Hello chickadees! You’ve tuned in to Chickadee Lover Maggie, the personal lifestyle creative blog where you never know what I’ll post next. That’s the fun of it! When you hit that ‘Follow’ button, there’s no telling what type of awesomeness will show up in your Reader. 😀

Today we’re talking blogging tips! I created my first blog in 2010, so to say that I know what I’m doing with blogging is the understatement of the decade. I know WordPress inside and out, forward and back. I know about the mechanics of the dashboard and I’ve learned a lot about growing a blog’s audience, expanding content, and so much more.

If you’re a blogger who loves writing and would like to strengthen your blogging skills, you’re in the right place! If you’re a blogger who wants to make money or work with SEO stuff… uh… another series would be a better fit.

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~ quick q&a ~

so, what’s a ‘free stock photo’ website?

It’s a place where photographers from all over the world share their work and allow creators to use them free of charge! You can’t sell their pictures or claim them as your own, but they totally encourage people to decorate their blogs and have fun getting creative.

I just get photos from Google. Is that okay?

I mean for a personal blog, it’s probably fine, but in my experience, I prefer to stay away from getting random pictures from all over the internet. Some people get mad when their pictures are republished without credit (even when you’re not making money), and some companies and organizations have strict policies about who’s allowed to share their stuff legally.

how do I get photos from free stock photo websites?

You put a keyword into the search bar, then results will come up that match your search terms. Pick a photo you like, then select the download size and save it! Some websites encourage or require you to have an account to save an image at its full resolution, but the accounts are free to create.

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my top 3 favorite
free stock photo websites

3. Pexels

Pexels is very similar to my second choice, which I’ll talk about in a moment lol! I’d consider this website my Plan C when it comes to locating free stock photos, as my top two are the ones I visit the most frequently, but Pexels is still worth mentioning.

One thing to know about these websites is that there is a lot of creator overlap. This means that the same photos will often show up on two or more of these websites. Despite this, there’s still a lot of variety!

2. Pixabay

I’ve been using this one for the longest! Pixabay is a great blogger resource for illustrations, graphics, and more simple photography.

I would recommend creating a Pixabay account, because they do those ‘I’m not a robot’ verification things for each photo if you’re not signed in. Otherwise, it’s a fun website to browse!

1. Unsplash

Ahhh and here’s my favorite! Unsplash has some of the prettiest photography I’ve ever seen. It’s the one I visit the most often, and it’s also the one that most frequently has the photos I’m looking for.

If you only visit one of these websites, please visit this one!

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Thanks for reading! I love giving blogging tips and teaching others about one of my all-time favorite hobbies. ❤

Comment Invitation: Do you use any of these websites?

— Maggie