Tag Archive: web theme photos

Royalty Free Stock Photos for Commercial Use

May 22, 2011

Seems like a daunting task doesn’t it? There are tons of ways to obtain royalty free stock photos. The tough part is implementing these LEGALLY for commercial use.

Whether it be for web design templates, t-shirts, or print jobs, developers are constantly seeking ways to sell their products and enhance them without violating property rights of others. As a web designer, I know that I can’t sell a template or theme without enhancing it’s presentation. The best way to do that is with great images that look professional and modern.

Problem is, we’re cheap. Or broke. When I was designing my first web template, I could barely afford a single photo. Most regular licenses from places like GraphicRiver.net or istockphoto.com charge about $4-5 a photo.

That’s fine for most cases, but commercial use the licenses can run from $45-$150 a photo. THAT does not work for most people. Not the independent developers anyway.

In comes freerangestock.com. It’s a huge archive full of stock photos and they are all available for commercial use. Free Range allows registered users to download the images and use them commercially under a few agreements. Most importantly :

You may use the materials from our website in a Website template with the following restriction: You must credit and link to the site on any page that shows the image(s) used. “Photos courtesy of and copyright (photographer name), Free Range Stock, www.freerangestock.com” or similar statement.

You can read the full license agreement here.

It also allows amateur photographers the ability to display their images on a huge forum.

Best part is it prompts people to comment and interact during the download process. It’s pretty gosh darn awesome.

Remember to read the WHOLE license agreement before using them!