The Best Websites for Reference Photos
Photo by Magdalena Krekels on Pexels
Most artists just starting out will find reference photos anywhere they can. The mantra for art inspiration is that you can “find it anywhere.” You can, but some of us artists need reference photos in order to make that inspiration real.
You may have seen the meme on social media of an artist sitting down to draw but instead wasting hours scrolling Pinterest trying to find the perfect reference photo.
But Pinterest really isn’t a good place to find reference photos. Pinterest is made for inspiration, not direct copying. More than likely, the photos you find on the internet (especially the really good ones) are not free to use. They are copyrighted by someone else, and if you’re serious about your art or your business, you need to respect the work of others.
Of course, you can also look into fair use rights, where an argument can be made for “transforming” the work. That is, you’re not stealing the work directly because you made something new and different with it. This is a tricky topic, and I’m not advocating that you play by those rules, but it is something you can look into and determine for yourself.
There’s never really a perfect reference photo for what I want to draw - I often don’t even know what I want but expect it to jump out at me! Some of these royalty-free and stock photo options I still scroll just like Pinterest. I’ll have a hard time deciding which reference bundles to buy, because I want all of them! But it’s great to have options, and to know that all of these options are useable for you as an artist.
Check out this list of websites to get high-resolution, fantastical photos to use for your art, both free and paid sources.
Free Sources
Pexels is my top choice for beautiful, unique and FREE photos. I can scroll this endlessly like Pinterest, wanting to discover more. Many photos have that fantasy or otherworldly mood. Pexels is also integrated with Canva, so if you have Canva Pro, a lot of these will show up in the photos tab (but you don’t have to pay for Canva Pro to use them!).
Unsplash has slightly less fantastical or costumed portraits, but it is still an amazing free option. I have found a lot of great modern portraits here. If we’re being honest, I still have saved way more photos than I will ever use for my art on this site, too.
Pixabay I used to think was just like Pexels. There are some overlaps in photos on Pexels and Pixabay, but Pixabay has become filled with AI and flat-looking photos lately. But it is still a free option, so if your search terms are really good you might find what you’re looking for. You can also filter the search results to exclude AI images.
BONUS: Take Your Own!
You don’t need professional lighting, an expensive camera, or amazing costumes to create your own reference photos. Sometimes the pose is the hardest part, and you’ll be surprised how much you can fill in the gaps. This is free, of course, and if you’re trying to create something from imagination, you’ll be getting as close as you can to what you want.
Paid Sources
Dreamstime is a stock photo website that has TONS of beautiful fantasy imagery. They have subscription places for a certain amount of images per month, or you can choose from credit packages to just buy a few images at a time.
Rachel and Noah Bradley are a couple that create reference photo bundles on Gumroad. Rachel Bradley uses her name and herself as a model, while Noah goes by “Reference Pictures.” You can choose from different models or costume photoshoots.
Howard Lyon is an amazing oil painter that takes photo references for his art and also sells them! You can buy bundles of models and different costumes. He also offers painting tutorials.
Faestock is full of beautiful women in amazing costumes, from goddesses and a medieval looks to modern and simple expressions and lighting reference packs.
For any photos that you intended to use, make sure you read the terms of how you can use the photos. I hope this helps you find great photos, and that with them you can create something amazing!