diff --git a/assets/css/custom.css b/assets/css/custom.css
index 8c54725..925ddbe 100644
--- a/assets/css/custom.css
+++ b/assets/css/custom.css
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6 {
 }
 
 .hero {
-    background: linear-gradient(135deg, rgba(74, 144, 226, 0.9), rgba(80, 227, 194, 0.9)), url('https://picsum.photos/seed/hero/1600/900');
+    background: linear-gradient(135deg, rgba(74, 144, 226, 0.9), rgba(80, 227, 194, 0.9)), url('../images/pexels/7688336.jpg');
     background-size: cover;
     background-position: center;
     color: white;
diff --git a/assets/images/pexels/14979020.jpg b/assets/images/pexels/14979020.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ef9b78f
Binary files /dev/null and b/assets/images/pexels/14979020.jpg differ
diff --git a/assets/images/pexels/25626512.jpg b/assets/images/pexels/25626512.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9361452
Binary files /dev/null and b/assets/images/pexels/25626512.jpg differ
diff --git a/assets/images/pexels/4515793.jpg b/assets/images/pexels/4515793.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f3abeb4
Binary files /dev/null and b/assets/images/pexels/4515793.jpg differ
diff --git a/assets/images/pexels/7688336.jpg b/assets/images/pexels/7688336.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ac6c177
Binary files /dev/null and b/assets/images/pexels/7688336.jpg differ
diff --git a/includes/pexels.php b/includes/pexels.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4aebd2d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/includes/pexels.php
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+<?php
+function pexels_key() {
+  $k = getenv('PEXELS_KEY');
+  return $k && strlen($k) > 0 ? $k : 'Vc99rnmOhHhJAbgGQoKLZtsaIVfkeownoQNbTj78VemUjKh08ZYRbf18';
+}
+function pexels_get($url) {
+  $ch = curl_init();
+  curl_setopt_array($ch, [
+    CURLOPT_URL => $url,
+    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
+    CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => [ 'Authorization: '. pexels_key() ],
+    CURLOPT_TIMEOUT => 15,
+  ]);
+  $resp = curl_exec($ch);
+  $code = curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_HTTP_CODE);
+  curl_close($ch);
+  if ($code >= 200 && $code < 300 && $resp) return json_decode($resp, true);
+  return null;
+}
+function download_to($srcUrl, $destPath) {
+  // Ensure the destination directory exists.
+  $dir = dirname($destPath);
+  if (!is_dir($dir)) {
+    if (!mkdir($dir, 0775, true)) {
+        error_log("Failed to create directory: $dir");
+        return false;
+    }
+  }
+
+  $context = stream_context_create([
+    "ssl" => [
+        "verify_peer" => false,
+        "verify_peer_name" => false,
+    ],
+  ]);
+
+  $data = file_get_contents($srcUrl, false, $context);
+  if ($data === false) {
+    error_log("Failed to download image from: $srcUrl");
+    return false;
+  }
+  
+  if (file_put_contents($destPath, $data) === false) {
+    error_log("Failed to save image to: $destPath");
+    return false;
+  }
+  
+  return true;
+}
diff --git a/index.php b/index.php
index d579de1..5038bfe 100644
--- a/index.php
+++ b/index.php
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@
                             <div class="card-body">
                                 <h3 class="card-title h4">Web Design</h3>
                                 <p class="card-text">Stunning, user-centric designs that capture your brand and engage your audience. Mobile-first and responsive.</p>
-                                <img src="https://picsum.photos/seed/service1/600/400" class="img-fluid rounded mt-3" alt="A close-up of a user interface design on a tablet.">
+                                <img src="assets/images/pexels/14979020.jpg" class="img-fluid rounded mt-3" alt="A close-up of a user interface design on a tablet.">
                             </div>
                         </div>
                     </div>
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@
                             <div class="card-body">
                                 <h3 class="card-title h4">Web Development</h3>
                                 <p class="card-text">Clean, scalable, and performant code. From landing pages to complex web applications, we build solutions that work.</p>
-                                <img src="https://picsum.photos/seed/service2/600/400" class="img-fluid rounded mt-3" alt="Code on a computer screen representing web development.">
+                                <img src="assets/images/pexels/25626512.jpg" class="img-fluid rounded mt-3" alt="Code on a computer screen representing web development.">
                             </div>
                         </div>
                     </div>
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@
                             <div class="card-body">
                                 <h3 class="card-title h4">Digital Strategy</h3>
                                 <p class="card-text">Data-driven strategies to boost your online presence. SEO, content marketing, and analytics to help you grow.</p>
-                                <img src="https://picsum.photos/seed/service3/600/400" class="img-fluid rounded mt-3" alt="A chart showing upward trends, representing business growth.">
+                                <img src="assets/images/pexels/4515793.jpg" class="img-fluid rounded mt-3" alt="A chart showing upward trends, representing business growth.">
                             </div>
                         </div>
                     </div>