Free Photos and Scripture that Will Encourage and Inspire

August 31, 2015

Links updated August 2020

If you’re looking for free photos for your own website, keep reading for the five best free photo sites with a brief description, a sample photo from each, and a few more resource links at the end of this article. Photos add interest, but if you use a photo without permission you might well end up attracting the wrong kind of interest! Blogger, beware, you can get sued for using photos you don’t own on your blog. Instead, take your own photos, or check out the sites I list below.

If you love Scripture quotes, keep reading for the quotes that I’ve added to the images below. All quotes are from the Common English Bible, and since I’m using free photos, I didn’t add any additional watermark. You’re welcome to share any of the images as they appear here–copy and save for your own enjoyment, send to a friend as an encouraging word, or share the inspiration in some other way.

Enjoy!

FreeDigitalPhotos – This site offers a wide selection of photos–no registration required and no fees as long as you stick to the smaller sizes and include an attribution to the photographer and Free Digital Photos as I’ve done below.

Psalm 113-3 — Image courtesy of Photokanok at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Pexels – Another great site for free photos, no registration, no fees, and unlike Free Digital Photos, this site doesn’t require attribution.

Psalm 39-7

Pixabay – my current favourite site for free photos, no fee, no registration, no attribution required.

Psalm 121-2

Stocksnapio – no fee, no registration, no attribution required, and there’s a subscription service for free photos each week. While each of these sites has a search bar to find photos, this was the only one that didn’t yield any results when I entered “hope” into the search field.

Psalm 17-5

Unsplash – no fee, no registration, no attribution required, and a free subscription option to get 10 free hi-resolution photos delivered to your inbox every 10 days.

Psalm 25-4

Other helpful links for free photos:
Where to Find Free Images Online to Use in Blogging & Social Media by Edie Melson says more about licenses and lists additional resources. Read carefully though since some may have extra conditions that you’ll need to know. For example, she includes a link to Site Builder Report, but the About section on their site says: “Stock Up is a search engine that searches across many free stock photo websites—each with their own individual usage guidelines. So refer to each individual website for usage guidelines.”

The Busy Blogger’s Guide to Creative, Compelling Images by Michael Hyatt lists his top five recommended sites for images, including some with fees, plus additional resources.

The Pattern Library which offers lots of design ideas.

Writing/Reflection Prompt: Do you have a favourite source for free photos that you’re willing to share? Do you have a favourite image with a Scripture quote?

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For more on writing and other acts of faith,

a copy of How to Pray When Prayer Seems Impossible

12 responses

Mary Derksen

Aug 31, 2015

Thanks, April. However, I am too technologically challenged to know how to go about this, so I guess I just have to pass. They are great! I don’t have a blog, don’t even know what that means, so…you can have a good laugh on me! Blessings.
Oh, I’m glad Irene won the book. She and her husband were at the last writers’ potluck where you spoke. She is a very special person!

Reply
1. April Yamasaki
  
  Sep 1, 2015
  
  Thanks, Mary – you may not know exactly what it means to have a blog, but here you are making a comment on mine! You’re more technologically with it than you know 🙂 Yes, Irene is a very special person – she even offered to come pick up her book to save on postage.
  
  Reply
Lisa Ackland Carriere

Sep 1, 2015

A fellow blogger turned me onto Canva. Most of the images are free, and those that are not are minimally priced. It’s really easy to use, too!

Reply
1. April Yamasaki
  
  Sep 1, 2015
  
  Thanks for the tip, Lisa. I added the quotes to these images with MS Paint, but I’d like to try Canva too. It’s been recommended to me before, but I haven’t used it beyond just taking a quick look. I’ll add it to my list of things to try!
  
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Violet Nesdoly

Sep 1, 2015

Thanks for these suggestions, April. I’ll be having a look. I’ve been using rgbstock.com for images on my devotional blog.

As for scripture quote posters, I’ve put together a few of those myself. They’re on the “quote” page of my devotional blog. You can see them HERE

Reply
1. April Yamasaki
  
  Sep 1, 2015
  
  Thanks for suggesting rgbstock.com–I see that registration is required, but there’s no fee to do that. Your Scripture quote posters are GREAT. I’ll share on Pinterest tomorrow during day time hours 🙂
  
  Reply
Violet Nesdoly

Sep 1, 2015

I should add that those are photos I took myself (not from a website).

Reply
1. April Yamasaki
  
  Sep 1, 2015
  
  And using your own photos is even better – you’re quite the photographer! I’d also love to know what program you used to add your text, whether MS Paint, Canva, or other. I love your choice of fonts and colours and the way you’ve added your website address in an unobtrusive way. Beautiful!
  
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Violet Nesdoly

Sep 2, 2015

Thanks, April – I use Comic Life to put those together. It’s a program that came with my iMac when I bought it in 2007 (but not any more). I believe I paid for the newer version. I use it for various things so felt it was worth a few $$.

Reply
1. April Yamasaki
  
  Sep 5, 2015
  
  Thanks, for sharing, Violet. I’m not familiar with Comic Life, but I see that it’s available for Mac and Windows and can be used for making comics which is a whole other area!
  
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Mary Sayler

Sep 3, 2015

Thanks for the info, April. I take my own photos for my blogs and website, but I suspect other members of our Christian Poets & Writers group on Facebook might want some help. I’ll highlight your post on the blog – http://www.christianpoetsandwriters.com.

Reply
1. April Yamasaki
  
  Sep 5, 2015
  
  Thanks for highlighting this article, Mary. As a writer, I focus mainly on my words, but I also have a regular practice of including at least one photo with each article, so I’d like to pay more attention to my visuals. I plan to re-visit a number of blogs and websites and take note of the photos.
  
  Reply

Faith and Hope with April Yamasaki

Visit my home page for an overview

I write, edit, teach, preach, and mentor in a variety of venues, platforms, and publications. The common thread? To encourage and inspire people of all ages to live with faith and hope. I’d love for you to join me!

In all the challenges, joys, and ordinary moments of daily life, God’s mercies never fail. They are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23).