Welcome to CC0-Images, where I share photos that are in the public domain!
From the official Creative Commons website:
"CC0 is a universal legal tool that allows creators and rightsholders to waive all copyright and related rights in their works to the fullest extent permitted by law. It is designed to work globally and is not tailored to the laws of any single country.
While no legal tool can guarantee complete relinquishment of all copyright and database rights in every jurisdiction, CC0 offers the strongest and most reliable way to place a work as fully as possible into the public domain across international legal systems."
Basically, these images belong to everyone, and may be used by anyone for any purpose that isn't outright illegal.
(I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice. I advise you to look into the rights of anything you decide to use, especially if it is for commercial purposes. I am not responsible for what anyone else decides to do with the images I share)
None of these photos were taken by me. I find most of my images here:
Wikimedia Commons (most frequent)
Pixnio*
iNaturalist
Public Domain Image Archive
AmbientCG.com (also as free-to-use 3D textures)
Publicdomainpictures.net (rarely used, full of ads and AI nonsense, so be vigilant)
I will note which website each image is from in the tags.
Note that all pictures on these sites are not necessarily in the public domain! I am specifically sharing ones that are.
Technically, I don't have to give credit, but I try to do so anyway as a courtesy. For photos, I prioritize crediting the person who took the photo, and if this is not available, the publication or institution sharing the image. For artwork, I try to credit the artist, and if this is not available, the collection it is from. I do not generally credit who did scans of artwork.
Enjoy unlimited images, gifted to you by photographers all over the world!
*Some images from Pixnio has what is called "pixnio license", rather than CC0. I occasionally share them here anyway, as the restrictions for the pixnio license are very few: do not use the images to create a site that attempts to compete with pixnio, and don't use unedited versions of the works for commercial use. This means that you can't sell prints of the photos directly, but you can if you crop, colour-correct, or otherwise change them first. Licenses will be listed in the tags. Pixnio also contains images that are in the public domain. I am not a lawyer and this is not legal information, I may get the licenses wrong at times yadda-yadda-yadda you get it. Just don't try to sell the pictures unless you've done some stuff to them first and you'll probably be fine