Pixabay Stock Photography

Image by Sơn Nguyễn Đình

Unlike Unsplash, there is very little difference in search results when typing in singular versus plural search terms on Pixabay. On the other hand, Pixabay’s images are very well tagged for color searches. My favorites are “purple” and “pink” – though “orange” is great too.

Image by Sasha Matic 

While I generally prefer the quality of Unsplash images over Pixabay’s I must admit that when it comes to certain categories, Pixabay is definitely the winner. A few of these categories are “mystic” “mystical” “spiritual” and “fantasy”.

Photo by Olenka Sergienko

Be aware that Pixabay’s search feature does not autosuggest variations of the keyword you’re typing in. If you’re looking for help with how to search for specific images, I recommend using Google. Simply open up a new tab in your browser and let Google handle the heavy lifting.

Image by Irina Gromovataya 

Model photography is well represented on Pixabay. Search for “model” “fashion” “fashion model” “model face” or “woman face”. Using other descriptive words for a woman or man does turn up other options, so give it a shot. Try using “woman smiling” “male model” – or even “handsome”. Be specific with your search and you will find some great options. Don’t forget to check both Unsplash and Pexels for models too. They have some awesome photos!

Image by Olga Ozik

Not surprisingly, the Pixabay collection includes extensive options for “ocean” and “beaches” – as well as “shoreline”. Specific keywords like “waves” “sunbathing” “surfing” and “seashore” return similar results, but include some great outliers. Don’t forget to search for specific locations. Be careful, though! Not all results will actually be the location you search for, but you’ll find some images that won’t appear in a more general search.

Image by Chavdar Lungov

As an avid nature lover, I’m thrilled that Pixabay includes so many nature images in their collection. “Nature” is probably too large and general a keyword to give you the results you want, but start there and then work your way down to more specific options. Try “mountain” “summit” “valley” or “xxx”. If those searches don’t give you the results you’re looking for, try using activities instead. “Hiking” “hikes” “camping” “backpacking” “swimming” “climbing” and other similar keywords return very nice results for nature. Don’t forget to check Unsplash for nature photos, too. Especially mountains and hiking.

Image by Alexey Pavlov

As mentioned above, Pixabay includes non-mainstream categories. In fact, they have quite a large collection of  compelling and unusual images. Try searching for “mystical” “fantasy” “magic” “pagan” “scifi” “astrology” and any other keyword you can think of. It might surprise you, but “religion” also returns some very interesting options! Lol

Image by Péter Göblyös

Pixabay has some absolutely wonderful dog photos! Portraits, as well as action photos of all sorts. Every imaginable breed and situation is very well represented, including humorous situations. Searching for a specific breed returns great results, though the quantity is not extensive.

Image by S. Hermann & F. Richter

Desserts and sweets are another category with great results on Pixabay. Definitely use “sweets” “desserts” and “candy”. More specific searches like “muffins” “pies” and “cookies” are another matter, though. A search for “pies” returns some very odd results, but “cookies” does well, as does “chocolate”. “Cake” returns some great options, as does “cupcakes”. Pixabay also includes illustrations, along with photos.

Image by Pexels

Are you surprised to hear that “children” are a large category on Pixabay? Try searching for “family” “boys” “girls” “youth” “babies” and “newborns”. Some really wonderful results! Don’t miss out on “sisters” “brothers” and “siblings” too as these keywords return awesome photos.

Another leading photography website is Unsplash, a photography resource founded in 2013. Unsplash shares stock photography from over 265,000 contributing photographers and their growing library has over 3.48 million photos.

Another leading photography website is Pexels, founded in 2014 by twin bothers Ingo and Bruno Joseph in Fuldabrück, Hesse. Pexels maintains a library that contains of over 3.2 million photos and videos.