Three years ago I was just a small town photographer with big dreams. Big dreams that led me to WPPI. A huge photography conference in Las Vegas. At the time I was teaching a beginning photography class at BATC. Technically, I felt like I knew so much, but I wanted more. Community. At WPPI, I found my place in the photography world. The Shoot & Share Community. I went to every single one of their classes, hung out at the Shoot and Share Booth and bought everything they were selling. Then I came back home to little old Logan Utah and began to replicate that community. It changed my world. It changed our world!

Shoot and Share has just continued to kill it with new products and support for photographers. Today I want to share

5 things I love about Shoot and Share and WHY you should be a shareholder!

1. The Photo Contest

I always thought that photo contests are just a popularity contest. It’s just like homecoming queen or high school class president all over again. Well, NOT this one! Shoot and Share has successfully designed a photo contest that is completely anonymous. There are no names, Facebook likes or Insta followers attached to the photos. You can vote purely on which photo you love best. ANYONE can enter. (You don’t have to be a Shareholder) Anyone can vote. Anyone can win!

Last year I posted about the contest in Our Photog Blog Facebook group, and the WINNER of the entire contest entered just from that post. Lori Romney Photography killed it, and so did the rest of the group with SEVERAL placing in the top 10!

Submissions due January 27th. Voting begins February 1st.

Be careful, you won’t be leaving your computer until voting ends on March 3rd. Kiss your sleep and family goodbye. Not only is it addicting, but incredibly inspiring. Those final few weeks are better than Pinterest! You can go back through last years winners to stay inspired.

2. The People that Run It

The people that run Shoot and Share are incredible. They do this because they truly care about community, people and improving our industry. I personally have met many people that work for Shoot and Share and I was SO surprised how they treated me.

I’m just a little person in this photography industry from small town Utah. It may seem like I’m a big name, but when you get out of Logan, you realize that it’s nothing compared to all the incredibly successful businesses all over the world. The Shoot and Share team makes me feel really special. Several of them have taken the time to get to know me, have conversations, learn about my business and even my family or religion. This is how they make everyone else feel, too. They are genuine, and amazing!

Also, three Shoot and Share employees came to Utah last year to honor Lori Romney! AND two of them are in Our Photog Blog group! They are constantly answering questions in our group about PASS and Agree. If that doesn’t show that they care, I don’t know what will. Let’s bring them back to Utah!

3. The Shoot and Share Store

I have bought half the Shoot and Share Store. Not kidding. And the best part is…these are things that I would normally buy. So by being a Shareholder, I am just saving myself SO much money. Discounts include…Photo Mechanic, Photography Planners, Classes, Showit, PASS!, etc. AMAZING deals ALL the time. The price to become a shareholder is FAR less than the savings!

4. Their Products

They have two amazing products called PASS for online galleries and Agree for online contracts. There will be an entire separate blog post highlighting PASS. If you’ve been around me for two minutes, you know how much I love it. We’ve been PASS users since they first launched. Obsessed is an understatement. If I’ve turned you into a PASS lover, raise your hand.

For those of you that don’t know about this magical gallery sharing product, I’ll share a few brief reasons why PASS is the bomb until I write the full post:

1. Unlimited Galleries
2. Online for 10 Years!
3. Bride’s have instant access to their wedding photos
4. EASY!
5. ONLY $29 a month but WAY less if you are a Shareholder (I’m paying less than $1 per gallery now and it stays online for 10 years, what?)
6. A Phone App for You + Your Clients
7. A BEAUTIFUL way to share photos
8. Always improving…2.0 coming soon!
9. High Res Downloads
10. My Branding
11. Blah, blah, amazing… I could go on for YEARS.

5. The Shoot and Share Community

I’m not super active in the Shoot and Share group anymore now that we have our own Facebook community to keep up with, but it is a fantastic place for photographers to learn and grow! The admins keep it a kind, positive place and are constantly contributing amazing content.

So there you have it! I owe Shoot and Share so much for getting me where I am today. Go give them a follow on Instagram, and become a Shareholder here.

Photographer Vendor Spotlight: Shoot & Share

In 2017, we are going to highlight a favorite product or company for photographers on Our Photog Blog each month. If there’s a specific product you’d love to see, please let us know below.

Kylee Maughan

Kylee started Kylee Ann Photography 9 years ago, and has since grown from a one woman amateur show to a full associate team. We shoot 50-75 weddings a year, and thrive on kindness and service. After a year of teaching Intro to Photography at the local technical college, she discovered that helping other entrepreneurs create thriving businesses is what fires her up! She hosts semi-annual Kylee Ann Sleepovers all over the US, speak at conferences and teach online courses about running a small business and marketing.

kyleeannphotography.com/kylee