Free Inclusive Photo Libraries For Your Next Project
We all know the rightt image can spark movements, tell untold stories, and inspire connection. At Pansy Studios, we believe that everyone deserves access to the tools they need to create and communicate visually and, at the same time, the work of photographers and creatives must be respected..
This guide is a curated list of free photography resources — including stock image platforms, vintage photo archives, tutorials, and courses that are all available online and free to use. Wherever possible, we’ve included resources that are suitable for both commercial and non-commercial use, and highlighted inclusive collections and creators but please double check they are suitable for your purposes, as liscenses can change.
Please also note some - though not all - of these platforms allow AI imagery to be uploaded (or cannot easily police it’s uploading), something to be mindful of if you’re looking to avoid it.
Free-to-Use Photography Sources
A disability-led library providing free & inclusive stock images from with photos and illustrations celebrating disabled Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) from the Disabled BIPOC perspective. All images are free to use use, share, and adapt for free with appropriate credit.
The Age Positive Image Library
Age Without Limits has created a library of over 3,000 images of older people, challenging stereotypes about those aged over 50.
The All-Go Plus Size Collection
Despite the fact that two-thirds of women in the U.S. are plus-size, just two percent of women shown in media are plus-size. All-Go created an image library of plus-size people in a range of contexts from swimming, to workplaces to just living at home.
Nappy is a library of photos of a diverse range of Black and Brown people, avaialble under the Creative Commons Liscence.
The Gender Spectrum Collection
The Gender Spectrum Collection is a stock photo library featuring images of trans and non-binary models that go beyond the clichés. This collection aims to help media better represent trans and non-binary people and their careers, relationships, talents, passions, and home lives.
Queer In Tech is a library of stock photos available to use with attribution under Creative Commons Lisence, showing the real-life, diverse LGBTQ+ people working in the tech industry.
Travel Coffee Book
Free travel photography, all under CC0 licensing. We’ve been using this recently with one of our luxury travel clients.
Unsplash
A huge collection of royalty-free images for commercial and non-commercial use. Credit is not required, but is encourage.
Pexels
A well-organised library of free stock images and videos for any use We’ve found Pexels to be a good resource for finding more diverse groups of people than Unsplash.
LibreShot is a library of high-quality stock images shot my a man called Martin including animals, landscapes, people, travel photography and more.
Foodies Feed
Free, high-quality food images licensed under CC0. foodiesfeed.com
New Old Stock
Vintage photos from public archives, free of known copyright restrictions. We love using these particularly as part of collage work.
💌 If you have a photography resource you’d like added to this list, email contact@pansystudios.co.uk with the subject line “Photography Resources”.
