Mountain View, CA—One of the largest independent photo management platforms, SmugMug agreed to purchase Flickr. Flickr is a popular online photo management and sharing application.
Together, SmugMug and Flickr will represent one of the most influential communities of photographers. The acquisition marries SmugMug’s industry expertise and digital tools with Flickr’s global tribe of tens of millions of photographers.
Following the close of the transaction, the brands will continue to operate as separate entities. However, they will have the shared goal of providing photographers with both a place to fit in and a place to stand out. 
“Since day one, our passion has been empowering photographers to tell the stories they want to tell, the way they want to tell them. And our investment in Flickr reaffirms this commitment,” said Don MacAskill, CEO of SmugMug. “Uniting the SmugMug and Flickr brands will make the whole photography community stronger and better connected. The enduring quality of photography is so much more than clicks and likes; photography has the power to change the world. Together, we can preserve photography as the global language of storytelling.”
Established in 2002 as one of the first photo storage and sharing services, SmugMug is home to millions of passionate photographers and billions of secure photographs. The SmugMug platform provides photographers with website designs that offer a safe, easy and convenient way to share as well as showcase and sell their stories. The platform allows photographers complete control over who accesses their photos. It addition, it provides e-commerce features designed to make it easy to turn their craft into profit.
“At its heart, SmugMug encourages and empowers its community of photographers to learn, share and inspire one another,” MacAskill added. Furthermore, SmugMug provides 24/7 support, from real people, along with tips, tutorials and training events. It also hosts webinars and forums with leading photographers.
Flickr
Founded in 2004, Flickr is an active, global community of photographers that encourages users to find their inspiration. It is currently home to billions of photos and two million groups. Photography lovers go to Flickr to share their passion, discover spectacular images, hone their craft and also engage with friends.
“We share SmugMug’s mission to cater to people—professionals, amateurs and everybody in between—who invest time, energy and love into their photos,” said Andrew Stadlen of Flickr. “We look forward to becoming part of the SmugMug family and continue to grow, innovate as well as delight our global community of photographers.”
