How to find the best free photos for your site

When a custom shoot isn't an option, free stock libraries like Unsplash and Burst can carry a site — if you pick carefully.

Match the colour palette

Photos edited in wildly different styles end up looking like a mood board that hasn't been finished. If the brand leans purple, search for images with similar tones. Unsplash supports colour-based queries — try "purple-wallpaper" or similar.

Styles that work well on the web

Shallow depth of field / bokeh. Blurred backgrounds keep overlaid text legible.

Long exposure. Darker, more dynamic tones — also good under a text overlay.

Composition

Landscape usually beats portrait on the web. Think about where text will sit and pick images with the focal point on the opposite side. If the copy is on the left, find photos with the subject on the right.

A clean sky or other simple background works as well as bokeh for keeping text readable.

Attribution

Unsplash and Burst don't require credit, but crediting the photographer is decent practice. Check each platform's licence terms.

Don't pull from Google Images or unlicensed sources — that's copyright infringement waiting to happen.

In short

Reputable free stock sites give you a big searchable library with permissive licences. Stick to them.