Last week I wrote about being busted by the photo police for illegally using a photograph on my website.
A portion of that blog was devoted to sharing sites whereby auction planners could secure free stock photography for live and silent auction displays.
To make it easier to find the sites, I’ve re-posted the list below.
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Here are my 5 best free stock photography sites for gala auction planners.
This is where you can secure legal images to use in your live and silent auction displays.
To compare sites, I opted to test them using the same search term. Last year at a benefit auction I sold a stay in Pamplona, Spain, perhaps best known for its running of the bulls event. The word I used to test each site’s functionality was “bulls.” See results below.
1. MorgueFile https://morguefile.com/
Large photo collection and easy search functionality. Click on each photo to read terms.
Search test: MorgueFile presented me several free images of bulls to use when I typed “bulls” into the search bar. The images were of more like a typical bull on a farm. If I put “running of the bulls” into the search function, MorgueFile redirected to display several photos on iStock that I could buy, ranging from $12 to $33. These were elegant bulls and matadors.
2. Pixabay http://pixabay.com/en
It has a search functionality and beautiful quality photos. See nice shots of anything from wine tastings to the scenery of Yellowstone.
Search test:”Bulls” produced a wide range of bulls, from illustrations and team mascots to yaks and walruses. There were 11 pages of images to peruse.
3. Pexels www.pexels.com
This site consolidates stock photography from other sites. The usage terms of each photo are available when you click on the photo.
Search test: A wide range of bull images appeared — pit bulls, Wall Street bull, cow bulls, and more. For a true Matador-style bull, I was redirected to Shutterstock to buy an image.
4. Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/main_page
Did a celebrity donate something to your auction? Use this site to find a free image of a famous person.
Search test: Appropriate images were found, though the site doesn’t make it as easy to sort images as the other sites do.
5. Stocksnap https://stocksnap.io/
Easy search functionality.
Search test: Not impressive. Only 2 “bulls” photos appeared — and they were both a game of darts showing a bulls eye.
Do you have a favorite place to secure photos that I’ve not shared? Add your site below.
For those who would like to get started with Photography – for instance, perhaps you want to shoot your own auction display images versus relying on stock photography, I have an in-depth guide that will help you get started! Whether you want to use a DLSR camera, or wish to learn how to use your iPhone camera better, here is everything you need to know about Photography! https://hobbyhelp.com/photography/
Thank you for sharing, Jo!
Picjumbo is another https://picjumbo.com/, as well as Refe http://getrefe.com/, Skitterphoto https://skitterphoto.com/
Great suggestions!