The Diverse Stock Photo Round-Up You’re Looking For
Fun fact about me: Anytime I see a conference I am interested in, the first thing I do is check out the speaker lineup. If I’m not feeling the diversity or lack thereof, I’m not going. Period. There’s no excuse.
Another thing I do as a consumer when I’m reviewing a brand’s social media is to check and see if they have people that look like me (you know, darker skin, fuller features, coily hair, etc). If I have to continuously scroll, I’m not spending my coins, and it’s as simple as that.
So here it is: If you are not intentional with using diverse stock photos in your feeds/advertising, you’ve got the game messed up. No more excuses. Pull it together and do an audit of your feeds, website, clientele, and beyond. Do better.
“But CJ, where can I find some websites with diverse stock images?”
Fret not, I got you. If you keep scrolling you’ll see some of my favorite websites and some that I found as I produced this blog. What I truly appreciate is the fact that these sites are now adding in more LGBTQIA+, differently-abled persons, and more. Take a look and I hope that you find what you need. And as always, if it’s helpful, be sure to share this post!
Diverse Stock Image Site Round-Up
Adobe Stock (Now yall know Adobe is charging… lol)
Black Illustrations (Digital art, not stock photos, but still useful)
Body Liberation (If you need body positivity photos, this is your site.)
Burst (Provided by Shopify, free, and you can choose high or low-resolution)
CreateHerStock (free options or you can pay $7/mo for the directory)
Creative Market (This is my new obsession… just pray for my wallet. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!)
Deposit Photos (I’m still slightly confused here but I believe you can download free pics as well as get a subscription.)
Disability Images (You’ll need to pay for the images but this is the largest collection I have seen so far.)
Diversity Photos (You can pay $50/image or get a subscription.)
Eye For Ebony (Image bundles for purchase on Creative Market)
The Gender Spectrum (I hollered when I found this. It has stock images for transgender and nonbinary folks and I just… heart eyes)
Haute Stock (If you’re a woman entrepreneur, this might be a good one for your toolkit.)
Honey Social (You can download different stock photo collection packs)
iStock (Powered by Getty Images. You can choose between a basic or premium subscription)
Iwaria (Free images with an African focus)
Jopwell Collection (images of Black and/or Latino people in professional settings)
Kaboom Pics (It’s a free site. They have work to do, but again… free)
Mocha Stock (Images, graphics, and videos available for purchase)
Nappy.Co (Gorgeous… just gorgeous)
Pexels (You might need to add specific keyboards, but it’s a free site)
PicNoi (free, but you can pay $59 for the entire collection)
PixiStock (Owned by a Black woman, so we gotta put her on! It’s a membership-based site that’s worth it. You can also sign up for monthly freebies.)
POC Stock (You can pay per image or do monthly subscriptions.)
PreMade Babe (A new site that’s continuing to upload images for purchase)
Raw Pixel (You can select free photos or pay for a premium membership.)
Reshot (More free images)
She Bold Stock (I mean.. it’s Black woman-owned y’all!!)
Shuttershock (You can sign up for a free 30-day trial prior to paying for a monthly package.)
Social Squares (Honestly, this was one of my favorites).
StockSnap (A free site where you might want to add extra keywords while searching)
Stocksy (When I first discovered this site, my mouth dropped. You have to pay but it’s certainly worth it.)
Styled Stock (They have free images as well as a paid member subscription.)
Tonl (A la carte pricing as well as monthly subscriptions)
UK Black Tech (A small but free collection of people in office settings)
Unsplash (This is my baby and typically where I go first. Free and you can add attributions.)
WOC In Tech (free with attribution)
Now family… as you look through these sites, be especially mindful of the licenses when you download. We don’t need y’all getting sued because you didn’t get the right license! Reading is fundamental.
Which site is your favorite?
