They are usually used in marketing campaigns, blog posts, non-profit and for-profit projects, presentations, and much, much more.
One thing that has changed about stock photos though is their diversity.
It used to be a lot harder to find culturally diverse stock photos to use for projects.
Most human subject stock photos are generally just one nationality and one gender, with a very, very limited selection of other nationalities, ethnic backgrounds, skin tones, and multiple genders.
Though there are a lot more culturally diverse stock photos that exist now, finding them can still be quite a challenge.
But don’t worry! In this article, we will be telling you about 25 culturally diverse stock photo websites that you can use!
1. Mocha Stock
Mocha Stock is a great selection of not just stock photos, but stock illustrations and stock videos too.
It is ideal if you’re looking for a wide selection of all people of color to add to your projects and offers a diverse range of poses and scenes, giving you a more culturally diverse selection to play with.
You can choose between buying a membership or paying as you go with credits.
2. Nappy.co
Nappy is a stock photo website that specializes in “beautiful, high-res photos of black and brown people”.
This stock photo website is catered to these ethnicities and offers the user extremely high-quality resolution photos for them to use, which will make your projects look professional and you don’t have to worry about grainy photos.
Nappy has an incredibly diverse range of scenes and scenario stock photos, so you’re more than likely going to find the stock photos that you’re looking for.
The beauty of nappy.co is that it’s free, so you don’t have to worry about spending any money. Just make an account and get going!
3. Brwn Stock Imaging
Like nappy.co, Brown Stock Imaging caters to “providing images that specifically feature black and brown people.”
Brwn’s aim is to fulfill the need for more representation of people of color.
They are really big on their image quality, providing high-quality images that can suit all your project’s needs.
Brwn isn’t free though, so you’ll have to pay a base price to use their services.
4. Iwaria
Iwaria specifically specializes in African Imagery. This isn’t just limited to people however, it also included landscapes, scenes, and African culture.
They have a huge range just dedicated to people of all genders in different scenarios and scenes, so you won’t have a problem finding some to suit your project’s needs.
Iwaria is free to use, so you don’t have to worry about paying for the stock photos.
5. Create Her Stock
CreateHER stock is a smaller stock image library, but new stock images get added to the site quite regularly.
This stock photo site caters specifically to “authentic stock photography that featured melanated women”.
If you know exactly what type of images you want and you don’t want to go through hundreds of pages, the smaller size of CreateHER might actually benefit you.
CreateHER requires you to pay a small monthly fee, but it’s more affordable than some of the other options provided in this list.
6. Picnoi
Picnoi has a wide range of stock photos that include lots of settings.
This stock photo site is specializing in providing images of people of color, and they allow you to submit your own photos to add to their library.
For a one-off fee, you can download their entire library and you’ll receive any new images uploaded for one year after the purchase.
They are happy for you to use select images from their site under the Creative Commons Public Licenses, so as long as you stick to those guidelines, you don’t have to pay for the images.
7. POC Stock
POC stock take pride in its beautifully composed images.
This stock photo website focuses specifically on people of color in business and workplace settings and scenes.
They have a wide range of images you can choose from and offer you a diverse range of genders, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds.
POC Stock has a range of different images featuring Black, Asian, Hispanic and Indigenous people and they also cater to the LGBTQIA+ community too.
8. Women In Tech
Women in Tech is a stock photo website that is catered to women and non-binary people of color who are also in the tech industry.
Their aim is to showcase these women and non-binary people of color in a way that highlights their talents and contributions to the tech industry.
Because Women in Tech is so specific in its niche, you won’t have any issue finding the images you need in this field.
9. Tonl
Tonl is a membership-based stock photo site that allows you to either pay per photo or download a set number of images for a certain price.
Its aim is to be as diverse in its imagery as possible, telling stories through the images and allowing various ethnicities, genders, and cultures to be represented in its media.
10. Unsplash Collections
Unsplash Collections gives you the option to view user-created collections, letting you access only the most relevant images related to your search.
This stock photo site has a diverse selection of people of color and women and non-binary people and their pictures are high quality.
Unsplash Collections is 100% free. They have a collection of over 3 Million photos so you don’t want to pass this option up!
11. SC Stockshop
SC Stockshop also offers you a diverse range of nationalities, genders, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds in its image library.
Though you will get top-quality resolution photos from SC Stockshop, it is one of the more expensive options on this list.
12. 500px
Another stock photo site with a diverse range of stock images, 500px is a great choice if you’re looking for a wide range of options. They offer high-resolution images of people of color, multiple genders and ethnicities, and more on their site.
It is in your best interest when using 500px to utilize the search bar as much as possible. To find what you’re looking for quickly and efficiently, this will be your best course of action.
It is a stock image site that specializes in women of color who are entrepreneurs, so if you’re looking for images of women of color in business settings, this is the perfect stock image website for you.
Haute Stock does provide some free resources, but it is primarily a premium stock image website, so you’ll have to pay a fee to use it.
14. Blend Images
This option is great in terms of diversity and bright, vibrant images.
Blend Images has a huge collection of all ethnicities and nationalities in a variety of different scenarios and scenes.
You have the option to choose from both paid and free collections, so have a look at the website and see what takes your fancy.
15. Envato Stock
Envato Stock is a wonderful stock image site that has a powerful search engine that caters to very specific search queries.
You can find almost anything on here, ranging from people of color, different genders and nationalities, and a range of different ethnicities.
This is a paid monthly service site, so you will have to pay a small fee to use it.
16. Stocksy
Stocksy is a good choice in terms of ethnic diversity. Using their filter system, you can define the age range, location, ethnicity and more to really refine your search and get exactly what you’re looking for!
This site does require you to pay, but it is pay per image rather than a membership.
17. Jopwell
Jopwell is unique in it’s format because it offers you stock photos in different categories such as students, professionals, interns, work places and more.
Because it is catered towards being culturally diverse, you will be able to find exactly what you’re looking for on the site.
18. Adobe Stock
Everyone knows about Adobe, especially Adobe Photoshop, but they also have a designated Stock website too.
One thing that Adobe Stock offers the user is a filter option that allows you to search by ethnicity, and all their images are high quality, so you’ll be able to find images that suit your projects.
Adobe Stock is quite expensive though, so make sure you can stretch your budget to it before purchasing.
19. iStockPhoto
This option let’s you search for almost whatever keywords you want. They have a diverse range of genders, ethnicities and other backgrounds for you to choose from.
iStockPhoto is a pay by image service, so you don’t need a membership.
20. UK Black Tech
UK Black Tech specializes in stock photos involving people of color in the UK Tech companies. It specicalises in tech roles specifically, so it offers a niche that will supply you with exactly what you need.
21. Diversity Photos
This option caters to many different ethnicities, genders, and backgrounds, offering new stock images on a monthly basis with new collections.
Diversity Photos is a pay-to-use service, so you’ll have to pay a fee to use it.
22. Pexels
Pexel’s is another stock image site that caters to women of color.
If you go for this option, it’s free, but make sure you trace the image back to the original creator and make sure they know that their photo is listed on this site.
23. Raw Pixel
This option is filled with stock images that feature images and people from all over the world. It doesn’t really get more culturally diverse than that!
This is another free-to-use site, so you’ll be able to find exactly what you’re looking for without the worry of paying.
24. Color Joy Stock
Another option for women of color, Color Joy Stock has a beautiful collection of stock photos that you can choose from.
It is a pay-to-use service, so you will have to pay a small fee in order to use this site.
25. Eye For Ebony
And finally, we have Eye For Ebony. This stock image site specializes in people of color and the photos offered are beautiful and of high quality.
It is a pay-to-use service, so you’ll have to pay a fee to use the images.
Conclusion
So as you can see, there is a huge selection of more culturally diverse stock photo websites available to you on the internet.
All the websites we have listed in this article have a range of different genders, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds you can utilize in lots of scenes and scenarios for your projects.
Have fun looking around each of these sites and hopefully, you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for!
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