How NCAA Photos Built a Winning Workflow with PhotoShelter

The creative force behind college sports content

Since its inception in 1994, NCAA Photos has served as the official photography partner of the NCAA. Operated by Clarkson Creative Photography in Denver, Colorado, the team has spent more than 30 years specializing in dynamic, storytelling imagery across both collegiate and professional sports.

With a talented team of staff photographers, freelancers, and interns, NCAA Photos covers hundreds of NCAA events each year. They needed a fast, flexible system to manage growing media demands and streamline delivery across departments.

The challenge: Meeting the demands of every game

Jamie Schwaberow and the team at NCAA Photos work around the clock. They’re shooting, transmitting, editing, and delivering images from 91  NCAA championships each season. Prior to adopting PhotoShelter back in 2008, their process was functional but time-consuming. The system simply couldn’t keep up with expectations.

• No central archive to support fast turnaround. Without a digital library, everything from photo delivery to archiving was done manually. The team often had to dig through old folders or chase down files across multiple devices just to fulfill a single request.
• No way to deliver real-time photos from live events. The team couldn’t instantly push content from venues. Tight timelines, especially during March Madness, made this a major pain point for the entire creative team.
• Lack of mobile access slowed down workflows. Checking uploads, reviewing images, or sharing content required a computer. That created friction during travel and long event days.
• No system for team or client collaboration. Their operation requires working with many people who need access to the photos. This includes editors, marketers, designers, freelancers, and NCAA stakeholders. The team needed a more efficient way to collaborate and share files at scale.

“I think it was called Digital Railroad… that’s what we used before PhotoShelter. And just like the start of digital cameras, when we realized we needed to make the switch, we realized we couldn’t just email or FTP photos over to the NCAA anymore… We had to have a true digital archive.”

Jamie Schwaberow, Owner & Director, Clarkson Creative Photography

The solution: Building a faster, smarter workflow

Before PhotoShelter, NCAA Photos relied on outdated tools and workarounds. For over 15 years now, they’ve transformed their creative process, building a high-performance system that keeps pace with the demands of live sports.

Here’s how they leveled up operations:

• One platform to run it all. Their PhotoShelter library powers the entire NCAA media pipeline from storage and tagging to delivery and search. “We knew that we needed to have a service like this for the NCAA. They have so many staff members who need to utilize the content. We wanted to have a solution that is way more sophisticated than just getting email requests and doing searches,” said Jamie. “So, having all the keywords, having an online digital library… All of that was obviously a huge selling point.”

• FTP uploads that move faster than the game. The team uses incoming FTP for freelancers and live events. “The incoming FTP has become part of our norm now. We have a number of championships where the clients need stuff fast, and the ability to have freelancers just upload to an FTP and give those to clients has been super beneficial,” said Justin Tafoya. “I can’t imagine not having that. It’s been a great service to provide to the NCAA.”
• On-the-go access with FileFlow. Whether reviewing remotes during March Madness or uploading golf photos from the course, staff members can now manage images right from their phones. “I check FileFlow all the time… it’s such a nice, easy way to double-check things,” said C. Morgan Engel. “For NCAA Golf, when I’m out on the course all day and don’t have a ton of time to go back to my computer, I’ll choose the images, download the photos to my cell,  and then use FileFlow to upload them to the respective galleries. So that’s been useful, too.”
• Keyword tagging makes search easy. Their custom tagging system helps every department find what they need. “We have a list of our keywords on our public-facing PhotoShelter portal that you can look at. And we’ve noticed that certain departments like certain things. For example, we have an unrecognizable athlete tag that we put on photos that the marketing department now uses with NIL. We’ve got tags for corporate partners such as Powerade, and other types of verbiage that certain departments at the NCAA use,” Justin said. “So it’s been great. From what we’ve heard, the NCAA is able to find what they are searching for very easily.”

• Workspaces keep teams aligned. As Jamie explained, NCAA departments use Workspaces “to select still photos for TV commercials and for marketing and ticketing campaigns.” With so many people involved, including branding, social, web teams, and outside vendors, Workspaces keeps it all moving. “There are a lot of hands in the pot… and they’re all utilizing PhotoShelter.”

“March is always crazy for us. There are thousands of photos coming in daily. PhotoShelter’s been able to handle all of that. And the way that it’s presented with our instant transmit galleries, it’s been a great way to keep things organized and easily accessible and searchable for the NCAA.”

Justin Tafoya, Staff Photographer & Digital Asset Manager, Clarkson Creative Photography

Faster delivery means better engagement

PhotoShelter didn’t just solve operational problems; it changed the way Clarkson Creative Photography works with its biggest client. The NCAA can now get high-impact images seconds after the moment happens. That’s a game changer for social engagement, campaigns, and brand storytelling.

“The speed at which we can deliver photos now certainly helps the NCAA. The amazing diving catch, the game-winning shot… They have photos within 30 seconds, which certainly helps with engagement. It’s been a big part of what we do, and a big part of what they value.”

Justin Tafoya, Staff Photographer & Digital Asset Manager, Clarkson Creative Photography