Stock photos suck.

That's the general refrain around the Web. It sucks more because you have to pay a nice premium to use the best stock photos. A valid criticism against stock photos says that they end up looking like each other – too generic they say.

The Web is increasingly visual...and increasingly personalized. As a blogger, a media communicator, a website designer, or even as a DIY wallpaper designer sitting at home, you want to stand out from the crowd.

A few large-hearted photographers and visual creatives are  trying to distil the noise and bring something fresh to stock photography. They are also doing it for free. With their contributions to the large number of resources for free photographs, they make us understand one simple thing – finding a great photo isn't that hard. Using that perfect photo can also come without sweat and without a cost.

The five photography sources below ease your hunt because you can simply subscribe to them with an email and wait for the collections to drop into your inbox. All are sources for high-resolution images. Begin the visual feast.

Death To The Stock Photo

Here's the first email list you can be on to receive free stock photos in your inbox. The stock photo agency brought a unique take when it launched. David Sherry, a brand strategist and photographer started the site with Allie Lehman, a designer and blogger. The website greets you with a collage-like interface, but then only an email box that asks you to sign-up. The founders say that they aim to be just like coffee for the modern creative. Coffee costs a few dollars – getting photos from here doesn't.

Here's an example:

Photos are high-res at nearly 5000 pixels. Yes, you can't browse through any collections and categories to pick photos of your choice. What you get is almost a serendipitous pack of beautifully shot bunch of photos every month. It's license free. The monthly pack usually follow a common theme. It could be cycling in Seattle or a theme around live music. If you are learning photography, their photos are also a lesson on how to make the ordinary look hip and cool.

Unsplash

The photos on Unsplash don't follow a common theme, but they come in from all corners of the globe. So, you get a wonderful mix in the ten free, hi-resolution (4000+ pixels) photos delivered to your inbox every ten days. Save the images from the site, or subscribe to the email list. The photos are all copyright free (CC Zero) and in the public domain, so use them as you will. Also, check out the complete archive here.

Here's an example:

The Tumblr blog hosts photos from a variety of contributors and the professional quality says a lot about their expertise and their willingness to give away the photos for free. If you follow the same spirit, you too can give away your best clicks by submitting them here.

Little Visuals

Seven high-resolution images that arrive in your inbox every seven days – all copyright free. The website from U.K. allows you to use them as you want. The site is very similar to Unsplash, but the details don't matter here as you get to the images with all the convenience of an email attachment.

Here's an example:

You can go to the site and download the ones you like individually. The Zip files are hosted in Dropbox. You can copy it to your own Dropbox account as well for better organization. Do note that each Zip file could be around 70 MB or more. There is a search bar and image tags to help you browse deeper into the collections. The site is relatively new and it is in its 12^th week as I write this, so expect the numbers to go up with time.

Gratisography

Subscribe to the email list and receive alerts when this stock photography site showcases new photos. The photos are free of any copyright restrictions and you can use them for any personal or commercial projects. New photos are uploaded weekly; but if you can't wait that long, head to the site and download the high-resolution images directly.

Here's an example:

The site is a personal project for Ryan McGuire a "whimsical" visual artist. It is a straightforward site without any categories. The collection is very small because Gratisography is not a stock photography site in that sense of the word.

Picjumbo

Picjumbo comes to you with one free photo every day. Subscribe to their mailing list. You can use the photos for all commercial and personal creative works. Photos are all high-resolution and around 3000+ pixels. Picjumbo is neatly categorized and the variety on offer from abstract to wedding images should see you narrow it down to the one photo you want. Viktor Hanacek, the creator of the site appreciates an attribution if you use one of the photos here.

The pull of a beautiful visual is strong, and grabbing photos is a second's work. But do spend a few more seconds to double-check the licenses of any free photo you come across and attribute them to the photographer as per the requirements. You can refer to our primer on Creative Commons licenses to give the photographer due recognition. A cup of coffee will also do.

Are you constantly on the hunt for good free photographs? Which is your favorite resource? I have shared another good resource with the image credit and the featured image on top of this article. Drop your own links into the comment box below, and try these five sites in your inboxes.

Image Credit: SplitShire.com [Broken URL Removed]