Feature Shoot
Feature Shoot is a bootstrapped digital media company based in Sydney that publishes curated photography portfolios and interviews, and runs the annual paid Emerging Photography Awards with international exhibitions in NYC, Brooklyn, Sydney, and the UK.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersSydney, Australia
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Feature Shoot does
Feature Shoot is a privately held digital media company founded in 2008 by Alison Zavos and headquartered in Sydney, Australia. The company operates a WordPress CMS-based editorial website, featureshoot.com, that publishes curated photography portfolios, artist interviews, and genre-specific content across more than 11 categories including fine art, documentary, portrait, landscape, street, and travel photography. Its archive of 4,000+ photographer profiles, built continuously since founding, serves as both a discovery resource and an SEO asset for emerging and established image makers globally.
The company's primary commercial products are display and newsletter advertising (sponsors include Offset, Squarespace, Lulu, and ChromaLuxe) and the annual Emerging Photography Awards, a paid-entry competition ($25-$40 per submission) launched in 2014. Awards winners receive exhibition slots at international venues — Aperture Gallery (NYC), United Photo Industries (Brooklyn), Head On Photo Festival (Sydney), and FORMAT International Photography Festival (UK) — plus cash prizes of $3,000-$5,000. Distribution is anchored by 195,000+ Instagram followers, a 500,000+-reader newsletter, and self-serve submission intake via Submittable.
Feature Shoot is bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional funding, operates with 1-10 employees, and runs entirely remotely from Sydney. The company has no patents, no M&A history, and no disclosed AI/ML capabilities. Revenue is generated through advertising and competition entry fees, with no public financial disclosure. Operations are governed under the Australian Privacy Principles framework per its privacy policy.
Feature Shoot firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Feature Shoot
- Legal name
- Feature Shoot
- Website
- https://featureshoot.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Feature Shoot is a bootstrapped digital media company based in Sydney that publishes curated photography portfolios and interviews, and runs the annual paid Emerging Photography Awards with international exhibitions in NYC, Brooklyn, Sydney, and the UK.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Feature Shoot industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Photography Media
- NAICS
- Photographic Services (54192), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (711510)
- SIC
- Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Photography & Photo Production (BPAFAIAF)
Keywords
Where Feature Shoot is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sydney
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Feature Shoot business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Newsletter Sponsorships: Newsletter advertisements served across web and mobile applications. The company engages third parties to serve advertisements and performs related services.
- Competition Entry Fees: Emerging Photography Awards accepts submissions with entry fees ranging from $25 (early bird) to $35-40 per submission
- Display Advertising: Website advertisements including banner ads and sponsored content partnerships with brands like Offset
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | One-time | Early Bird Entry - $25 for series of up to 5 images |
| Transaction based/ take rate | One-time | Standard Entry - $35 per submission |
| Transaction based/ take rate | One-time | Standard Entry - $40 per submission |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels7 records
Feature Shoot product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Feature Shoot is a digital media company that publishes an online editorial platform showcasing the work of international emerging and established photographers across genres including fine art, documentary, portrait, landscape, street, video, food, nature, and travel. Its primary commercial offering is the annual Emerging Photography Awards competition, where photographers pay entry fees to submit work for selection by industry-leading judges from major publications and galleries, with winners receiving cash prizes and exhibition opportunities at partner galleries in New York, Brooklyn, Sydney, and the UK.
Product overview
Feature Shoot is a single unified platform dedicated to photography publication, showcasing the work of international emerging and established photographers. The core product is the Feature Shoot website featuring photography content across multiple genres including fine art, documentary, portrait, still life, landscape, street, video, food, nature, and travel. Supporting offerings include the annual Emerging Photography Awards competition (providing exhibitions, cash prizes, and industry exposure), Portfolio Reviews service, and an Interviews editorial section. The platform serves photographers and photography enthusiasts with compelling, cutting-edge projects that emphasize strong narrative vision.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Feature Shoot Emerging Photography Awards: Annual international photography competition for up-and-coming image makers, offering exhibitions, cash prizes, and global exposure opportunities
Products and services
- Feature Shoot Website The main photography publication platform showcasing international emerging and established photographers across genres including fine art, documentary, portrait, still life, landscape, street, video, food, nature, and travel, through editorial content.
- Emerging Photography Awards Annual international photography competition for up-and-coming image makers not currently represented by galleries or agents. Submissions are accepted via the Submittable platform with entry fees ($25 early bird to $35-$40 standard); winners receive exhibition spots at Aperture Gallery (NYC), United Photo Industries (Brooklyn), Head On Photo Festival (Sydney), and FORMAT International Photography Festival (UK), plus cash prizes.
- Portfolio Reviews Service offering photographers portfolio review opportunities to receive professional feedback and gain visibility in the photography industry.
Companies that use Feature Shoot
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Feature Shoot technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Feature Shoot partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Aperture FoundationcoreAperture Gallery in Chelsea, NYC serves as the exhibition venue for Emerging Photography Awards winners, offering 30 exhibition spots annually to winning photographers.
- United Photo IndustriescoreBrooklyn-based gallery selects 2-3 photographers from Emerging Photography Awards for exhibition at their Dumbo gallery location.
- Head On Photo FestivalcoreSydney-based international photo festival selects 3-5 photographers from Emerging Photography Awards for exhibition in Australia.
- FORMAT International Photography FestivalcoreUK-based international photography festival selects 3-5 photographers from Emerging Photography Awards for exhibition.
- ChromaLuxeminorMetal print manufacturer provides exhibition-quality prints for Emerging Photography Awards winners' displayed images.
- Ken Allen StudiosminorProduction studio creates ChromaLuxe metal prints for exhibition at United Photo Industries.
- ArtBridgeminorSelects 2-4 photographers for outdoor exhibition in NYC plus stipend of $400-$1000.
- Agency AccessminorProvides hour-long consultation and 8,000 email addresses of photo editors, publishers, and industry professionals to selected photographers.
- Susan Spiritus GalleryminorSelects 2-3 photographers for promotion and consideration for gallery representation.
- Tiny Atlas QuarterlyminorAwards SOLAS camera bags to three photographers of their choosing from competition entries.
- OffsetminorExclusive category channel partner providing sponsored content on Feature Shoot; curated collection of commercial and editorial photography.
- SubmittablecoreOnline submission platform used for photography competition entries and portfolio review submissions.
- SquarespaceminorSponsor of Emerging Photography Awards providing website platform support.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Feature Shoot competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- DPReview: DPReview is an Amazon-affiliated digital photography publication covering gear, technique, and photographer features at scale. As a broad incumbent it competes with Feature Shoot in the editorial photography space, though it is more heavily weighted toward equipment reviews.
- It's Nice That: It's Nice That is a leading UK-based creative publication featuring emerging photographers, illustrators, and designers. It overlaps with Feature Shoot's editorial focus on emerging creative talent and shares the curated-feature, portfolio-driven publishing model.
- Photo District News (PDN): PDN is a long-established trade publication covering the professional photography industry, including awards like PDN's 30 and Photo of the Year. It is a broader incumbent offering industry news, education, and events that overlap with Feature Shoot's photographer-discovery mission.
Direct peers
- PetaPixel: PetaPixel is the largest independent online publication covering photography news, gear, techniques, and photographer features. It is the most direct competitor to Feature Shoot, serving the same audience of photography enthusiasts and emerging photographers with editorial content and industry coverage.
- Lensculture: Lensculture operates an online magazine and a portfolio platform alongside juried photography awards with international visibility, paralleling Feature Shoot's archive-plus-competition model. Both services target emerging photographers seeking exposure and editorial recognition in the contemporary fine art photography space.
- The Phoblographer: The Phoblographer is a digital photography publication covering gear reviews, photographer features, and tutorials. It competes directly with Feature Shoot for photography enthusiasts' attention and shares the editorial-plus-community business model anchored by a passionate photographer readership.
- Lenscratch: Lenscratch is a long-running photography blog focused on showcasing fine art and documentary photographer portfolios, very similar in editorial scope to Feature Shoot's portfolio archive. It is published by a single curator/editor, closely mirroring Feature Shoot's founder-driven model.
- Conscientious Photography Magazine: Conscientious is an online magazine dedicated to contemporary fine art photography, featuring photographer portfolios and essays. It competes with Feature Shoot for the same niche readership of photography enthusiasts and emerging fine art photographers.
- APhotoEditor: APhotoEditor (formerly APE) is an industry-focused publication for photo editors and assignment photographers, featuring photographer interviews and commentary on commercial photography. It overlaps with Feature Shoot in editorial coverage of contemporary photographers and industry insight.
Emerging players
- ISO 1200: ISO 1200 is a photography news and education site featuring photographer profiles, tutorials, and community-driven content. It is comparable to Feature Shoot as a smaller emerging publication in the same niche, with overlap in photographer interviews and editorial coverage.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Feature Shoot social profiles
Digital presenceFeature Shoot compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Feature Shoot financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Feature Shoot leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Feature Shoot funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Feature Shoot 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 Feature Shoot
What does Feature Shoot do?
Feature Shoot is a digital media company that publishes an online editorial platform showcasing the work of international emerging and established photographers across genres including fine art, documentary, portrait, landscape, street, video, food, nature, and travel. Its primary commercial offering is the annual Emerging Photography Awards competition, where photographers pay entry fees to submit work for selection by industry-leading judges from major publications and galleries, with winners receiving cash prizes and exhibition opportunities at partner galleries in New York, Brooklyn, Sydney, and the UK.
Is Feature Shoot a public or private company?
Feature Shoot is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Feature Shoot founded?
Feature Shoot was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Feature Shoot based?
Feature Shoot is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Feature Shoot make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Newsletter Sponsorships are the primary driver. The others are competition Entry Fees and display Advertising.
Who are Feature Shoot's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are DPReview, It's Nice That and Photo District News (PDN). Direct peers are PetaPixel, Lensculture, The Phoblographer, Lenscratch, Conscientious Photography Magazine and APhotoEditor. ISO 1200 is listed as an emerging player.
Does Feature Shoot have an API?
No public API is recorded for Feature Shoot.
What industry is Feature Shoot in?
Feature Shoot's product category is Online Photography Media. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAIAF, Photography & Photo Production. Its NAICS code is 54192 and its SIC code is 7330.