by Sherry Law

Created on: July 15, 2008

Whether you are writing a report for a school project, putting together a website for your small business or posting to a blog site, a photograph can make the difference between the results being good and the results being GREAT! But professional photographers can be out of reach for many struggling small businesses and students certainly can't afford to pay for the pictures they need.

There is, however, an easy solution. Many companies offer free stock photos. Some of the photos may be overused, however many photos by new or amateur photographers can be surprisingly good and add a great deal to your website or school project. Finding these free offering can sometimes be a challenge, so let's make it a little easier. The websites listed below all offer free stock photos, though the quality of the work and the number of free photos available varies a great deal among the different sites.

freerangestock.com All of the images on this site are at least 2400 x 1600 and can be used for either personal or commercial projects. The site seems fairly easy to navigate and there is a search box to help you find just the right image for your project.

freephoto-graphs.net Though this site has some nice images, they can be used to educational, non-commercial or not-for-profit projects only. They also state that you must let the contributor of the photographs know where and when the work is being used.

freestockphotos.com Not quite as many photos as some of the other sites, but some interesting categories not found elsewhere. Photos may be used for personal or commercial use, but must be credited to the site.

bigfoto.com Though most of the pics on this site are taken by amateurs, there are some very nice photographs here and lots of different categories to choose from. Personal and commercial use is allowed

freefoto.com The photos on this site are free only for personal use; commercial users must pay a fee.

morguefile.com Wow! Great variety of photos on this site. Use is free for both personal and commercial use.

These are a few of my favorites, though there are many others. Everystockphoto.com, luckyoliver.com., stockvault.net, everystockphoto.com, yotophoto.com, photocase.com, freephotosbank.com, sxc.com and freeimages.co.uk are only a few of them. A Google search will turn up over 19,000,000 results. By browsing through the sites, you are sure to find the perfect photograph to enhance your latest project and bring rave reviews from your co-worker, boss, customers or teacher.

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