Shutterstock shares new behind-the-scenes series

The series looks at Shutterstock’s photographers, illustrators, videographers and composers, and the work they create

Shutterstock has a community of more than 750,000 individuals who create content of all varieties. The new series, Shutterstock Presents, will take you into the lives of contributors around the world. Contributors from diverse backgrounds, careers and life paths combine their passion for creating stock with their lives.

Presented in a video format, Shutterstock Presents will explore how Shutterstock fits into the contributors’ lives and tells the stories behind their photos.

Shutterstock have provided a few early examples of their contributors’ stories, presented below.

Marcus Paladino: Offset contributor

Bored of what he was doing and looking for something more exciting, Marcus moved to Tofino, British Columbia, to live out his dream as a surfer. Now a surf photographer, Marcus shoots what inspires him and what he sees. He surfs every single day, so is inspired to shoot surfing every single day. He doesn’t have a favourite photo and is always looking to improve, which he says is all part of the fun – he’s consistently pushing himself trying to get better than the day before. Marcus believes so much of the coastline is undiscovered or overlooked – he wants to be the person who brings those waves and brings the beauty to life through his camera. His Offset collection takes an artistic approach to water and waves. He fell in love with surfing and surf photography came with it. Even if he wasn’t making money from being a photographer he would still be doing it, but being a Shutterstock contributor allows him to get the best of both worlds.

Joanie Simon: Shutterstock Custom contributor

Joanie is a food photographer based in Phoenix, Arizona. She loves using bold, expressive colours in her work, as food itself is a fun and lively experience. Joanie loves how food photography is a family-orientated line of work, and enjoys having her children around while she is shooting. She feels the planning and inspiration process (mood boards, storyboards) ahead of execution really helps to set you up for success. Joanie quite often goes out into Arizona’s vast, expansive landscape to get inspiration for her work. The landscape’s colour palette, from the purple mountains to the beautiful sunsets, often informs her creativity. The garden is also an extremely handy resource for any food photographer, as you can go and grab that bit of garnish that might just be the finishing touch you need. Joanie shoots primarily with flash for her commercial work, as this erases the stress of weather and time dependency with natural lighting. She believes it is so important to have diversity in your skill set for food photography. For example, a burger brand might want a dark, rustic feel for its images, while a drink or salad brand will want something clean, simple and bright. Being a contributor for Shutterstock Custom is particularly helpful career resource, as it puts her in front of clients and opportunities.

Daniel Nevares:  Shutterstock contributor

Daniel is a wildlife and nature photographer based in the Bay Area, Arizona. He is a full-time social worker as well as a Shutterstock contributor. As the best time to shoot nature is at sunrise, he is able to fit photography into his busy career schedule. Being a Shutterstock photographer allows Daniel to get outside after a long day in the city. He loves that it not only offers an avenue to earn extra income, but also the creative freedom being a contributor entails. Daniel mostly uses a 400mm lens or sometimes a 600mm. Keeping a safe a respectful distance is incredibly important as a nature photographer – so a longer telephoto lens is key. Daniel’s editing style is often described as moody – he has a passion for post-production and loves experimenting with different tones as well as seeing what sells and resonates.

Follow the full series of stories on Shutterstock’s website.