We’ve all been there…that daunting feeling you get scrolling so far to page 7 of Shutterstock or Getty’s for the first time. You finally find that perfect image for your project. Only to click on it and realize it costs $375 for the size and resolution you need. Then you realize you’re not even getting paid that much for that particular project, ugh!!!

Don’t fret though, the internet is always undefeated! And you can be too by using free stock photo sites. There are many out there you can find with a simple google search. But to save you some time, here are my top 4 sites I use often and what I think of each. Explore and happy photo hunting!

Photo by Olivia Paige on Reshot

1. Reshot

Hip site for images that feel more human than the stiff stocky ones you encounter on the pay-to-download sites. Most of the photos look instagram-worthy with an aesthetic of influencers. Which is why this is my go-to site for finding photos needed for fashion projects. Decent landscape images too, but if you try to search for something really specific you’ll notice not as many options to choose from.

Photo by Denys Nevozhai on Unsplash

2. Unsplash

This one is a very community based site, with 211,166 photographers contributing. With over 2 million free high-resolution images to choose from, you won’t have a problem finding the shot you need. The curation of the site is pretty cool too, with categories right at the top of the homepage for easier sifting. One of the categories I often download is architectural shots of buildings. Photographers really know how to capture new angles like this one of the Petersen Automotive Museum in LA.

Image by Quang Le from Pixabay

3. Pixabay

This is another site with a larger image library. With over 1.8 million+ high quality stock images and videos. What’s cool about Pixabay is that there’s vector graphics and illustrations to download too. The nature category has a lot of vibrant colors and soothing scenes. Almost overkill with some of the images having a desktop wallpaper vibe but if that’s what you’re looking for it’s worth checking out. The site could use an infinite scroll, so much to choose from here.

Photo by Thomas Svensson from Pexels

4. Pexels

This is personally my favorite free stock photo site! From my experience Pexels has the ideal blend of landscape, office, architectural, people and nature images. Often times I’ll start off searching for the perfect photo on the other sites I mentioned above, but end up finding the right one here. Images feel less filtered/altered and more authentic. Their video selection is a great resource too for your next visual project.