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Collect, save, and organize photos to beat the doldrums of Unsplash
We’ve all seen it, a fresh Medium article that we’re intrigued about has in one click become not so exciting because it features a photo we’ve seen on this site at least five times. I can’t count the number of typewriters I’ve seen in articles about writing, they all begin to look the same.
Last week, I had to go outside of Medium (gasp!) to the wide-open interwebs to find a photo of a carabiner because Unsplash had a paltry 20 pictures, and none of them suited my article.
I got to wondering, are there better alternatives to Unsplash out there?
As it turns out, there are.
This past week I discovered a free stock photo website called Pexels and I’ve been incredibly impressed with how easy it’s been to use
I’m kinda reluctant to share this little secret.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for the service that Unsplash provides. Do you remember the blogging days before Medium and Unsplash? I used to take all my own photos for WordPress, what a chore!
When I first started blogging on Medium, I thought Unsplash was such a cool, easy addition to the site, and it is!
But there are a lot of concepts and ideas which I found a hard time representing with the minimal selection of photos on Unsplash.
I remember one particular day looking for a photo that would connote the idea of writing as an expat or a digital nomad, writing while traveling (don’t look for the article, it’s still in draft form, does anyone else have 76 drafts?) What I found on Unsplash didn’t impress me. Some staged photos had a passport in them, but the vibe felt dated. No matter what combination of words I tried, I just found the same boring photos of people writing in cafes or, yes, the ever-popular typewriter.
Here’s what I found doing the same search on Pexels
You’ve got to admit, these are much better than some Unsplash photos. My favorite is the hands on the train, it reminds me of all the times I took the train from my little town in Germany to Paris to see my ex. But I digress.
Here’s why I like Pexels
If I search for “dog” on Unsplash I get 10,000 results, not bad. But on Pexels? 21,600 results and these are photos by real people with accounts on Pexels so I can check out their other work.
If I search for “Lesbian” on Unsplash I get 653 results (I’m the editor of Queer Abroad, trust me I’ve seen the same Unsplash lesbians countless times). The same search yields 4,500 results on Pexels, making my options limitless. Lesbians arguing. Mixed race couples. Thin couples. Fat couples. Happy couples. Sad couples Couples that appear to be mid-coitus. Pexels has it all.
I’ve noticed that with abstract concepts, Pexels seems to do a lot better than Unsplash
For example, when you search for the term “breakup” on Pexels, you get photos like these on the first page
I found these photos to be a lot more dynamic than much of what I see on Unsplash. Here are some other cool things about Pexels:
- It’s easy to download images and you don’t need to make an account.
- You can follow different photographers if you like their vibe, to do this you do make an account but it’s quick, easy, and free.
- After you create an account, you can “collect” photos that you might have seen in passing for future use, you can also put these in different files for better organization.
- You can tip photographers if you want to show how much you appreciate them.
- There are often links to the photographer’s website or Instagram where you can follow them there
- Pexels makes it easy to give the photographer credit.
Is Pexels really free? According to the website
“Pexels is a free stock photo and video website and app that helps designers, bloggers, and everyone who is looking for visuals to find great photos and videos that can be downloaded and used for free. If you see a photo or video you like, simply download it for free (no strings attached!).”
