Free Lake Pictures: 86 Photos of Mountain Lakes, Shores and Sunsets
86 free lake pictures from the BigFoto library: mountain lakes with perfect reflections, piers, paddle steamers and sailing boats, sunsets over the water, frozen lakes in winter and close-ups of the water itself. Calm lake views make good backgrounds for slides, websites and video calls.
How to download: click a photo to see it large, then use Download. The originals are about 1200 × 800 pixels: right for blog posts, slides, social media, school projects and video call backgrounds.
Mountain lakes and reflections
Still water below snow-capped peaks and green slopes, with the mountains mirrored in the lake.
Shores, piers and boats
Wooden piers, a paddle steamer, rowing crews, sailing boats and windsurfers, swimmers and walkers on the shore.
Sunsets and moods
Evening light, a rainbow over the water, fog and silhouettes on the shore.
Frozen lakes
Ice plates on the shore, a frozen lake under snow and frost on the reeds.
Water surfaces for backgrounds
Ripples, glitter and clear shallow water: even surfaces that work behind text.
Photographing lakes
- For mirror reflections, go early in the morning, before the wind gets up.
- Put the horizon in the middle of the frame when the reflection is as strong as the view; otherwise keep it on a third.
- A polarising filter either removes the reflections to show the water below or strengthens the sky; turn it to choose.
- At sunset, expose for the bright sky and let the shore go dark for a silhouette.
More free photos
- Free mountain pictures
- Free landscape pictures
- Free sky and sunset pictures
- Free winter pictures
- Free beach pictures
Questions about these lake photos
Can I use these lake pictures for free?
Yes, for personal and commercial projects. All we ask is a link back to BigFoto.com; the box at the top of the page has a credit link you can copy.
Which photos work best as a background?
The calm mountain lakes and the water surfaces: they have large even areas, so text stays readable on top.
