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Holiday Royalty-Free Images and Stock Photos
No matter the month or season, holiday images are about celebration. Some commemorate a historical event. Some are based on ancient rituals. Others are about remembrance. Whichever day you’re celebrating, you’ll want imagery that speaks to the unique qualities of each special day. From national holidays like your country’s independence day to international holidays like Christmas to quirky holidays like National Donut Day, the wide-ranging selection of images from Shutterstock has visuals tailored to the holiday of your choosing.
Holiday images for email marketing
If you’re sending an email for the holidays, you’ll want to choose images that spread cheer and grab attention. Most emails that use visuals feature a banner at the top of the design, and some smaller images scattered throughout.
For holiday sales and promotions, make sure you pick a holiday image that puts the holiday on display, but also leaves room for the main message. We suggest using a pattern or texture with the colors and icons of the holiday.
Emails are usually delivered to a wide list of people, so you also want to make sure the imagery appeals to enough viewers to be truly effective. Patterns, textures, and backgrounds are neutral but festive, giving you more flexibility in your design. Images of people, however, might help you connect with the target demographic of your email. Either way, make sure your imagery is cheerful and bright, and always high-quality.
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Holiday Images for Every Kind of Celebration
Holiday images are as diverse as the holidays they represent. When it comes time to celebrate these important dates, images play a key role. We send cards, we make event flyers, we decorate our homes and offices and digital spaces with the colors and symbols of the holiday.
Many holiday images feature gatherings. At Halloween, children get together to go trick or treating. At Christmas-time, families and friends cozy up together to unwrap gifts and bake cookies. On Valentine’s day, couples go on romantic dates (while some friends celebrate the alternative Galentine’s Day). On Independence Days everywhere, people gather to watch parades and fireworks. Because these celebrations are about being together, they are sources of cheer and happiness. That’s why holiday visuals are so joyful, featuring bright colors, cheerful typography, and comforting photos and illustrations.
Questions about holiday images
To find the best holiday and festive images, start somewhere that has a wide range of options. Shutterstock has millions of photos and illustrations covering any type of holiday you can imagine. Even better, Shutterstock has powerful filters that you can apply to your image search. These filters let you specify anything from the type of image you want (photo, illustration, or vector) right down to the colors you want featured in the image. Some of the most popular images on Shutterstock are winter holiday themed, so you’re sure to find cheerful pictures of people decorating their homes, enjoying feasts, and spending time with each other.
Winter holiday images feature celebrations that happen in the winter. Though the timing of winter is different based on your location, popular winter holidays include Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s, and Chinese New Year. Winter holiday images usually feature gatherings of family and friends, and the decorations that are connected to each holiday. Think stockings for Christmas, a menorah for Hanukkah, or a bottle of champagne for New Year’s. Snowmen, snowflakes, and other representations of the cold weather are also popular in winter holiday images. Finally, many winter holiday photos and illustrations use colors connected to each holiday, like green and red for Christmas or red and gold for Chinese New Year.
Summer holiday images feature celebrations that happen in the summer. In the Northern hemisphere, these holidays include both the Canadian and United States Independence Days, along with many other country’s individual independence days. Independence day images are likely to feature the nation’s flag, fireworks, and images of people celebrating with big feasts and time spent outside in the good weather. Summer holiday images might also represent the vacations that many families take while school is not in session. These images can range from outdoor barbecues and time at the pool to road trips and international getaways.
To find holiday images with people on Shutterstock, use the filters provided to refine your image search. When you search for a keyword, like “holidays,” you can expand the Filters menu on the left-hand side of your screen. Here, you can select “with people” from the People dropdown. This will give you images featuring people. You can further refine your search by selecting the ethnicity or age of the people you want in your images. This is a great way to make sure your images feature diverse people from different backgrounds.
If you’re creating a holiday card or writing a gift tag, you’ll want to include a holiday wish to the recipient. You could stick to the typical “Happy Holidays” greeting, but there are many other options you can use to make your card more unique and heartfelt. It’s nice to remember a few of these for quick greetings. Here are some of the most popular holiday wishes to include in your card: - Happy Holidays! - Merry Christmas! - Warm Wishes! - Happy New Year! - Peace on Earth
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