For over a decade, VSCO has been a go-to platform for photographers and creators looking to enhance their visual work with world-class editing tools and a vibrant community. But as every working photographer knows, thriving in this industry requires more than just great images. It also requires running a smooth business behind the scenes. That’s where VSCO’s recent acquisition of Táve comes in.
We sat down with Eric Wittman, CEO of VSCO, to talk about why Táve was the right fit, how the acquisition is shaping VSCO Workspace, and what photographers can expect in the months ahead. From workflow automation to AI-assisted tools, Wittman shared how VSCO is reimagining the way photographers manage their craft and their business.
At a Glance: Key Takeaways from VSCO x Táve
- No immediate pricing changes — Legacy Táve customers won’t see subscription increases in 2025–2026, and integrations with third-party tools remain intact.
- Full team transition — All six members of the Táve team have joined VSCO, continuing in their same roles to shape and expand Workspace.
- Deeper resources — VSCO has doubled the size of the Workspace team, accelerating innovation and feature development.
- New features on the way — SMS text messaging and additional workflow automation tools are planned in the near term.
- AI, but human-centered — VSCO’s AI approach focuses on assisting, not replacing, photographers—examples include smarter preset recommendations and workflow automations.
- Strong foundation — Táve’s customer love (high NPS) and deep product capabilities were major drivers of the acquisition, giving VSCO a proven base to build on.
Interview with Eric Wittman, CEO of VSCO
Can you give us a quick introduction to who you are and your role with VSCO?
I’m Eric Wittman, CEO of VSCO, and I love to build things for photographers and creators. I’ve been at VSCO for over four years, and prior to that I spent time at Figma, Adobe and Macromedia.
How did the first conversation between VSCO and Táve come about?
We’ve always been about supporting the photography and creative community since VSCO was founded 14 years ago. One of the consistent themes we’ve heard from our community is how difficult it can be to build up and manage a successful photography business. Whether it’s getting their work out there to find clients, building strong client relationships and managing the day to day of a photography studio. We considered building our own tool, but when we looked around the market and talked to people who were using products, Táve kept coming up as the best in the market. So instead of trying to build and compete, we decided to pursue an opportunity to acquire Tave’s Studio Manager and for the Táve team to join us. We’re so glad that Adrian and the team made the choice to join forces!
If you had to describe this acquisition in one sentence to your non-tech friends, what would you say?
Building and managing a successful photography business is incredibly difficult but now with the integration of Táve’s Studio Manager into VSCO’s portfolio as VSCO Workspace, photographers have a powerful platform that handles everything from client relationships, to invoicing and billing and other operational tasks.
What excites you most about what this means for photographers over the next year?
Most photographers today are still using a grab bag of tools to facilitate their client relationships and manage their business. We want to help elevate the work of photographers and we’re taking away the difficult aspects of managing a business and giving photographers back more time to do the things they love most – being creative. More time for creativity means photographers have the opportunity to focus on getting new creative work out there to then attract new clients and continue to build their business. This is a dynamic and rapidly evolving industry and people need more time for creativity.
In the year ahead, I’m excited to roll out new features and capabilities, including SMS text messaging, and more ways to elevate photographers and their businesses.
How will Táve users benefit from the acquisition? Will legacy Táve customers see price changes in 2025–2026?
There are no pricing or subscription plan changes for VSCO Workspace (formerly Táve’s Studio Manager) at this time.
Creators using VSCO Workspace will see improvements to their overall experience and workflow because of the additional resources, creative expertise, and the technical capacity the VSCO team brings to the platform.
We are also exploring some cross-promotions, for example, offering complimentary access to the “Attract Paying Clients” workshop from The Freelance Photographer.
When you first evaluated Táve, what specific signals (e.g., retention, power-user depth, revenue mix) convinced you this should be a “buy” rather than “build or partner”? Any surprises from your due diligence that outsiders might not guess?
Having been involved in a number of acquisitions in the past, I know success often comes down to three things: team, product and customer love.
First, the team: most acquisitions fail because of cultural mismatches. With Adrian and the team, we found people who were super smart and driven around the same mission we’re on – building up photographers to make them successful. Together we’re building a platform where photographers can grow and elevate their craft.
Second is the quality of the product. Táve’s Studio Manager has solved really tough problems in unique ways that no other product does today and is something we can build on top of. It aligns perfectly with VSCO’s mission by addressing the more advanced, professional needs of creatives.
Lastly is customer love. The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is incredibly high, much like VSCO’s other products, and customers rave about the product. It’s a product that is foundational to their business and one they couldn’t imagine being without.
The biggest surprise for us has been the depth in capabilities of the product. So much goodness there and much more to come!
What changed in VSCO’s strategy in 2024–2025 (Hub launch, Facet tech, Capture) that made a studio CRM the next logical piece—versus galleries, proofing, or payments?
We spend a lot of time connecting with and listening to our community of photographers. Through those daily conversations, we know that some of the biggest unmet needs for professional photographers are connected to managing client relationships and other operational aspects of their business. Most photographers are still relying on manual methods of managing contracts, invoicing, billing etc. They need easy-to-use tools that help them automate the repeatable, important tasks that keep their business running smoothly. This is why we decided to focus on VSCO Workspace. We want to help photographers take their business to the next level and book more clients. Our mission is to nurture creativity so photographers can make it, and “making it” means more than just exposure—it takes the right business tools to thrive.
With Capture, editing, Hub, and now Workspace, are payments, proofing/galleries, or fulfillment on your future buy-or-build list? What’s your M&A rubric going forward?
We have a heavy investment in building our own products right now. Where we acquire will be in areas that help accelerate our vision to support photographers with everything they need to be successful. So we’re not done looking at potential acquisitions but we are very selective to areas that are more difficult to build or partner with another company.
You’ve integrated Rylo, Trash, Facet, and now Táve/The Freelance Photographer. What lessons from those past integrations are shaping this one?
Going back to what I was saying about people and culture as the bedrock for successful acquisitions. I want us to continue to acquire companies and/or products that bring us a great team, who are committed to our long term vision of serving photographers, who know how to build great products and are committed to making successful businesses out of those products.
Facet tech and VSCO’s newer AI tools hint at smarter workflows. What concrete AI automations can photographers expect inside Workspace this year?
We have a philosophy around AI at VSCO — we take a human centered, AI assisted approach which puts the photographer at the center. We intend to integrate basic AI tooling and functionality where it makes sense. For example, we have AI in our product that will look at an imported photo or video, and recommend presets that make the most sense. We also use AI to improve how we serve our customers such as incorporating automations in Support so we can quickly respond to our customers, address their needs, and resolve issues. This is an area we have been experimenting with and we’re already seeing great results. We will work closely with users to obtain feedback about the AI tools and features that will best serve them. We also plan to build out processes to allow our users more control over their use of AI products and features. In terms of our overall approach to AI, we believe the right AI tools should amplify and accelerate creators and their vision, not replace them.
Will VSCO keep Táve’s historically open integrations with third-party services, or are you moving toward a more closed ecosystem?
Yes, all integrations will continue to work as normal. The API will continue to work without redirect, and the documentation and new links can be found here: https://workspace.vsco.co/api/v2/.
How many members of the Táve team have joined VSCO, and what roles will they play in shaping Workspace going forward?
The full team of 6 people joined VSCO and they continue to operate in their same roles. Each team member is critical to the future of VSCO Workspace and they have hit the ground running with the transition, helping to build and improve the platform, always keeping customer business needs top of mind.
Twelve months from now, what KPIs will tell you the acquisition was a success—and what would you consider a miss?
The highest priority for us is to continue to retain customers as we make the transition to VSCO Workspace. In fact, since we acquired Táve’s Studio Manager, our customer retention rates are better than prior to acquisition. Secondly, and connected to the first priority, we want to accelerate the delivery of innovation. We’ve doubled the amount of people working on VSCO Workspace and have some ambitious plans over the coming year.
In closing, is there anything we haven’t covered that you think photographers should know about this acquisition or the future of Workspace?
Mostly we are hoping to clarify what VSCO is about and all that the platform offers photographers today. Regardless of where you are at in your journey whether you are an enthusiast looking for great tools and a supportive community or an aspiring professional looking for tools and inspiration to bring your vision to life and get exposure for that amazing work or you’re an established professional looking to reignite your passion and to level up your tooling, we’ve got what you need.
Conclusion
The creative industry has always demanded a balancing act between the art of making images and the business of sustaining a career. With Táve’s proven studio management tools now under the VSCO umbrella, photographers can expect a more seamless bridge between creativity and operations.
As Eric Wittman makes clear, the goal isn’t just about adding another tool to a crowded tech stack. Ideally, it’s about freeing photographers from busywork so they can focus on what truly matters, which is creating meaningful work, connecting with clients, and building sustainable businesses.
Whether you’re just starting out or have been running a studio for decades, VSCO Workspace represents a new kind of partner for the road ahead, one that’s committed to both the art and the business of photography. For more info on VSCO Workspace, see the following video:
