Aubaine

I'm looking to spice up my blog a bit. So right now what I'm looking to do is add some stock photos and maybe even some video. Any suggestions for some good stock photo sites? Preferably free... :]

Thanks!

Duckyshucky

Your options run a bit low if you're looking for something that is free. Maybe you could try using Flickr's Creative Commons page with the respective permission for HQ pics

Michael D Forbes

stock.xchng - the leading free stock photography site is great for free stuff. morgueFile free photos for creatives by creatives is another good one

philm67

The only FREE site I like (and trust to actually be legally free) is morguefile.com That is an awesome site.

For paid pics I use 123rf.com they have a great selection and reasonable prices.

ALWAYS read the licenses carefully.

Aubaine

Thanks for the suggestions guys, i'll check all of them out!

Rndmals

I have been using Dreamstime and find them to be of great value with very good selection. I normally buy $99 worth of credits (107 credits, I think) and just go and grab an image whenever I need to. I can usually find anything I need for posts or graphics for 1-3 credits, and occasionally for 5-7 credits (for extra small image size). They also have a decent selection of free images.

Aubaine

It sounds like you are paying roughly 3-5 dollars per image, is that a pretty typical rate for purchased stock photos that are legal?

Coby

This is my favorite ~> Icon Search Engine | Iconfinder

itgodz

Almost all stock photo sites have a free section.
Some links are
Dreamstime: Dreamstime - Download Free Stock Images and Photos
stock.xchng - the leading free stock photography site
etc

You can also use the creative commons search at
CC Search

and finally the mother of all searches use Google Images Search
Here is how you can search for photos with creative commons license on Google
Official Google Blog: Find Creative Commons images with Image Search

I hope this helps

chaujka

Get free photos by simply doing a Google search for the keyword "public domain photos". You may also include one of your keywords together with this search keyword.

I hope that helps.

spearce000

My main sources for free stock photos:

Pictures Free Download (mostly amateur photographers, but you can get some good stuff)

Wikimedia Commons (free public domain)

Free image resources - Meta (links to a ton of free sites)

grafic

Another vote for sxc.hu

Loads of free stuff and some really good premium stuff for a dollar.

You do need to check the license on each image though, Some will not allow commercial use for instance.

DebB

One of the lowest cost stock photo sites I use is Royalty-Free Stock Photos, Illustrations & Vector Art | Depositphotos®
You can get good quality images for a dollar or less, good enough for blogs and general purpose graphics.

Sparda

Thanks for the info. I did not know about some of these.

semmyw

you can use flickr and hsxc.hu and I usually adding author links.

Rndmals

Yes, that's pretty typical. The reason I choose Dreamstime is that they are a bit less expensive and their pricing structure is very flexible.

Rndmals

Perhaps I should add re: paid vs free sites/images.

The reason I like my current setup is that it saves a fair amount of time (at least for me). Basically, I just go into my paid account and it only takes me about a minute or just a few minutes to find an image I like, grab it and I'm done. On the other hand, you could sift through hundreds of free images before you find something usable.
So that's another thing to consider.

ebusinesstutor

Another recommendation here for Stock.xchng. I use them a lot. When I am looking for pictures that the free sites just can't seem to come up with, I use iStockPhoto. Fantastic selection and I never go away disappointed. Usual cost is $3 to $5 each for the ones I purchase.

nevrak

I'm using Stock Photos | Royalty Free Subscription Stock Photos | PhotoXpress and quite pleased with their collection