The most common type of stock photo is a royalty-free one which are a low-cost option when you’d like to make a big visual impact. The “free” in royalty-free doesn’t always mean no cost but instead, means you can use the image without needing to pay additional royalties to its artist. 

Let’s set the scene. You may find the perfect photo of a facial being performed to utilise in your next treatment menu, *yaaas!*. A royalty-free image would give you the option to pay a one-off fee to utilise an image without additional ongoing payment. 

Now, we’re going to spill the stock photo tea. Sometimes, the lines are verrry blurry when it comes to how you can use different imagery and want to equip you with the 411. The owners and artists of the images you use have rights over where and how their creations are republished so it’s important to know if you’ve got the right licence for what you want to achieve. 

For example, downloading a royalty-free image from a site such as Unsplash and using it for commercial purposes, like printing it on merch to sell, would be a big no-no. The creator would have the right to pursue an infringement of copyright (eek!).

Using that same image for a brochure or in-salon display is good to go because whilst that touchpoint may make you money, the customer is not purchasing something with the image on it (just the good vibes it’s given them). 

Copyright and royalty-free are two very different concepts so it’s important to know the difference when building up your content collection. When you purchase a royalty-free image, you do not own the copyright to it. The copyright still stands with the creator themselves; they have simply given you the opportunity to utilise their creation without ongoing costs. 

Now that we’ve covered the rules of stock photos, let’s explore some of our go-to sites to curate and create.

Pexels

www.pexels.com

Is it free or paid?
All photos on Pexels are free to use.

What photos can I expect?
The photos available on Pexels transcend us to an ultra-curated Insta feed or a high-fashion editorial. You’ll find plenty of gorgeous neutral tones, flatlay images, skincare snaps and a diverse cast of models.

Be real with me, is it easy to use?
Oh yes, very! What’s amazing about Pexels is that you can download the original file or the size you’re chasing! Talk about customisation.

What type of license is available? 
Pexels has purchased the licensing of their photos so you don’t have to pay anything for them or attribute the creator. Whilst they encourage you to get creative with their images, they request that you do not resell the image (such as on another stock photo), use the image as a false endorsement of your product or use the image to sell a physical product without altering it first.

Unsplash

www.unsplash.com

Is it free or paid?
All photos on Unsplash are free to use.

What photos can I expect?
Unsplash has over 2 million high resolution images for you to discover. We’ve explored everything from artsy textures and landscapes to model shots and flatlays. 

Be real with me, is it easy to use?
We’ll admit, you can get lost down a rabbit hole on Unsplash! Keep your search terms generic to widen your image scope. Their collections feature is helpful to connect you with like minded imagery. 

What type of license is available?
Similar to Pexels, Unsplash photos come with a license that gives you a lot of creative freedom. You’re able to utilise Unsplash photos for commercial and non-commercial purposes without needing to pay or credit the creator. Like Pexels, photos cannot be sold on another stock photo platform or sold as their sole image (a poster) without modification first.

Stocksy

www.stocksy.com

Is it free or paid?
Stocksy is a paid stock photo resource.

What photos can I expect?
Stocksy artists have been handpicked by the company to provide you a selection of highly curated imagery. From the moment you see a photo on this site, you can tell just how high quality the image truly is. 

Be real with me, is it easy to use?
Absolutely. We love the search functions of Stocksy that allow you to curate searches based on the age, space, ethnicity, location and orientation of your desired photo. The checkout process is very informative and seamless. 

What type of license is available? 
Stocksy offers a wide variety of image licensing and they do a great job at explaining which one you need for your project. Their standard royalty-free license (up to 500,000 hard copies for advertising, editorial, and promotional projects, unlimited impressions in online, electronic, and mobile publications and applications) ranges from a flat $15 – $125 rate based on the size of the image you need. 

You have the option of adding on extended licenses which give you the ability to use the image for commercial purposes or an unlimited print run. Finally, for a much larger fee, you can freeze the image for an extended period of time. This means nobody else can purchase this image until your freeze expires. This currently begins at $1,250.

EyeEm

www.eyeem.com

Is it free or paid?
EyeEm is a paid stock photo resource. Photos are available via a subscription or one-off purchase. 

What photos can I expect?
If intricate and let’s be real, artsy AF images are your deal, you’re going to love the selection on offer via EyeEm. In our opinion, compared to sites such as Unsplash and Stocksy, the choice of images is more limited but it’s definitely worth a look. 

Be real with me, is it easy to use?
Yes, absolutely. The search function is similar to most stock photo resources, and it features a similar extended search function to Stocksy. There are only two types of licenses on offer via EyeEm which makes picking what you need relatively seamless.

What type of license is available? 
EyeEm offers 2 licenses for their images – a standard license (for commercial use in web and print for up to 5,000 copies) and an extended license (for commercial use across all platforms).

What we did notice is that the price for these licenses varies from image to image so take note of your budget when exploring this site.