What do you picture when you think of stock photography?

Probably someone white, able-bodied, perhaps a guy in a business suit, or white hands holding a cup of coffee. Or even that white woman who looks overly enthusiastic about eating a salad. Seriously, that’s an SOS if I ever saw one.

Underrepresentation is deeply rooted in media which supports the suppression of minority voices.

To help combat this, I’ve put together a list of websites that offer free or paid stock photography that features people of color and other-abled bodies. These photos can be used on your website, marketing materials, internal documents, presentations, and more. Basically whenever you need a stock photo!

The more these photos are used, the more we fight for representation in media.

Know of a website I haven’t listed, please share! I would love to continue to grow this list.

Eye For Ebony

Eye For Ebony believes that representation matters. They produce lifestyle stock photos with diverse models from settings in a coffee shop, to business photos, relationships, and more. You can test out 27 horizontal stock photos for free by heading to their website and putting in your email address. They also offer the option to create custom images for your brand (headshots, product photos, branding photos, and marketing photos).

nappy

nappy.co seeks to solve the problem of underrepresentation in traditional stock photography. They provide high-res photos of black and brown people to startups, brands, agencies, and everyone else. Their goal is to pick up where sites like Unsplash left off – because the more you use the photos the more you’re supporting inclusive and broader representation in media. You can learn more about their mission here and submit photos to their website here.

CreateHER Stock

CreateHER Stock is a “grassroots resource and digital pantry” for stock images that feature black women. These photos are great for lifestyle, business, and everyday content for bloggers, creatives, and more. They also have some free stock photos you can take for a test drive before purchasing one of their subscriptions.

PicNoi

PicNoi is a free stock photography website that contains tons of high-quality photos featuring people of color. They have an option to download their entire library of photos for a small price here.

Disabled and Here

Disabled and Here is a “disability-led effort to provide free and inclusive stock photos shot from our own perspective, featuring disabled BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) across the Pacific Northwest.”

Other Resources

Mecca Gamble creates high-quality images for women of color that help them communicate their expertise and position their brands to grow their business and make more money. Her style is bold, bright, polished, clear, and emotive. Check out her work on Instagram!

Black Illustrations create beautiful, free, and one of a kind illustrations for your next digital project. They also have a couple of paid illustration packs available too.

The ALLGo Photo Collection on Unsplash has a library of high-res photos that feature plus-size and POC models.