Photo by Allison Shelley/Complete College Photo Library
Tired of AI slop? Not sure how to cite that random photo you found through Google? There are dozens of collections of open access (free to use) images taken by humans, of humans, that you can use in your projects and presentations! Find our full list in the Photos & Images box on the Find OER page; here are a few to start with:
- Complete College Photo Library - "A free, open-source photo library showing a representative view of authentic college students on real campuses"
- Disabled and Here - "This is a disability-led effort to provide free & inclusive stock images from our own perspective, with photos and illustrations celebrating disabled Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC)"
- AllGo: Free Plus-Size Stock Photos - "At AllGo, we’re committed to doing everything we can to increase the representation of plus-size people"
If you're looking for art images, check out this Digital Art & Image Resources guide from librarian Kevin Edwards!
Most of these sites will tell you whether an image is in the public domain (needs no attribution, although as a student you should still cite it) or what kind of license it has (usually Creative Commons, giving credit to the creator, often not using for commercial purposes). Just like you appreciate getting a shout out when you do something awesome, make sure to create citations for the images you use so your audience knows where they came from. If you have questions about what, how, or when to cite, Ask a Librarian and visit our Citing Sources guide. Here are basic example citations:
- MLA - Image or work of art viewed online [MLA Handbook page 332]
- Creator Name, Name of Image, Year. Website Name, URL.
- Shelley, Allison. Student Smiling at a Small Dog in Her Lap While Seated at a Desktop Computer in a Home Office, 2026. Complete College Photo Library, https://completecollegephotolibrary.org/completecollegeamerica_o070/.
- APA - Audiovisual basic format [APA Manual, pages 342-347]
- Artist. (Date). Title of work [description]. Publisher. http://URL
- Shelley, A. (2026). Student smiling at a small dog in her lap while seated at a desktop computer in a home office [Photograph]. Complete College Photo Library. https://completecollegephotolibrary.org/completecollegeamerica_o070/
And if you do find an image elsewhere, or create one with AI, don't forget to cite those too!
