Have you read a blog, viewed a social media post, or seen a billboard with a photo included? There’s a good chance you’ve viewed a stock photo. What are stock photos exactly? Stock photos are ready-made professional images you can use for many things, including blogs, social media, and billboards in real life. In this post, we’ll uncover what stock photos are, the types available, the benefits of using stock photos, and ways you can use them. If you’re a seasoned stock photo user, or a novice, the goal of this guide is to help elevate your stock photography and how you can incorporate them into your content creation plan. Without further adieu, let’s get started!
What are stock photos?
As defined by Merriam-Webster, a stock photo is a photographic image of a generic subject (such as a person, object, or location) that is kept for later use. Commonly stock photos are sourced/purchased/downloaded from a website. They can be used for business purposes, such as marketing materials ( including but not limited to: websites, social media, newsletters, etc.). They can also be used in editorial spaces (news articles, blog posts). It can be a photographic or illustrated image. Stock photos are an affordable way for creatives to have access to professional, high-quality photos on a budget when a custom photo shoot isn’t feasible.
What types of stock photos are available?
There are many categories of stock photos available, but here is a sampling:
Nature
Technology
Food
People
Travel
Health & Wellness
Two of the most prominent licensing models for stock photos are: royalty-free and rights managed. Royalty-free means the customer has unlimited use of the image after purchasing it. You can use the images as many times as you want. Although “free” is part of the name, keep in mind that there could still be a cost involved when purchasing. On the contrary, rights-managed photos have specific use restrictions and limitations including the number of times people view the image (also known as “impressions”). Rights-managed stock photos also have a cost.
Where can I find stock photos?
Although you can conduct a Google search to find stock photos (which we don’t recommend because of the risk of copyright infringement fines) there are many reputable sites to search and purchase stock photos:
Unsplash offers millions of high-quality photos from over 300k contributors – for free!
Pixabay is another website which offers high-quality, royalty free images.
Adobe Stock offers a free trial of 10 photos for free, along with monthly and yearly subscription options.
Pexels provides hundreds and thousands of free stock photos with more added daily.
Two of the largest stock photo distributors, Shutterstock and Getty Images have announced at the beginning of 2025 that they are merging as a way to combat the advances of AI created images.
How can I use stock photos in my creations?
Here are a few ways to incorporate/add stock photos into your creations:
Social media posts
Presentation slides
Blog posts
Newsletters
Print marketing materials such as flyers, posters and postcards
Videos
Stock photos are everywhere – digitally on blogs, social media, in real life on billboards, and more. They are an affordable way to add high quality visuals without having a photo shoot. Whether you need visuals for marketing efforts, presentation slides or creative projects, there are many options available. With choices including from royalty-free to rights-managed, and industry giants like Shutterstock and Getty Images evolving with AI, stock photography is forever progressing. No matter your skill level, stock photos can elevate your content, so why not start using them today?