As a creative business owner, incorporating beautiful imagery and mockups that compliment your work is so important. It’s an incredibly powerful way to showcase your designs, communicate brand personality and value, as well as sell clients a fleshed out vision – helping them understand the full potential of the creative direction.

Elevated images are also essential for any business owner looking to create a strong marketing funnel: from social media engagement, blog posts and resources, to the entirety of the web experience. Which is why I know I’m not alone when I say I’ve spent countless hours sifting through stock photography sites to find THE perfect imagery that matches the unique aesthetic and story of my clients and my own brand.

Lucky for us, there is an endless supply of high-quality stock photography resources at our finger tips and I’m here to share some of my favorite go-tos.

01.

Haute Stock

Haute Stock is a membership-based model that helps you build a polished & powerful brand across all your marketing channels. With thousands of carefully curated stock assets to choose from, you’ll be able to create a cohesive brand and finally start showing up consistently to build your audience.

Check out Haute Stock

Great for: Consistently fresh and elevated stock video and imagery

02.

Rebecca Berrington

Rebecca is an incredibly talented designer and when she began offering limited edition mockups, I ran not walked to her digital shop. She has created an extensive collection of graphic design mockups, templates, and digital design resources with an effortlessly beautiful sense of quality that will elevate any designer’s portfolio.

Check out Rebecca Berrington

Great for: Luxury product mockups

03.

Harmonais Visual

I’ve recently discovered Harmonais and to say I’m obsessed would be an understatement. Their curated collection of elegant digital and product packaging mockups will instantly set the stage for a refined visual story.

Check out Harmonais Visual

Great for: Luxury product and digital mockups

04.

Moyo Studio

Our list of favorite photo resources would not be complete without Moyo Studio. They have become a household name of the industry and with good reason – their digital products are simply gorgeous and they feature fresh collections regularly which has resulted in an extensive, diverse library of photo recourses.

Check out Moyo Studio

Great for: Styled stock imagery and luxury print and digital mockups

05.

Creatsy

I first stumbled upon Creatsy while sifting through product mockups on Creative Market. Not all product mockups are created equal and Creatsy takes theirs to a new level entirely. Their quality of scene creators is incredible – they are intuitive and easy to quickly update with the click of a smart object, helping streamline the design process by not spending forever trying to perfectly distort and warp your designs. I particularly love using their digital mockups to showcase unique conceptual packaging ideas when pitching design directions to clients.

Check out Creatsy

Great for: Unique product mockups

06

Copal Studio

Copal Studio has a lovely collection of styled and product mockups that hold a sense of warmth and energy. Their minimal aesthetic and use of natural elements and lighting throughout their creative assets will help bring your designs to life in an elevated, fresh way.

Check out Copal Studio

Great for: Luxury product mockups

07

Pexels

Pexels may be one my favorite photography resources when it comes to quickly sourcing professional imagery. Between their broad range of content and styles, you can find high-quality photos relevant to just about any industry you may need. And the best part? It’s free!

Check out Pexels

Great for: Free diverse professional stock video and imagery

08.

Unsplash

Similar to Pexels, Unsplash has an extensive collection of stock photos and videos contributed by photographers free for use. With the search of a keyword, you can find incredible imagery to match any aesthetic or narrative.

Check out Unsplash

Great for: Free diverse professional stock video and imagery

09.

Stocksy

Stocksy is an amazing source for luxury stock photography. From product mockups, unique interiors, landscapes, and people-centered photos, they truly have it all. Their pricing structure is on the top-end of our list, reducing the risk of image over-use throughout the industry.

Check out Stocksy

Great for: Luxury diverse professional stock video and imagery

10.

Art Directed

Art Directed Mockups has a dynamic collection of devices, print, and signage with an elevated, contemporary feel. Between the professional photography with shadows and layered PSD files with smart objects, their mockups are easy to use and feel highly realistic.

Check out Art Directed

Great for: Contemporary print and digital mockups

Final thoughts

While partnering with our favorite photographer to create custom brand photos or showcase our work is ideal, we don’t always have the luxury (or budget) to do so, which makes carefully selected stock imagery the next best thing.

Professional imagery holds so much power. It can make or break your design or marketing experience, which makes it a top priority in our opinion. So having these resources in your back pocket is a surefire way to instantly elevate your visuals!