Last Updated on September 28, 2025 by Paula

Whether you’re a coach, course creator, or service provider, you’ll likely need great photos at some point — for your website, social media, or Pinterest graphics. While taking your own pictures can be a fun option, not everyone has the time (or lighting setup!) to create their own stock images.

That’s where high-quality stock photo websites come in. The right images can completely change how your brand feels — helping your message connect with the people you’re called to serve.

Why Stock Photos Matter for Coaches and Service Providers

Your visuals are often the first impression someone gets of your brand. A blurry or off-brand image can make your business seem less polished, while cohesive, professional photos help your audience feel that you’re credible and trustworthy.

Here’s why good stock images are worth investing in:

• They strengthen your brand identity. Consistent, on-brand imagery helps your audience instantly recognize your posts, even before reading the text.
• They save you time. Instead of spending hours taking your own photos, you can find exactly what you need in minutes.
• They make your content more shareable. Eye-catching visuals can increase engagement on Pinterest, Instagram, and your website.
• They communicate your message visually. A calm workspace photo or warm lifestyle shot can express your brand’s tone before a single word is read.

As a faith-based coach or service provider, your imagery should reflect the heart of your work — peaceful, encouraging, and authentic. Whether you’re creating graphics for a blog post, an opt-in, or a client testimonial, stock photos can help you create that cohesive, faith-filled aesthetic that feels aligned with your brand.

Ivory Mix

Ivory Mix* is a great stock photo site to use if you need images. You can browse images by color, niche, and they have a bunch of free photos as well. What I love about this stock photo site is how easy it is to find the exact type of image you’re looking for without having to wonder if you put in the right keywords.

DepositPhotos

If you need vector files or royalty-free images, you may want to consider this stock photography website. There are over 149 million videos, images, and vector files that you can use for your business. While the size of the image limits you, they do have pricing plans for as little as $0.27 per image. What I love about DepositPhotos* is that they have high-quality photos at a very reasonable price.

Shutterstock

Shutterstock is the place to go if you need music, videos, or images that are of high quality. While this site is a paid subscription, you can get your first ten for free. They have news images and editorial content for you as well as standard stock photos. What I love about ShutterStock is the sheer amount of photos you’ll find on this website. Whether you need a specific angle or type of image, you’re likely to find it here.

Pexels

Pexels is one of the best places to get free high-quality stock images. Compared to other stock photo websites, you will find a wide selection of different kinds of photos here. If you use Canva for your business, and you pay for Canva pro, you can access images from Pexels right there! What I love about this website is its seamless integration with Canva for Pinterest images. I can directly search for the photos I’m looking for, which makes creating Pinterest images for my business even easier.

Pixabay

Pixabay is another stock photo website that is free to use, and the images are free for commercial use. These images or videos can be used for literally anything, and no attribution is required! You don’t even need to create an account to get your pictures! While the selection is limited on this site compared to some of the paid options, it’s still a great place to start looking for photos. What I love about Pixabay is that you can find many common stock photo images for free. They do rotate pictures often, so make sure that you download the ones you love.

Unsplash

If you are looking for free high-quality photos, you will want to add Unsplash to your list. This is by far the best free photo site option out of all of your choices. The photos are amazing and work great for Pinterest images, website graphics, and so much more. You can use these photos for any project that you might be working on, and they are entirely free! What I love about Unsplash is that they have more variety than other stock photo websites and that for zero cost, you can find exactly what you’re looking for. If you need a free option with limitless options, this is the one to go with.

Big Stock Photo

If you are looking for a paid photo membership site, I highly recommend Big Stock Photo. This website has a massive library of nearly any photo topic you can think of. Their library is extensive, and these photos are okay for commercial use, and you can even use them in paid products. What I love about Big Stock Photo is the reasonable prices on their membership plans as well as the smaller image packages. This is great if you need a few images every month or per day, as these end up being the best plans. What sets this site apart from the others is that it limits how many you can download per day, making this less than ideal for large image projects.

As a faith-based business owner, using beautiful, high-quality photos isn’t about perfection — it’s about showing up with excellence and intention. The right image can help your audience feel inspired, seen, and connected to your message.

Whether you’re designing a new sales page, updating your blog, or creating Pinterest graphics, the stock photo resources above can help you present your business in a polished, professional way — without needing to take your own pictures.

If you haven’t explored these sites yet, start by downloading a few free images and see which ones feel most aligned with your brand. The right visuals can help your message shine and make your business stand out online.