The Fall of VHT Studios: Why Undervaluing Creatives Doesn’t Work
When Vacasa shifted its global media operations to Matterport, hundreds of independent photography contractors—myself included—were left out overnight. Vacasa had been my biggest client at the time, and like many others, I was told that if I wanted to keep photographing their properties, I’d have to go through Matterport’s internal media team: VHT Studios.
I decided to give it a chance, figuring I could fill some gaps in my schedule. But within a few shoots, it became clear that something was off. After a string of unanswered complaints and a few internal fits of frustration, I stopped accepting their assignments.
VHT built their model on undercutting experienced professionals, operating in a fantasy where quality mattered little—as long as the price was low enough. As seasoned photographers walked away, amateurs were left to carry the workload. The results were predictable: a rapid decline in quality and trust. Clients always had the option to use them, but most agents never came back—so they kept lowering prices more. A race to the bottom.
Watching VHT sink into this spiral was like studying a case in what not to do in this industry. Management funneled resources into automation, tech, and gimmicky executives while bleeding out the talent—holding absurd “photography town hall meetings” where they pitched imaginary success stories that had nothing to do with reality.
In parallel, Zillow’s dominance only grew more brutal—the already massive gap between them and players like CoStar Group (owners of Matterport and VHT) kept widening fast. And when you combine that kind of market pressure with internal mismanagement, the end becomes inevitable. (This has been building up for years—it’s why CoStar acquired Matterport in a desperate attempt to compete with Zillow. But so far, that move only seems to be bleeding them further.)
VHT has officially announced they’ll be shutting down by the end of August.
And here’s the silver lining: this collapse is quietly resetting the landscape. The market is coming back to where it should be—in terms of realistic pricing and better quality offerings. Like every other cycle, the shortcuts get exposed, and the wannabe photographers eventually drop out when they realize it’s not that easy. What’s left are the people who actually care—the ones who’ve built their craft with intention and pride.
If you’re a realtor or property manager who once relied on VHT and are now looking for a new media partner, I’d love to connect. Editorial-style images, real communication, a more soulful, human approach to visual storytelling.
Let’s create something better.
