PhotoShelter to Host First-Ever Industry Town Halls Discussing the Business of Photography in the Digital Era

“Photography 2.0” Speakers Include Over 30 Photographers and Buyers from the Front Lines of American Photography

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Photography industry leader PhotoShelter has teamed up with Hewlett-Packard, JPG Magazine, liveBooks, Samy’s Camera, X-Rite and others to produce “Photography 2.0,” the first-ever series of traveling photography town hall meetings designed to bring together active image buyers and photographers from all sides of the business to discuss the impact of the Internet on their industry. The series will commence in New York City on September 14, 2007, with subsequent events to be held in Atlanta, September 17; Chicago, September 19; Portland, OR, September 24; San Francisco, September 26; and the Los Angeles-area, September 28. Photographers of any experience level who are interested in the future of commercial photography are encouraged to attend.

“Photography 2.0: The Business of Photography in the Web Era,” will feature more than 30 working photographers and image buyers and is expected to be, to date, the most rigorous, challenging and productive debate concerning the issues of online marketing, image selling and distribution. Speakers include: Brittney Blair, Art Director for Chicago Magazine; George Pitts, Professor of Photography at Parsons School of Design and former Photography Director at Life magazine; Marnie Beardsley, Global Director of Art Buying, Weiden + Kennedy; Jennifer Miller, former Director of Photography, JANE magazine; Shannon Hall, Photo Director, BlackBook Magazine; Asha Schecter, former Photo Research Editor, The New Yorker; and over 20 photographers including Bill Frakes, Chase Jarvis, Amanda Marsalis, Chris McPherson, Brian Ulrich, Michael Zagaris and many more.

“For the image buying community, the Internet has made accessible a whole population of unknown, yet truly creative and talented, photographers,” said Jennifer Miller, former Director of Photography, JANE. “What makes ‘Photography 2.0′ so exciting is that it will bring together buyers, established photographers and undiscovered talent and hopefully expand boundaries of creativity for commercial photography overall.”

Each half-day symposium will be held from 1:30 p.m. and will conclude at 6:15 p.m. with all participants invited to a cocktail reception. The agenda is as follows:

     1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.  Registration
     2:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.  Welcome
     2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.  DIY: A Career in the Internet Age
     3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.  What Buyers Want to Photographers to Know
     4:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.  Special Presentation
     5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.  Roundtable Discussion: The Internet’s
                             Impact on Photography
     6:15 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.  Reception

“We designed the format of `Photography 2.0′ based on extended conversations with photo buyers and photographers of all types. The symposium is just one of several efforts we will unveil over the course of the next few months to help photographers and image buyers establish a new way of conducting business over the Web,” said Allen Murabayashi, CEO of PhotoShelter. “The entire PhotoShelter team is eagerly awaiting ‘Photography 2.0’ and we look forward to a robust crowd dialogue in all of these cities.”

There is no cost to register for Photography 2.0. Space is limited so interested attendees are encouraged to sign up now at http://www.photoshelter.com/citytour.

“It’s great to see PhotoShelter creating products and forums that help photographers embrace the Web 2.0 community ethic,” said Chase Jarvis, commercial photographer. “I’m a huge believer in anything that empowers my fellow photographers, and reminds us what an incredibly exciting time it is to be in this industry.”

     Dates and cities are listed below:

     September 14, 2007   New York City
                          Irving Plaza
                          17 Irving Place
                          New York, NY 10003

     September 17, 2007   Atlanta
                          103 West
                          103 West Paces Ferry Road
                          Atlanta, GA 30305

     September 19, 2007   Chicago
                          Alhambra Palace Restaurant
                          1240 West Randolph
                          Chicago, IL 60607

      September 24, 2007  Portland
                          Portland Center for the Performing Arts
                          Dolores Winningstad Theatre
                          1111 SW Broadway
                          Portland, OR 97205

     September 26, 2007   San Francisco
                          Broadway Studios
                          435 Broadway
                          San Francisco, CA 94133

     September 28, 2007   Los Angeles / Orange County
                          Samy’s Camera Photo Expo
                          Orange County Fair and Exposition Center
                          Building 16
                          88 Fair Drive
                          Costa Mesa, CA 92626

About PhotoShelter

Created by photographers in 2005, PhotoShelter has quickly become a trusted partner to the professional photography industry. Over 15,000 working photographers rely on PhotoShelter’s Personal Archive system every day to host their online archives, power their websites and manage their businesses. With hundreds of new members daily, PhotoShelter is a thriving creative community where advanced technology combines with a native understanding of photographers to power the future of photography online. To become a part of our community, visit http://www.photoshelter.com