and Canva templates! This is truly worth the investment, trust me!
She Bold Stock
Jasmine from She Bold Stock is amazing. I love her personality and her vibe and her images are gorgeous! I’ve been on her email list since 2019 and she sends the best emails full of tips and tricks for business, marketing and more. Her images are fully inclusive, very organized and her membership is a steal at $499 for LIFETIME ACCESS! Not only does your membership get you the most amazing stock photos but it also includes tons of goodies like content planning, Canva templates, lead magnet templates and more.
Okay, you found the pretty pictures. Now let’s give them somewhere gorgeous to live.
If you’ve got the right photos but your website still isn’t quite giving… let’s fix that. I create custom websites that make your business look polished, intentional, and unmistakably you.