25 Stylish & Creative Stock Photos to Use on Social Media

Photography 11/05/2021 11 min read

Stock Photos are significant assets to turn to for both image and video content, from livening up a social media post or blog to boosting your engagement. There are many stock image websites out there and so many photos you are sure to find the perfect option for your project. If you are looking to build your business’s brand, stock images are super helpful with everything from your website design to your business card. 

Get a rundown on the best stock photo websites, as well as stock photo trends for 2021, with tips on using them effectively.

Part 1: Top 5 Stock Photo Websites for Social Media

Licensing stock photos can be complicated and confusing; some sites prefer a pay-per-clip structure, others offer membership with unlimited downloads. Royalty-free stock images won’t require ongoing copyright credit for using the photos and won’t have a time limit on how long you can use them.

1. Unsplash

Unsplash is a popular Stock Image library that allows photographers to upload their work and users to download it for their projects. With Unsplash, you don’t have to pay for either an account or for the individual images. In fact, you don’t even need to credit the photographer, a part of which has made Unsplash as popular as it is.

Download Stock Photos from Unsplash

2. Pexels

Pexels is another free-to-use stock image site, similar to Unsplash. The user-generated content is provided under a Pexels License, which is a Creative Commons license; you can use the stock photos and video clips for free, even for commercial work. Pexels has a good range of photos, and most businesses will find something to suit their needs.

Download Stock Photos from Pexels

3. Motion Array

Motion Array has a vast stock image library, some of which are available for free. Unlike other entries on this list, membership to this website does have a cost, but Motion Array is far more than a Stock Image website. Within your membership, you also get access to stock video, plugins, music, and project templates, as well as an editing review platform and a website portfolio page.

Download Stock Photos from Motion Array

4. Burst by Shopify

Burst is a Stock Image library created by Shopify, with thousands of free-to-use Creative Commons images. While the content is user-generated, the collection is much smaller than the other entries on this list. Additionally, Burst only offers 2 sizes of images, unlike the 4 or 5 options available on other sites.

Download Stock Photos from Burst

5. Gratisography

Gratisography also provides free-to-use, Creative Commons licenses, stock photos, and video, but the content is slightly different. Definitely not for every business, this wacky and odd collection of stock assets are quite niched. The website search functionality is a little restrictive, but it is unlikely you’d know what to search for among this bizarre library anyway.

Download Stock Photos from Gratisography

Part 2: 2021’s Best Stock Photos to Use in Social Media

When it comes to digital marketing, photos and images play a huge part in attracting and engaging audiences. Social media posts that have images are more likely to result in likes, comments, and shares compared to plain text posts, but more importantly, they offer a higher click-through conversion rate.

2021’s top stock photo trends cover styles such as nature, wanderlust, mindfulness, healthy food alternatives, color gels, DIY projects, home office, just to name a few. Here is a list of creative options Motion Array offers.

1. Multi-Colored Light Trails in Forest

Multi-Colored Light Trails in Forest is an abstract image featuring a performer amongst forest trees, with beautiful streaming neon light trails. While not suitable for every business or brand, this eye-catching image would suit event organizers or businesses in the creative industries. 

Download Multi-Colored Light Trails in Forest Now

2. Couple in the Streets

This light and breezy summer picture features a young woman on a cobbled street, holding her partner’s hand as they take the photo. With loads of space for text on the right-hand side, this image is ideal for holiday and travel blogs and posts.

Download Couple in the Streets Now

3. Relaxing on Yacht

Relaxing on a Yacht features a young couple on their wedding day, lying barefoot on the front of a boat. The dark blue ocean and the bright white of the yacht and costumes create a lot of contrast, with plenty of white space on the sail for messaging.

Download Relaxing on Yacht Now

4. Beach Sunrise Workout

A beautiful example of the common Sunrise Exercise photo trend, this image is ideal for health, wellness, and exercise-based content. The serene and perfectly framed picture is equally eye-catching and reassuring, with large spaces available for text and icon elements.

Download Beach Sunrise Workout Now

5. DJ in a Glowing Costume

The DJ in Glowing Costume photo is a bold, neon design, perfect for events, musicians, and artists. The bright glowing costume and high-tech decks could be used across all forms of marketing, including record covers and posters.

Download DJ in a Glowing Costume Now

6. Woman In Green Dress

Woman In Green Dress features a happy performer skipping across a road in a city setting. The overexposed-style image is bright and saturated with color, ideal for design, fashion, lifestyle, and wellness content.

Download Woman In Green Dress Now

7. Colorful Tourist Boat

A colorful tourist boat sat on a perfectly blue sea with a white sand border gives the impression of holidays in the sun. A bright and bold image, ideal for blogs covering holidays or travel, the non-descript location gives this photo a wide variety of uses.

Download Colorful Tourist Boat Now

8. Woman over Floral Background

A jaunty-style image featuring a woman in a straw had and red dress against green and red foliage, which contrasts while retaining a distinct summer feel. The centralized position of the performer doesn’t leave a lot of room for text elements, but the symmetry makes for a perfect header image.

Download Woman over Floral Background Now

9. Healthy Snack with Berry

Ideal for artisan bakeries, restaurants, and health and wellness subjects, this trendy design offers plenty of space for your messages. The image features crackers spread with bright berries on a granite background.

Download Healthy Snack with Berry Now

10. Laughing Woman

Laughing Woman is a versatile mid-action shot of a woman laughing at something off-camera. The white costume and background with soft lighting perfectly frame the young woman without being overexposed or undersaturated.

Download Laughing Woman Now

11. Embarrassed Dog on Bed

This adorable image features an embarrassed dog lying in a bed covering his eyes. The stunning photo is bright and modern, while the cheeky dog is sure to make your viewer smile, ideal for any business working with animals.

Download Embarrassed Dog on Bed Now

12. Talking Young Business Colleagues

Well suited for any modern business, this image features 2 young businesspeople walking up a circular staircase. The bright colors and spiral pattern make this eye-catching image the ideal choice for flyers, posters, and brochures.

Download Talking Young Business Colleagues Now

13. Work of Submitter

This bright and on-trend image features a young woman sitting at a desk facing away from the camera. The bright and bold color palette offers a summery vibe with natural wood and plants and even a bicycle for added flourishes.

Download Work of Submitter Now

14. Green Flowers on White Shelf

As you might expect, this photo contains green flowers on a white shelf in a beautifully decorated blue room. The modern, rough paint style and bold white-on-blue color palette would make this photo perfectly positioned on any design, lifestyle, or wellness website.

Download Green Flowers on White Shelf Now

15. Woman with a Kitten

Featuring a beautiful grey/blue kitten resting next to his owner in the sun, this picture would suit any business or brand working with our feline friends. The image offers a small space for lower third text elements and works well in blogs or articles.

Download Woman with a Kitten Now

16. Woman Meditating in Lotus Pose

Another trend for the health and wellbeing industries is performers meditating in a Lotus Position, and this image doesn’t disappoint. Seated in a hanging egg chair with natural color combinations, this image perfectly mixes health and business.

Download Woman Meditating in Lotus Pose Now

17. Sad Eyes of Elderly Woman

When dealing with sensitive topics, such as illness and death, suitable images can be challenging to find. This picture of the Sad Eyes of an Elderly Woman is the perfect option for those tricky-to-tackle subjects.

Download Sad Eyes of Elderly Woman Now

18. Girls Having Fun

If you work with kids in any way, this image is sure to be of use. Featuring 3 young girls on a white background with colorful confetti, the large image can be cropped down to create a series of three images if needed.

Download Girls Having Fun Now

19. The Concept of Weightlessness

Featuring grey sneakers and feathers falling across a pink background, this strange image might not have the widest variety of uses. Despite that, the striking photo is sure to catch your viewers’ attention, with lots of text space and an easily expandable background.

Download The Concept of Weightlessness Now

20. Grapefruits Oranges and Lemons

This photo contains carefully positioned slides of grapefruits, oranges, and lemons, laid on a pink background with scattered green leaves. A modern and trendy design, this image works perfectly as a background for text messages.

Download Grapefruits Oranges and Lemons Now

21. Star Trails Over Rocks

Star Trails Over Rocks is a striking abstract image of Dartmoor National Park in the UK. The beautiful rocky landscape is backdropped by the long-exposed star trails, creating stunning light streaks across the sky.

Download Star Trails Over Rocks Now

22. Paris Subway

Featuring a view of the Eiffel Tower from a Subway (or Metro) carriage in Paris, this photo is ideal for travel and holiday blogs and businesses. The cool blue/grey of the carriage and the bright green of the trees perfectly frame the tower in the background.

Download Paris Subway Now

23. Snowed Forest and Cars

This stunning aerial image features 2 cars meeting on a snow-soaked road surrounded by an endless forest. The striking stock photo would make a perfect thriller or horror poster, with huge spaces for titles and credits.

Download Snowed Forest and Cars Now

24. Two Happy Friends

This fun picture has two female friends enjoying a day outside in the sunshine. The image doesn’t leave a lot of space for messaging, but it is perfect for use on a landing page of a lifestyle, dating, and wellness website. 

Download Two Happy Friends Now

25. Glass Skyscrapers

Ideal for any business based in a city, this stunning shot of glass-fronted office buildings is incredibly versatile. The grey/blue of the city buildings and the white cloudy sky would work well with most corporate brands for both posts/blogs and website/social media header images.

Download Glass Skyscrapers Now

Part 3: Tips on Using Stock Photos on Social Media Stories & Ads

1. Err on the Side of Simplicity

You might want to put a lot of information in your post, which is fine but keep the image composition simple. If you’re going to include text or emojis to the image, don’t overdo it and make it too cluttered, or your viewers will scroll past it in their timeline.

2. Look at Design Trends

Digital marketing goes through trends when certain things are popular. It is always worth checking the design trends amongst your peers or competitors; don’t replicate it exactly as you still want to be original, but you can take your cues from others’ work.

3. Go Large

As you can see from the stock image websites we’ve shown you here, stock photos will be provided in various sizes. The size you choose will dictate what you can use the image for; some may be too small for print or video work. Always select the largest available image; you can shrink the image if needed, but you can’t make it bigger.

4. Focus on Your Audience

One mistake businesses often make when posting on social media is that they make it all about what they can do and how they do it. Your audience wants to know what is in it for them, so when you post, try and stand in your ideal customer’s shoes and understand what they might want to see.

5. Avoid Over-Exaggerated Emotions

Many stock photos will feature over-exaggerated emotions from the performers. Unless you want your post to be comedic, it’s best to steer clear of these types of images, as they can turn a serious topic into a joke quite quickly.

6. Have a Consistent Style Throughout

There are loads of stock images out there and a lot of different styles. It may be tempting to choose images based on what you like, but you need to consider your brand and your audience’s expectations. Choose a style of image that suits your brand and message but is also plentiful to allow for consistency. 

7. Use the Same Series of Shots

You can often find a series of Stock Photos featuring the same location, object, or performers. Make sure you get a few different shots from the series, which can massively help with your brand and message consistency. 

8. Pick One Focus Topic

When promoting your business online, focusing on a specific area or topic can help your audience understand what you do and who you are. Don’t be too focussed, however, as repeatedly posting about the same subject can become dull. Choose 2 or 3 subjects and make this the core of your posting.

9. Don’t Pick Traditional Stock Photography

Traditional stock photography has gotten a bit of a bad reputation in the past, as many stock images were overused and obvious. When using stock images, you want to look for photos that your audience won’t know immediately is a stock image; look for fresh, new, and creative ideas.

10. Avoid Using Activities in an Unnatural Setting

Unless you have a specific message that would suit a bizarre image, it’s best to avoid anything that might feel off to your audience. Unnatural activities or settings are plentiful in the stock image world, but if it’s not for a specific reason, it won’t make sense to your viewer.

11. Avoid Outdated References in the Photos

Stock Images are being added to sites every day, and there are thousands, if not millions online. It is unavoidable that you will find older photos; sometimes, this is not a problem, but other photos might contain outdated references. You will need to consider carefully, as it can make the post or the information seem outdated.


Stock images are a great way of maximizing your social media and website content without costing you a fortune. There are many free-to-use stock images available online, but you should always be careful about the license and permissions you are granted when downloading. Sites like Motion Array take all the worry out of finding the perfect image, with an extensive stock asset library under one membe