Pixabay - an incredible free photo resource

Pixabay is one of my favourite websites, and my go-to site when I need great images to illustrate what I'm doing. If you're into photography, then it is also a great platform to share your work. 

People often assume that they can use any image they find on the internet. However, just because it is online does not mean that it is free to use - Images remain the property of the person who took them or bought them. 

There are sites that do offer copyright free images, but often they can only be used for personal use, not for business. 

Pixabay is different - it provides a huge range of images which can be used free of charge for both private use and business use. Each image has a note of how it may be used, so always double check this. if you do use an image or images a lot, it's worth giving a tip to the photographers. 

This is where the site is great for photographers. You can sign up for a free account, and upload your images for people to use. Images are vetted, and may be rejected if they are not good enough. Of course, if people do give you a 'tip' you can earn some money too. I am currently building my portfolio, which can be seen here.

As more and more of us work from home, a good bank of images for your websites, projects and reports is invaluable. So next time you need a great picture that you can legally use, try Pixabay. 

Denice Penrose

July 2020