While I prefer using my own images, sometimes I need a photo for a social media or blog post and I just don’t have the image I want or need. That’s when I turn to one of these websites for a creative image that is usually of much higher quality than what I can accomplish with my phone.
Flickr
Because of the sheer variety of available photos, one of my favorite photo sources is the collection of Creative Commons images at www.Flickr.com . Search for your keyword, topic, or whatever idea you have for your image and then choose “Creative Commons” from the License drop down list. When you find the image you want, check the license icons (usually a human figure, a dollar sign, a copyright sign, etc) to find out what you can and cannot do.
Unsplash
Originally founded as a Tumblr blog in 2013, Unsplash features a variety of specific categories that might be useful to real estate agents, including People, Architecture, and Street Photography. Another that I find myself using a lot is the Textures and Patterns category. If you want to upgrade, for $7/month you get Unsplash+ and more image choices.
Pixabay
Pixabay and Unsplash seem to have a lot of overlap in images, however, Pixabay has branched out into other forms of digital media including vector images, music, and sound effects. At this time, Pixabay is still 100% free with no upgraded package. However, they do ask that you consider donating. And the way it looks, the donations go to the artist.
Stocksnap
Stocksnap has their collection broken down into around 100 categories with titles like Green, Desk, Books, City, Coffee, and Beer. Each category will have somewhere between 50 and a few thousand photos. If you need to quickly drill down on a subject, this is a great way to do it. Like Pixabay, the only plan available seems to be the “everything is free” plan.
Pexels
Along with stunning photos, Pexels provides a variety of video footage. I’ve used a couple of their technology-orientated videos as the background of PowerPoint slides when I’m teaching classes. There are also a lot of great drone flyovers. I haven’t had a need for some of those but I have watched a lot of them. Oh, and as a bonus, when you select an image you like, you can click the “Edit in Canva” button and begin to work with the photo immediately. That’s how I created the cover image for this blog post.
Burst
Burst has a lot of attractive photos, but I don’t find myself using them in my real estate business (or other projects) very often. I search through it from time to time, but I just haven’t had the opportunity to use it yet. One of these days, though, the right image will come along and it will be burstastic.
