Business owners no longer need to spend thousands when they are in need of high-quality photos for brochures, pamphlets, or any other digital or print releases. While there is a time and a place in which custom photos will need to be purchased, many projects require nothing more than some generic media to break up blocks of information. Here is a closer look at five great places to begin searching for high-resolution photos without the hefty price tag.

Stockvault

Stockvault is a great place to start the search as it has a simple and intuitive design to find basic pictures. Users simply input the keyword that they are searching for or narrow their search with categories such as nature, business, and technology. All of the pictures are free, but users can also work with the Stockvault’s partner sites to find more specific media including textures and video clips. Those in need of generic images will find photos of almost any object or scene imaginable at Stockvault.

Freerange

Many are surprised to hear that Freerange offers so many high-resolution photos at absolutely no cost to users. This company stays in business by providing the photographers with revenue from the advertisements on the site, and this means that artists are actually competing to give users their free photos. Unlike Stockvault, however, Freerange does require you to make an account before downloading any photos, but the accounts are free and will not fill up your inbox with spam. If you do not find a photo that you are looking for, you can also describe an image and photographers will attempt to fill your order.

FreeImages

FreeImages has one of the largest databases with thousands of new photos being uploaded every week, but it is slightly more tricky to use than both Stockvault and Freerange. FreeImages maintains a generic user agreement that images will not be downloaded, altered, and resold, but each specific photographer may also have their own unique restrictions. In most instances, these restrictions require nothing more than giving the photographer credit and sending them the link to add to their portfolio. While it may seem like more work, the quality of the photos improves dramatically.

Flickr

According to recent research, Flickr now has an average of just over 1 million images shared on the website every single day. Within these 1 million images, many users click on an agreement that allow their photographs to be used for free by any third-party. Like FreeImages though, there are certain stipulations when using any of this media such as giving the photographer written credit. That being said, Flickr has one of the most intuitive layouts and users can quickly search through countless high-resolution images by setting any search parameters imaginable.

Unprofound

Anyone that would like to skip the hassle of entering their email or signing up for an account may want to head over to Unprofound. This website allows users to search by theme, subject, or even the hue of the picture and are directed to a thumbnail gallery after setting their search parameters. Generally, the photos that are offered on this website are from professional photographers that would like to see their stock photos get some use instead of not being seen by the public. The only catch is that these pictures cannot be physically printed and then used en masse for commercial purposes.

High-resolution images no longer cost thousands of dollars to purchase or require complex contracts. These basic photos can be used for almost any project imaginable without the need for extensive licensing and user agreements.