Thank you GraphicStock for sponsoring today’s post. Even if you’re someone who loves taking pictures and creating graphics, stock photos can be a very useful tool for your blog, website, or small business. Lately, I got a chance to download a lot of gorgeous high quality stock photos for free at Graphic Stock, and I’ve already used them a lot of different ways. For example, not only are all of the images featured above available for free at Graphic Stock, but so is the image of the computer screen I used!
All of the graphics and pictures below were put together in just a few minutes with free stock photos (except for the picture of me!).
How to get 140 stock photos for FREE:
1. Go over to Graphic Stock and sign up for the free trial.
2. You will have to give your credit card info, but you won’t be billed anything for the first 7 days and there is no obligation to continue using it.
3. Cancel before 7 days. I’d recommend setting a reminder on your phone for the 6th day, just so you don’t forget. And if you really like having access to all of the stock photos, there are some great monthly plans available.
There is a huge database of over 250,000 images available to download. Plus, all of the images are 100% royalty free and come with unrestricted rights for both personal and commercial use.
How to enhance your blog or small business with stock photos:
1. Incorporate stock photos into your website design. I especially love these watercolor images. However, a lot of people think of their website design as being limited to the header and sidebar. Remember that the content of your posts and pages is important too, and you can always create graphics with text to share things instead of just typing things in. For example, you could download an image or a notebook, and use a handwritten type font to write out your personal about me section.
2. Create printables or graphics to share on Social Media. You don’t want to take credit for painting them or creating them yourself, but you can download a lot of cool backgrounds and textures, and then add text or quotes on top of them. This is a great way to share more beautiful and quality content on social media, especially if you’re still working on your own photography skills. This one is so simple, you can even use apps on your phone (like A Beautiful Mess) to create text on top of a cute background from Graphic Stock.
3. Add cute text or word bubbles to your pictures.
4. Use them as backgrounds. I added “hello spring” over this beautiful watercolor raindrop background.
5. Use arrows or icons in blog posts and tutorials.
6. Create cute graphics for special promotions and announcements. Instead of just saying you’re offering 20% off, or announcing that the summer line is now available, share the news with a beautiful graphic.
7. Use them when creating your business cards. There is even a large selection of pretty business cards that are already designed. All you have to do is add your own text.
I’m also giving away a year’s subscription to GraphicStock.com! That’s a whole lot of free stock photos and images ($588 value)! This giveaway ends May 18, 2015. How to enter:
1. Sign up for the free 7 day trial
2. Download at least one image.
3. Leave a comment below sharing which image you chose and how you plan to use it.
Don’t forget to set a reminder on your phone to cancel your subscription after the 7 day trial if you don’t want to be charged.
Very useful info. Thanks!
I LOVE the images available – my creative side is in heaven right now. Already downloaded 8 images including a burlap background for the printable Mother's Day Cards I just designed to share on my site Giggle Hearts tomorrow. Showcasing the cards on the burlap – the design looks so finished now and ready for presentation. Thank you so much for sharing and for the opportunity to win a year's subscription to GraphicStock – this would truly be a dream to have access to this amazing library of imagery.