Photography technology has changed dramatically over the past two decades, but one principle remains central for Capture One: understanding how photographers actually work.
For CEO Rafael Orta, developing new tools is not simply about predicting trends. It starts with conversations, studio visits and listening to the people using the software every day.
"One of the things that I am personally most proud of about Capture One is that we speak to thousands of photographers every year," says Orta.
"And this is not an exaggeration or a number that I just picked out of thin air."
Listening before developing
Capture One regularly attends major photography events around the world, including industry shows, conferences, school visits and studio sessions.
But Orta says the relationship goes beyond simply showing products.
"We are a company that is truly, truly connected with the industry," he explains.
"It's not done in a detached, in an arms-length way. It’s actually done in a very physical way."
The company sends team members to meet photographers directly, from large international events to smaller studio visits where they can understand professional workflows in detail.
Orta gives an example and explains that Capture One team members recently visited studios in Paris to hear how photographers work and what challenges they face.
Those conversations help shape future products and services.
"We have an abundance of touch points that allow us to incorporate and understand what our customers need, but also how the industry is evolving," he says.
"The technology almost seems to melt away"
One area where Capture One sees continued importance is tethered shooting – a workflow where a camera is connected directly to a computer during a shoot, enabling images to appear instantly on a larger display.
Capture One says tethering remains a key part of professional photography, particularly when teams are collaborating on commercial shoots.
"It's such a central part of the Capture One experience," says Orta.
“You can have a team of people working around a photography shoot and the camera is connected to a workstation, and that immediately brings that team into the process.”
For Orta, the best technology is often the technology photographers barely notice.
"What we see is that the technology almost seems to melt away into the background," he explains.
"People start to talk about their photography and where they want to get to, and how they get to the creative vision that they have."
Capture One has committed to releasing tethering support for Hasselblad cameras before the end of the year, with the focus on reliability, speed and stability.
"The things that we care about are the speed of the file transfer and the reliability of that connection," says Orta.
"The day that we launch tethering, photographers will just be able to pick up their body, plug their cable there, and it’s just going to work seamlessly."
A small company with a global impact
Although Capture One is headquartered in Denmark with a team of around 122 people, the company also has offices in Greece, London and the US. Orta says the company’s influence reaches far beyond its size.
"We're this very, very specialized, very focused company from Denmark, but the impact that we have on global photography vastly outsizes the fact that we’re this specialized company," he says.
Capture One software is used across commercial photography, fashion, advertising, journalism, entertainment and other areas where images play an important cultural and commercial role.
Sometimes, Orta says, the company even notices its software appearing unexpectedly in films and television shows during photography scenes.
"It's something that is very, very unique to a company that has achieved this status and this position as an industry standard," he says.
For Capture One, the future of photography is not just about new technology – it is about continuing to support the people creating the images.
"We always do that in a very close relationship with our customers," Orta says.
"That's how we influence the way photography workflow works."
Explore Capture One's current plans and pricing, including a one-time purchase.
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