February PUG Meeting

Meeting time: Monday, February 22nd, 7pm

NEW Location: 1411    113th Street South, Tacoma, Wa. 98444

Bring: Appetizer or Dessert to share

Guest Topic & Speaker: “Legal Considerations for Photography Businesses,” Paige Buurstra, Burstraa Law Firm

About Paige: Paige is a native Washintonian and has been married for 5 years and have one daughter. In 2001, she graduated summa cum laude from Wheaton College, and in 2008, she graduated magna cum laude from Seattle University School of Law. She started her private practice in the fall of 2008 after being admitted to the Washington State Bar. Her practice focuses on serving small, artistic businesses which generally includes business formation, contracts, and commercial leases.  Her practice also includes wills and estate planning. In serving clients, her goal is to help them set-up the protections they need to avoid liability exposure and litigation in the future.

January PUG meeting with Mike Larson

Join us for this month’s PUG on Monday, January 18th with Mike Larson!

Time: 6:30pm – 10:00pm

Location: 1017 N 27th Place, Renton WA 98056 (night shoot portion will be at a location nearby)

Bring: A snack or drink to share

RSVP: The night shoot portion of this evening may begin at a location other than the one listed above, so please be sure to RSVP here so that you receive all of the pertinent details.

Questions? Contact your PUG leaders, Airika & Gerald Pope, or visit the Tacoma PUG Facebook Page

Details: Live Night shoot Demo & Innovative talk: Excelling in client relationships, Trust, 100% referral biz, UN-commoditizing yourself, Mastering your art, Excellent times. We’ll do a LIVE Night (flash) shoot of a couple going over practical examples of how to relate to clients and get amazing images during a casual portrait shoot OR a wedding. Mike will share how he relates to clients to build trust, and confidence with your clients and yourself to separate YOU from other photographers. Its important to know where you stand in comparison from the rest of the industry Are you a commodity or a highly desired artist? How to become that unique artist you want to be. Then a final inspirational slideshow & stories with open Q&A

Mike will be meeting before hand in each city for breakfast or lunch to share his heart of where the industry is now, what trends are developing, what the future holds for successful photographers growing a business in todays economy. You are invited to come, hang out and participate in this dialogue and open conversation, as an intro the the Pictage sponsored evening!

Mike’s Bio: Developing his style from an editorial/catalogue photographer, and shooting surfing & lifestyle, Mike had the opportunity to work with multi million dollar ad campaigns which gave him a perspective on quality, mastering his craft, and real world marketing. Big clients such as Roxy, Bodyglove and Swell.com like these, don’t accept anything less than perfect. Shooting slides for immediate editorial demanded shooting right the 1st time. Traveling the Globe and getting things done required excellent management, and closing leads and maintaining excited clients became his number one job. in 2004 Mike jumped back into weddings with both feet and within 2 years had shot 80 weddings. His mindset to fast track and develop a big client base in 2 years paid off.

Now in the last 2 years Mike’s business has grown and so has his outlook on business & life. He has a team of 6 photographers who photograph 80+ weddings per year. Their volume has given them the freedom to grow and pursue exciting opportunities. His business has allowed him to travel the world. Using his business growth and buzz he built a brand new studio on the coast of California.

He maintains an amazingly blessed marriage with his sweet wife Rachel. Striving to always be learning, reading, sharing & encouraging others. He believes that one’s business should be a vehicle for a more abundant life. Have your business support your ideal lifestyle. Recently he has photographed weddings in Singapore, Brazil, Italy, Ireland, Hawaii & the West Indies as well as having a recent wedding published in InStyle Weddings and another upcoming feature on Style me Pretty.

“Business success & profits should be just scalable as your freedom in life”

For more info on Mike, visit www.mikelarson.com and make sure to follow him at twitter.com/mikelarsoninc.

Annual Christmas Party & Guest Speaker Gary Fong!

Date & Time: Monday, December 14th, 7-10:30pm (Guest Speaker will begin at 8pm)

Location: Q Cafe (Link leads to Directions), 3223 15th Avenue West, Seattle (just south of the Ballard bridge)

Bring:

• Cash for the tea/coffee bar  (We have a barista at this event, so please leave your other drinks at home.)
• Holiday Food to share  (Studio names A-L: please bring an appetizer, salad or main dish || M-Z: please bring Christmas cookies/dessert)

Guest Speaker: We are excited to be hosting Gary Fong at this month’s PUG meeting! His “State of the Industry” talk is a real treat, so we hope you’ll join us! Please see below for more info about Gary.

Questions: Contact Airika & Gerald Pope, Airika (at) geraldpope.com

Gary Fong’s State of the Industry:

For 20 years, Gary Fong operated one of the most financially successful photography studios ever. Starting by charging $150 to shoot a wedding (with no time limit!) he began selling large wedding albums with a simple premise, pre-designing the album and emphasizing album design over anything else. In an era of shoot-to-burn price competition, Gary will carefully explain how to achieve ravingly happy clients and how to grow your business exponentially with no advertising. Gary will explain the system he relied on to allow him to enjoy remarkable financial success even through two deep recessions, and will explain why consumers distrust advertising in difficult times, and how to price reasonably and effectively. Gary retired from photography at 42, just after co-founding the lab at Pictage. He then went on to design the Lightsphere family of diffusers, and controls a multimillion dollar empire including real estate, plastics manufacturing, warehousing and distribution.

Bio
As a professional photographer Gary ended his 20 year long career in 2002 to pursue other interests, including creating the solution to unflattering images lit with direct flash lighting called the “Lightsphere.” Since introducing the Lightsphere in late 2004, more than 400,000 Lightspheres have been sold worldwide. After inventing the Lightsphere, Gary built a veritable cottage industry around variations on his popular dome-shaped Lightsphere light diffuser including variations called, “The Origami” and “The Puffer.” Gary has expanded into extensive real estate holdings with properties in the U.S. and Canada, a shipping and distribution warehouse in Wisconsin Rapids, WI and a plastics manufacturing company in Columbus, Indiana specializing in environmentally-friendly plastics made from corn and other bio materials. His most recent book THE ACCIDENTAL MILLIONAIRE: How to Succeed in Life without Really Trying,” has been described as “a humorous, poignant memoir of the man said to have revolutionized wedding photography.”

November 18th PUG with Joe Buissink!

Special guest speaker, Joe Buissink will come and give a discussion about the psychology involved behind shooting weddings: who we are when we shoot an event, and how it shows in our work!

When: Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

Time: 7pm

Location:

Double Tree Southcenter
16500 Southcenter Parkway
Seattle, WA 98188-3388
(206) 575-8220

Parking is free!

Info: This event is FREE and open to all photographers–we just ask that you RSVP (to the right)!

About Joe:
Joe’s photography is about capturing the moments, and the essence of the person in those moments. His work redefines wedding photography, and has been described as Fine Art by his most notable celebrity clients. Joe has become a world-renowned teacher in the photographic field. His teachings have taken him on an international platform from Japan and Australia to England, Scotland and Ireland, as well as in the United States. Joe has been profiled by Good Morning America, Entertainment Tonight, Extra, Lifetime Television’s Wedding of a Lifetime, and E!. His work is published regularly in InStyle Weddings, Grace Ormonde Wedding Style, and People Magazine.

For Canon’s full calendar of events, go to www.usa.canon.com/dlc

October PUG Meeting

Date: Wednesday,  October 28, 2009

Time: 7pm – 9:30pm

Location: Home of KCB Photography, 22203 68th Pl W, Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043

Mapquest and Google Maps don’t always get you to the house.  Here are directions:

From I-5 take exit 179 for 220th St. Mountlake Terrace

Head west on 220th St

Turn L on 66th Ave W

Go two short blocks and turn R on 222nd St

Go over the hill into Sunset Landing, the road curves to the left.

It is the second house on the left.

Topic: Blog, Website & Branding reviews: Please bring a laptop and a few sentences that describe the brand/image you want to be portraying on your website and blog.  We’ll break into groups to share with each other and give/receive feedback on the messages we are portraying, as well as discuss whether or not those messages are consistent throughout our branding.

Bring: Please bring a drink, appetizer, or dessert to share.

Questions? Contact Airika & Gerald Pope or visit the Tacoma PUG Facebook Page

PartnerCon 2009, November 3-5: Be sure to check out the recently updated schedule for PartnerCon 2009! It is going to be an absolutely AMAZING conference, with an unbelievably talented lineup of speakers, fabulous photoshoots on the streets of NOLA, and a charity event to benefit those affected by Hurricane Katrina. As you’ve already heard me (Airika) say, out of all the conferences I’ve attended, PartnerCon 2008 was by far the most valuable. The intimate environment allowed me to develop real relationships with other photographers, while learning valuable skills that were uniquely applicable to my business. If I could only attend one conference each year, it would definitely be PartnerCon. Seriously–it’s just THAT good! And, it’s now open to ALL photographers, not just Pictage members! One more note: Pictage is paying close attention to which regions are most active in their local PUGs, so whether you’re a Pictage user or not, be sure to mention the Tacoma PUG as your referrer when you sign up. This will help get the Tacoma PUG priority consideration for guest speakers (like Joe Buissink, Dennis Reggie, David Beckstead, and more!), as well as funding for fun activities and events at our PUG in 2010. I don’t know about you, but I love having awesome speakers at our PUG, so let’s show Pictage that we’re serious about community!

September PUG Meeting w/Guest Speaker Dane Sanders

Date: Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Time: 7:00pm – 10:00pm 

*New Location*
Double Tree Southcenter
16500 Southcenter Parkway
Seattle, WA 98188-3388
(206) 575-8220

Parking is free!

Speaker Topic: “Standing Out from the Crowd”, with Dane Sanders. Dane Sanders is a photographer, author and speaker. He has been invited to be a platform speaker at Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI), Imaging USA and as a sponsored speaker at PhotoPlus East in New York City. He has been featured in numerous publications including Rangefinder andProfessional Photographer. Fast Track Photographer: the definitive new approach to successful wedding photography is Dane’s first book. Dane and Tami, along with their four children, make their home in Newport Beach, California.

Questions? Contact Airika & Gerald Pope or visit the Tacoma PUG Facebook Page

PartnerCon 2009, November 3-5: Be sure to check out the recently updated schedule for PartnerCon 2009! It is going to be an absolutely AMAZING conference, with an unbelievably talented lineup of speakers, fabulous photoshoots on the streets of NOLA, and a charity event to benefit those affected by Hurricane Katrina. As you’ve already heard me (Airika) say, out of all the conferences I’ve attended, PartnerCon 2008 was by far the most valuable. The intimate environment allowed me to develop real relationships with other photographers, while learning valuable skills that were uniquely applicable to my business. If I could only attend one conference each year, it would definitely be PartnerCon. Seriously–it’s just THAT good! And, it’s now open to ALL photographers, not just Pictage members!

One more note: Pictage is paying close attention to which regions are most active in their local PUGs, so whether you’re a Pictage user or not, be sure to mention the Tacoma PUG as your referrer when you sign up. This will help get the Tacoma PUG priority consideration for guest speakers (like Joe Buissink, Dennis Reggie, David Beckstead, and more!), as well as funding for fun activities and events at our PUG in 2010. I don’t know about you, but I love having awesome speakers at our PUG, so let’s show Pictage that we’re serious about community!

August PUG Meeting

Date: Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm

Location: Me Ra Koh’s Home; Address will only be sent to photographers who RSVP.

Speaker Topic: “Keepin’ it Real in a Rockstar World”, with Jeff & Erin Youngren. More than ever, the urge to become admired and well-known within the wedding photography industry has created a Hollywood-like effect, transforming successful photographers into celebrity-style icons, while the world’s brides crave authenticity and transformative leadership. Jeff and Erin will discuss the impacts that this has had on the wedding photography industry –both good and bad – and show you how honesty, generosity, and authentic leadership can transform your rising business into a successful brand.

Bring: Please bring a drink, appetizer, or dessert to share.

Questions? Contact Airika & Gerald Pope or visit the Tacoma PUG Facebook Page

PartnerCon 2009, November 3-5: Be sure to check out the recently updated schedule for PartnerCon 2009! It is going to be an absolutely AMAZING conference, with an unbelievably talented lineup of speakers, fabulous photoshoots on the streets of NOLA, and a charity event to benefit those affected by Hurricane Katrina. As you’ve already heard me (Airika) say, out of all the conferences I’ve attended, PartnerCon 2008 was by far the most valuable. The intimate environment allowed me to develop real relationships with other photographers, while learning valuable skills that were uniquely applicable to my business. If I could only attend one conference each year, it would definitely be PartnerCon. Seriously–it’s just THAT good! And, it’s now open to ALL photographers, not just Pictage members!

One more note: Pictage is paying close attention to which regions are most active in their local PUGs, so whether you’re a Pictage user or not, be sure to mention the Tacoma PUG as your referrer when you sign up. This will help get the Tacoma PUG priority consideration for guest speakers (like Joe Buissink, Dennis Reggie, David Beckstead, and more!), as well as funding for fun activities and events at our PUG in 2010. I don’t know about you, but I love having awesome speakers at our PUG, so let’s show Pictage that we’re serious about community!

July PUG-Summer BBQ

Date: Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Time: 7:30pm – 10:00pm  (Please note that this meeting is starting later than usual.)

Agenda: Join us for our annual summmer BBQ! This is a great meeting to invite new photographers to, so spread the word!

Bring: Gerald and I will pick up burgers (meat & veggie), hot dogs, and buns. Please bring a drink (mhmm…cold beer?) and a side item/dessert to share.

Location: Alex Rubin’s Rooftop Deck in Fremont, 2558 Dexter Ave. N #104, Seattle, WA 98109  (Phone: 206.276.1894)

Questions? Contact Airika & Gerald Pope or visit the Tacoma PUG Facebook Page

June Pictage Users’ Group Meeting

Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Time: 6:30pm

Meeting Location: 3rd floor of Urban Grace, 902 Market St,  Tacoma, WA 98402

Bring: An appetizer or dessert to share. We will provide drinks. (Note: Per the venue’s request, please do not bring alcohol to this meeting.) For those who are interested, some of us will be grabbing a late dinner after the meeting this month. Feel free to join us!

Leader Info: Airika & Gerald Pope

Pictage Agenda: 2009 Partner Con, Directory Listing & Client Reviews

Local Topic: Personal Projects: Have you been working on a personal photography project? Are you interested in sharing with the rest of the group? Please email Airika at geraldpope.com.