Our Most Popular Posts of 2020

While 2020 has felt excruciatingly long, it did indeed only last 366 days. (Remember that extra day in February? Feels like a decade ago).

This year, we published 163 posts on the PhotoShelter blog. We shared how photographers were impacted by the pandemic, offered resources for photographers struggling with mental health and income, and spoke with the visual storytellers in overrun medical facilities and the Black Lives Matter protests. Amidst all of that, we also found time to report on an uptick in attacks against the press, celebrate moms on Mother’s Day and announce exciting improvements to Google’s licensing features. 

Check out our top 10 blog posts of the year below. 

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources for Photographers

As the needs of photographers changed daily due to the pandemic, we pledged to bring you the support you deserve. From small business and banking assistance to health and wellness resources, everything is centralized here on our blog. 

Selling Your Photography Just Got Easier with Google Image Licensing

Earlier this year we worked behind the scenes with Google so PhotoShelter members could take full advantage of their new licensing program. In this post, our General Manager Grover Sanschagrin shares more about the program and outlines step-by-step how to get set up with your PhotoShelter account.

David Burnett: Letter to the NPPA on Ethics

Photojournalist David Burnett penned a letter to the National Press Photographers Association in July in response to the discussion around photographic ethics and the publication of the Photo Bill of Rights. With his permission, we republished it in its entirety.

Yunghi Kim: “Is agreeing NOT to show a person’s face against the ethics of journalism?”

Veteran photojournalist Yunghi Kim (@yunghi) sent our Co-founder and Chairman Allen Murabayashi her thoughts after the publication of his article about the ethics of showing protestors’ faces. Join the conversation in the comments.

How to Get Great Audio for Webinars, Online Meetings, and Podcasts from Home

Back in March as everyone acclimated to a virtual-only world, it became clear that experimenting with what you offer online was worthwhile. A podcast pro, PhotoShelter Co-founder Allen Murabayashi shared his tips for how to get the best audio quality for video conferences, webinars, online classes and more. Make sure you’re set up for success and read over his best practices! 

Google’s New Licensable Images Features Are Officially Out!

August 2020 marked the official release of Google’s new features to help photographers improve the discovery of their content and increase sales. Read this post as we outline what you need to know about the new licensing features and how they can help you earn more.

Valuable SEO Lessons Learned from Photographer Websites

We spent six months of 2020 focused on SEO updates and improvements. PhotoShelter Co-founder and General Manager Grover Sanschagrin pulls back the curtain on those changes we made and what we learned along the way. 

PhotoShelter Websites: An Updated Plan

As we got deeper into the code planning process for our new website designs, we realized we had an opportunity to break away from our previous template-based structure and restructure the PhotoShelter Site Builder itself. This will allow our websites to be more dynamic and flexible than anything we’ve seen. Grover explains why this adjustment is worth the wait.

What Happens When a Major Photo Magazine Shuts Down?

Pre-pandemic in February, Emerald Expositions, the owner of Photo District News (PDN), announced that PDN would no longer publish new content online or in print. The magazine had been a staple of the professional photography industry, particularly for advertising and commercial photography. PDN’s articles covered a wide range of topics that included gear announcements, industry news, and the venerable PDN 30 which identified and showcased emerging photographers. In addition, PDN produced a number of photo contests including the PDN Annual. We’re discussing what this loss means for the industry and photo community at large.

How Freelance Photographers Are Dealing with the Economic Effects of Coronavirus   

As the pandemic became more serious and it became increasingly clear that photographers were in a uniquely vulnerable position, Adweek photo editor Kacy Burdette asked photographers to share their experiences with lost jobs on Twitter. Responses came in quickly from around the country with stories of cancellations and uncertainty. We’re taking a deeper look into this real economic threat and how it’s affecting photographers disproportionately.

From everyone at PhotoShelter, we’re wishing you a happy and healthy 2021! We’re excited for what’s ahead.