Our Top 10 Webinars of 2020

In 2020, as photographers faced questions ranging from how to stay creative at home to how to generate revenue in new ways, the PhotoShelter community came together to help each other. 

Through a series of 18 educational and inspiring live webinars, you shared your best advice, stories and strategies on topics like food photography composition, SEO, how to get your personal project published and more. You inspired each other, and you inspired us.

Below, you’ll find a list of our top 10 viewed webinars of the year. We plan to keep the fun and education going in 2021, too. Have an idea for a webinar? Leave it in the comments!

iPhone vs DSLR Photography: Q&A with Jim Richardson (June 12th)

We sat down with Jim Richardson to discuss the future of photography, the technological advances of mobile cameras, and the strengths and weaknesses of DSLR vs iPhone photography. 

Watch to learn:

• Jim’s process for shooting with both DSLR and iPhone cameras
• The tools and apps necessary to ensure stunning images using mobile cameras
• The various use cases for each medium and how to approach photography projects from both perspectives

Mastering Food Photography Composition: Lessons from Darina Kopcok (May 8th)

Food photographer and educator Darina Kopcok walked us through the principles of composition, color theory and how to apply compositional patterns like the Rule-of-Thirds, Phi-Grid, Golden Triangle and Fibonacci Spiral, before taking questions about lenses, lighting and more. 

Watch to learn: 

• Tips on proportion and scale
• How to use color as a compositional tool 
• A variety of patterns and symmetries that can energize your images

Demystifying SEO: Best Practices for Photographers (July 10th)

PhotoShelter General Manager Grover Sanschagrin and Senior Technical Support Specialist Jelan Coley discuss SEO best practices for photographers, recent insights and how to boost your SEO with PhotoShelter.

Watch to learn: 

• Five things you can do to improve your SEO today
• IPTC metadata and keywording tips 
• What to prioritize and how some SEO practices work better than others
• PhotoShelter’s recent improvements to ensure our members appear in search results, including the Google Image License Metadata program (currently in beta)

10 Ways to Earn More with Online Sales (April 17th)

Whether you’re new to selling online and looking for creative ways to generate revenue – or you just want to give your current sales strategy a boost – these actionable tips will point you in the right direction to start selling (and earning) more right now.

Watch to learn: 

• Info on how to get creative with your approach to selling 
• Why selling downloads and licensing is so valuable (especially now)
• Strategies for making the most of promos and coupons 
• SEO best practices  

How to Sell Your Travel Photos: Tips from Lola Akinmade Åkerström (September 4th)

Fun fact: you might have some images in your archive from past trips that can earn you a little cash now. In this webinar, Lola Akinmade Åkerström discusses her go-to tips for selling travel photos.

Watch to learn:

• How to prepare your portfolio for selling
• Why focusing on storytelling is more effective than getting that one epic shot
• How to compose photographs for magazine covers
• The value of an image bank (versus a simple portfolio)
• How to use LinkedIn and Twitter to catch the attention of Photo Editors, Art Directors and more 
• What a callout list is and why you want to be on one 

Harnessing the Power of Color: Q&A with Lindsay Adler (March 11th)

We sat down with renowned fashion photographer, educator, Canon Explorer of Light and PhotoShelter member Lindsay Adler to dive into a topic she’s truly passionate about… color harmony and utilizing bold and beautiful colors to elevate your work.

Watch to learn: 

• Color theory basics
• The emotional implications of color
• Planning ahead for integrating color
• A bit of color grading to finish off the creative process!

The Power of a Strong Portfolio: Real-Time Reviews and Insights from Essdras M. Suarez (October 16th)

Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Essdras M. Suarez walked us through a selection of anonymous photo submissions. For each image, he discussed what worked, what didn’t and suggested compositional adjustments that could have made the photo stronger.

Watch to learn:

• The psychology behind successful vs unsuccessful photos
• How to choose and properly edit the right frame 
• An explanation of concepts like visual anchors and points of escape
• When to stop editing your images

How to Get 4 Figure Day Rate Clients with Ad Agencies: Advice from Christina Peters (November 13th)

We sat down with food photographer Christina Peters to discuss how to get hired by ad agencies and what to do to stand out from the competition. Find out what ad agencies are looking for, common mistakes to avoid and how to effectively market yourself to your dream clients.

Watch to learn:

• How to identify and go after the right people at ad agencies
• Marketing basics and real promo examples
• Why you can still get four-figure day rate agency clients without having millions of followers on social media

Google Search Console: Managing Your Online Presence (July 17th)

PhotoShelter Technical Support Specialist Amanda Yoder discusses the basics of Google Search Console, how Google works, and how to take your SEO further.

Watch to learn:

• How Google discovers, crawls and indexes pages
• How Google Search Console can help your SEO work go further 
• How to set up your PhotoShelter site on GSC
• How to submit your sitemap and what to expect afterwards

Getting Your Personal Project Published: Lessons from Todd Bigelow (May 15th)

Editorial Todd Bigelow shared the stories behind his published work on COVID-19, immigration and the 2016 election. He then shared his tips on how to effectively pitch a story, why it’s important to not take rejection personally and more.

Watch to learn: 

• How to go from idea to publication
• Tips on mastering the pitch
• Licensing strategies 
• How to stand out from the crowd and beat the competition

Binge-watch all of our on-demand webinars here. 

We can’t wait to see you in 2021!