Have you ever been in that situation where you’ve just finished a long-form blog post and couldn’t wait to hit publish, but then you actually couldn’t, just because you couldn’t find the right free styled stock photos for it?
You probably know that downloading a photo from Google may cause you a fortune if it’s legally protected and its owner sues you for using it without permission. In case you’re still not convinced, read THIS BLOG POST about how a blogger had to pay like $7,500 (no typo) for a photo of a green pepper!
Why should you use license stock photos?
As a travel blogger, most of the time I have to use my own photos for my blog posts, otherwise Unsplash (often), Rawpixel (occasionally), and Pexels (rarely). Talking about Rawpixel, you can register for a free account to download up to five free stock photos per day by clicking on the photo below!. They have vectors, mock-ups, and a lot of cool illustrations, too.
Currently, I’m using stock photos from Ivory Mix with a one-year subscription which will end in September 2020. The reason why I chose her was that it has more than just licensed style stock photos but SoMe template, training sessions, workshops, marketing templates, etc. to make sure you have your back cover with all that online business/blogging stuff.
That was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my blogging career so far. It saved my time searching for the right photos AND making sure I can use them without any fuss. Time is money.
The other reason why you should use licensed styled stock photos is that it will make your blog look different and stand out from the crowd. Free styled stock photos mean one photo can be used in hundreds of different other blogs and content, and that’s not what you want for your blog – to “look like another blog” your readers have seen before, is it?
That’s when licensed stock photos thrive. Not only can it make your blog look fresh and new, but it will help a lot with Pinterest and Insta algo.
So, the moment you hit Pay for your licensed stock photo, you will be paying for your time searching on the Internet, your freedom using stunning photos legally, and your blog cohesive branding. That’s massive wins!
So, why free styled stock photos?
Now it sounds like I’m trying to sell you some photos subscription or something, and it will make absolutely no sense here. So I bet you’re wondering why I ever bother.
Actually, it’s a win – win for both bloggers and photographers. Let’s say you as a blogger will have some free styled stock photos to use on your blog, and maybe sometimes SoMe, and the photographer/styled stock photos companies will have your email on their list, meaning you can turn into a customer one day (feel free to take me as an example).
Once you enter their websites, you can register your email to receive around 1- – 20 free stock photos as freebies. Some sites will keep sending you free photos every month, some not. However, the one with the biggest resource here is Ivory Mix with a library of OVER 550 free styled stock photos for you to download! That’s simply a steal. I mean!
Since you now get the idea, here is my ultimate list of 10 resources where you can subscribe to get over 600 free styled stock photos for personal use. You will not even need 600 photos to put on your blog for the first year, so that’s a good deal for newbies to start with.
Free Styled Stock Photos for Female Bloggers
Note: Affiliate links may be used in this post. I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you if you use my affiliate link. Full disclosure policy here.
1. Ivory Mix
As aforementioned, I bought a one-year subscription with Ivory Mix, priced $137/year, including all kinds of templates, marketing and blogging ideas, SoMe templates to use on Canva, workshops, e-courses, and so on. Every time she released something new on her site, it took me days to download and stroll through all her resources.
The reason I chose Ivory Mix over Haute Stock was that Kayla (the owner) made it so easy to use her photos. I mean legally, like how you can and cannot use her photos, etc. I like it since not all of us are lawyers or have proper knowledge about all the law stuff, and we surely don’t want to meet any legal action along the way.
2. Haute Stock
Upon registration, Haute Stock will send you 21 photos + four to six ones monthly.
As I can say I LOVE their photos. They are beyond beautiful. However I didn’t go for it for two reasons: It’s costly (almost $300/year) and there’s a lot of restrictions where and how you can use their photos, even when you already buy a license. For me, it’s way too complicated to cope with all their legal language, so I just chose to stay away from it, at least for now.
3. Ohtilly
You’ll get 15 free photos + 3 free photos monthly. I registered for it already.
4. Gold and Berry
This resource is from a Polish graphic designer, so beside photos, there will be some graphic design, kinda. I didn’t register as it’s not my style.
5. Styled Stock Photography
I personally think their photos are a little bit too colourful. But anyway, it depends on what you blog about, right? Register and you’ll get 20 photos + monthly photos to come.
6. Styled Stock Society
The same here: 20 photos straight to your inbox + monthly photos. I registered here also and you use some of their photos in this blog later on.
UPDATE: I bought a -month subscription at Styled Stock Society to use for this site, My Blogging Job, since I think I really enjoy the style, especially the mock-ups. They are very easy to use, easy to crop, and fit perfectly with my website aesthetic!
7. Pixistock
I didn’t have much impression from this site, since their style is quite popular, meaning you can get the same look from (almost) everywhere. But since they send free photos, just give it a try!
8. The Stock Boutique
I really like their photos, especially because they have different aesthetic feeling, like something calming and quite unique. I registered immediately and put their website in my consideration for the next time I need to buy a new subscription.
9. She Bold Stock
Again, their style is not my cup of tea, both for me as a person and for my blog aesthetic. Actually, I think I’ve changed my colour taste a lot after almost six years living in Scandinavia!
10. Girl Boss Stock
This site will send you ten photos + free photos monthly. I like the style and of course, registered for it.