Frequently asked questions about Free Stock Photography:

There can be a variety of answers to these questions and the answers are often interconnected, so we will try to note some possibilities. Some of these are the easy answers to a complicated (read,"legal") question. Some we just don't know that well. Here goes:

First, why do these free photo sites exist?

At first blush, one may think that the site contributors are crazy for just giving away their images. Some sites are the product of enthusiastic photographers who just want to see their images published out in the world, or who want to build their portfolio.

Many of these site are advertising supported. Just like broadcast television, which gives away valuable resources (programming) in exchange for advertising revenue. Some sites are completely free, but carry some form of advertising.

Are the images really free?

Often, yes - that's what's great about free stock photos. You show up, get some free photos or textures, view and click some ads, everyone is happy.

Some sites have a limited number of free images to draw visitors to the site, and then try to sell additional images once the visitor is there. Some of the larger "traditional" stock agencies have some form of this strategy running.

Some sites offer their content or images for free if used for non-commercial purposes. If you want to use the image commercially, you have to purchase it.

Some site will offer the low resolution version of an image or texture for free, but make you pay for high-resolution images. On the other hand, some offer free high-resolution photos with no strings attached. Freerange Stock, for example, offers images at 2400x1600 or so, and will provide a lager one if asked. Some sites offer even larger images for free, while many offer only smaller sizes.

Many sites are a combination of the above factors, plus a few more. Sites should always have a "Terms of Service" (TOS) or "Licensing" or similar section that needs to be read carefully.

Are there a lot of images available, and are they any good?

Amazingly, there are many, many images available for free. Some sites have hundreds of thousands available for free. Other sites, like Freerange, have smaller collections, but strive to edit the collection more aggressively to insure a higher percentage of useful and interesting images.

Whether the collections are large or small, many of the images and textures available for free are quite good and can be very useful for designers and artists. They can certainly rival the quality of images on istockphoto and similar user-submitted pay sites.

Do I own the free images when I download them?

Generally, no. But you don't generally own ANY stock photos.

Sites should always have a "Terms of Service" (TOS) or "Licensing" or similar section that needs to be read carefully. Did we just say that?

Unless images are in the Public Domain (more on this below) then they are licensed to the user in some way, with an agreement governing that license.

When you buy a stock photo, you are granted a similar license, you don't own the image. You cannot claim it as your own and resell it - this is generally true for free stock photography as well. This of is as purchasing the photo for $0.00.

Free photos and free textures are often licensed under the Creative Commons license, or a traditional copyright outlined in the site TOS. There are many flavors of both these methods and they grant varying uses.

Do I have to register to download free images?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. On Freerangestock.com and many others, you have to create a free membership before you download. Some sites allow you to download without registering.

Speaking ONLY for Freerange, the emails and user data are used to monitor site traffic and send the Freerange newsletter. Some limits are tied to user accounts to protect the collections from abuse. The user info is NEVER redistributed and will not create spam (beyond the Freerange newsletter, which we hope you don't think is spam - though you can always simply unsubscribe.)

We don't know what other sites do with your information, though there seems to be virtually no risk in registering with most free stock photo sites that we've seen.

What are Public Domain images and is Free Stock Photography the same thing?

Public Domain (PD) images are those that have no specific owner and are basically public property. Images generated by the government are a good example. NASA photos are in the public domain, since NASA is a government agency and we the people own the government. Well, it's something like this.

Free stock photos are usually NOT the same thing. They are usually owned by someone, though free stock sites may well carry PD collections. So maybe you do own the images... Sites should always have a "Terms of Service" (TOS) or "Licensing" or similar section that needs to be read carefully.

Can I use these free photos in the commercial web site (or whatever commercial media) I'm creating?

Maybe. Freerangestock.com is a site that allows commercial use, so "Yes" for that one. Many sites allow commercial use, and many do not allow commercial use.

If only there were a place where each site would list this information...

Sites should always have a "Terms of Service" (TOS) or "Licensing" or similar section that needs to be read carefully.

Sorry, no hard and fast answer here either.