The Reservoir
The Reservoir is an independent online photography publication launched in 2018 that publishes long-form interviews and critical essays on contemporary photography, serving a global audience of photographers, writers, and photography enthusiasts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- Headquarters—
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Reservoir does
The Reservoir is an independent online photography publication that publishes long-form conversations, interviews, and essays with photographers about photography as both an art form and a form of sociopolitical commentary. It was launched in 2018 by the creators of three pre-existing independent photography publications — The Heavy Collective, The Ones We Love, and Mossless — and is currently edited by Lindley Warren Mickunas and Romke Hoogwaerts, with contributions from additional independent writers and photographers worldwide. The editorial focus emphasizes underrepresented voices and critical discourse around contemporary photography's role in society.
The publication's product surface is a content-only website (thereservoir.net), complemented by an Instagram channel (@thereservoirconversations) used for audience discovery and community engagement. There is no proprietary technology, mobile application, API, software-as-a-service offering, or developer-facing tooling; the platform is a digital-first editorial property. Content is published sporadically and on a collaborative, volunteer-style basis, with contributions welcomed from outside writers.
The Reservoir has no disclosed monetization mechanism, no publicly disclosed revenue, no funding rounds, no parent company, and no institutional investors. Content is freely accessible to all readers, and operating status appears active. The ownership structure is founder/collaborative, with no formal corporate backing disclosed in the input data.
The Reservoir firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Reservoir
- Legal name
- The Reservoir
- Website
- https://thereservoir.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Reservoir is an independent online photography publication launched in 2018 that publishes long-form interviews and critical essays on contemporary photography, serving a global audience of photographers, writers, and photography enthusiasts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Reservoir business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
The Reservoir product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Reservoir is a free, independent online publication that publishes long-form conversations, interviews, photo essays, and critical essays about photography within contemporary sociopolitical contexts. Founded in 2018 by the creators of The Heavy Collective, The Ones We Love, and Mossless, it operates as a collaborative editorial platform featuring in-depth interviews with photographers and visual artists worldwide, with new content published sporadically.
Product overview
The Reservoir is a photography publication and online platform featuring conversations, interviews, and essays about photography within sociopolitical contexts. It publishes long-form interviews with photographers, photo essays, and critical discussions. As a publication/media platform, it does not offer technology products, software, or developer-facing services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Reservoir (Photography Publication) An independent online publication featuring long-form conversations, interviews, photo essays, and critical essays about photography within contemporary sociopolitical contexts. Targeted at photography enthusiasts, writers, photographers, and visual artists worldwide, and freely accessible to all readers.
Companies that use The Reservoir
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Reservoir technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Reservoir partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves4 records
Expansion highlights2 records
The Reservoir competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Feature Shoot: Online publication featuring photographer interviews, photo essays, and critical coverage of contemporary photography; directly comparable to The Reservoir in its interview-driven, online-first editorial format.
- LensCulture: Online photography platform publishing essays, interviews, and portfolios alongside juried competitions; shares The Reservoir's model of digitally-published critical photography content for a global audience of photographers and enthusiasts.
- Der Greif: Independent photography platform and publication commissioning artist projects and critical essays; shares The Reservoir's independent, artist-centric editorial approach and focus on contemporary photographic practice.
- Conscientious Photography Magazine: Long-running independent blog/podcast dedicated to critical discussion of contemporary fine-art photography; closely parallels The Reservoir's mission of in-depth, interview-based photography criticism outside mainstream media.
- Mossless: Independent photography publication founded by The Reservoir co-editor Romke Hoogwaerts; shares editorial lineage and a focus on contemporary photography essays and artist features, and is itself one of The Reservoir's founding publications.
- Musée Magazine: Independent online photography and visual arts publication featuring artist interviews and critical essays; overlaps directly with The Reservoir's format of long-form, conversation-led photography criticism.
Broad incumbents
- Foam Magazine: Amsterdam-based photography publication and platform featuring in-depth interviews and artist features; comparable to The Reservoir in its curatorial, interview-driven approach and emphasis on contemporary photography discourse.
- Photo District News (PDN): Established trade publication for professional photographers covering news, criticism, and career resources; comparable to The Reservoir in serving working photographers, but with a broader industry and commercial remit.
- Aperture Magazine: Long-established photography publication featuring criticism, essays, and artist interviews; comparable to The Reservoir in its commitment to long-form photography discourse, though significantly larger, institutional, and commercially mature.
- British Journal of Photography: Historic photography magazine and online publication covering photojournalism, art photography, and critical commentary; overlaps with The Reservoir's focus on photography criticism, with a broader commercial and editorial footprint.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
The Reservoir social profiles
Digital presenceThe Reservoir financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Reservoir leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The Reservoir funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Reservoir M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Reservoir
What does The Reservoir do?
The Reservoir is a free, independent online publication that publishes long-form conversations, interviews, photo essays, and critical essays about photography within contemporary sociopolitical contexts. Founded in 2018 by the creators of The Heavy Collective, The Ones We Love, and Mossless, it operates as a collaborative editorial platform featuring in-depth interviews with photographers and visual artists worldwide, with new content published sporadically.
Is The Reservoir a public or private company?
The Reservoir is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Reservoir founded?
The Reservoir was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Who are The Reservoir's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Feature Shoot, LensCulture, Der Greif, Conscientious Photography Magazine, Mossless and Musée Magazine. Broad incumbents are Foam Magazine, Photo District News (PDN), Aperture Magazine and British Journal of Photography.
Does The Reservoir have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Reservoir.