December 4th Meeting

Hello Everyone!

If you missed PUG last night, you missed a good one. Elizabeth kicked the meeting off by reminding us of the value and power of giving vendors prints of their work. A powerful lesson in networking and staying true to your word!

Mike Larson came in to talk to us about Leadership and Influence and I know he inspired me to become a better leader and person! Mike shared some great marketing ideas and tips for building relationship with vendors as well. Don't the VIP parties and premiere parties just sound fun?! Mike also reminded us to set ourselves apart from the competition by providing a customer experience for people to talk about!

It was great to be reminded that "who we are transcends everything" and we should be aware of developing ourselves constantly. Mike reminded us that if "we are not growing in learning, we are going backwards in leading!" Ouch but true!

After Mike's talk I started working on my NOT TO DO LIST, making a book list from some of the books he suggested like:
The E-Myth Revisited (a great book I need to read again) and Never Eat Alone. He also mentioned this book which is an oldie but goodie and a favorite of mine!

Mike showed us how ShootQ helps him manage his leads and employees by helping assign tasks and build workflow. A great system which we use here at MHP and he shared with us about KISS wedding books which I will be ordering soon!

A BIG THANKS TO KEVIN SEIFERT FOR THE PHOTOS BELOW! Several people had left before we were able to take the group shot so sorry if we missed you!

October 9th Meeting...

Hi everyone!

We are confirmed with Hi5 for this Thursday, October 9th for the October PUG meeting. We've got the room beginning at 6:30pm, so come early if you want to eat and chat before the meeting. We'll start at 7:00pm.

Shane Snider will be speaking about wedding photojournalism, the WPJA, winning contests (c'mon, share your secret, Shane!) and lots of other great info. Note Shane being listed #2 in the world on the latest WPJA rankings! GO SHANE!



We'll also be talking about changes to the new Pictage consumer sites (including music for slide shows -- yay!), Holiday Best Practices and ways to leverage Pictage's free album design service.

Looking forward to seeing everyone and to hearing from Shane!

Feel free to call or email with any questions: 919.389.7274

Best,

Elizabeth

August Meeting Recap

Our August meeting was so much fun! Another HUGE thanks to Robin Lin for hosting us in here kickin' new studio... LOVE IT! Also a big thank you to Michael & Anna Costa for being willing to come all the way here and lay some killer ideas out there for us to grab a hold of. I hope everyone was inspired to take their business to another level! If you missed the meeting you might be able to find the notes along with some information on Michael & Anna's new forum for photographers by clicking here.






Our group is growing quickly and we are seeing lots of new faces in the crowd. Here is a peak of everyone from this week. Some people had to leave before the meeting concluded and missed the shot, we will take a shot before we get started next time!





We will not be meeting in September due to our late August meeting, but we will be starting back in October with a new date to meet. Stay tuned to the blog for updates or email millie@millieholloman.com to be added to the PUG email list.

*Click on the images to see them larger, feel free to post them to your own blogs as well!

AUGUST MEETING . Location and Date change!

Hi Everyone!

This is just a quick post to let you know that the date of our upcoming August meeting and the venue has changed! We will now be meeting on Tuesday August 19th at Robin Lin's new studio in Durham! Robin just moved into this amazing location and has graciously offered to host our PUG this month... thanks Robin!

The address to Robin's studio is:

807 E. Main St., Suite 3113
Durham, NC 27701

If you need more specific directions or have a question regarding the location, email Robin directly (robin@robinlin.com).

The meeting will begin at 6:30pm and we will be providing pizza and drinks.... we hope you are able to come out to hear Michael and Anna speak. I have posted a blurb on what they will be sharing below and it promises to be a night of great fun and fellowship so don't miss out!

STANDING OUT IN THE PHOTOGRAPHY INDUSTRY

In the sea of wedding photographers how can one hope to stand out in the crowd? It seems a daunting task, yet Michael and Anna have managed to catapult their business into the high end in 3 short years and will be sharing their secrets of success in this information packed presentation! Be ready to make small changes in your business that result in big rewards by learning how to:

- Get noticed through your amazing artwork
- Shoot BOTH digital and film/create an edge
- Hire Associate Photographers to Increase revenue
- Create Branding That Puts you at the Top
- Outsource the things that are Weighing you Down
- Become a Champion Sales Person
- Don't "Run" your business "Build" it!

This presentation is perfect for photographers wanting to get their business onto the fast track and achieve a new level of success!

Michael + Anna Score the Cover of Las Vegas Bride Magazine!

Michael + Anna's Images Featured on The TV Guide Networks' show - The Water Cooler!

a place for the people - be among the first to -inspire. enjoy. uplift. photoforthepeople.com

www.michaelandannacosta.com

See everyone on the 19th!

August Meeting

Hi Everyone!

It has been a while since we have updated the blog so I have some news to share with you along with an update on some changes for our August meeting!

Please welcome with me our new PUG co-leader Elizabeth Meyers of Sweet Life Photography. Elizabeth has been attending the PUG for some time and has taught us lots of great tips and tricks for Lightroom and many other things photography! I am excited to have someone local who knows that area to assist me in leading the PUG! We will soon be making plans for the remaining 208 meetings and releasing a schedule so stay tuned! Some of our ventures include head shots for each other and maybe even some couples to shoot... we are going to have a blast with this one. If you have any ideas, please email millie@millieholloman.com, we want to hear what you want to do!


As for the August meeting, please make note that this will be a special meeting with GUESTS, Michael & Anna Costa joining us on the PUG tour. Be sure to make this meeting and bring a friend. I heard Michael & Anna speak at PartnerCon a couple of years ago and they did a super job. Two sweet people with a great heart and a lot of sense. You don't want to miss this!

The meeting will be at Hi-5 in downtown Raleigh at our faithful old time of 6:30pm... don't miss it!

You can also read more information on Michael & Anna at photoforthepeople.com.



The above image was taken from the blog of Leo Flores when Michael & Anna recently visited their PUG in California!

See you August 19th!

June Meeting - Welcome Gig Books!

Hi all!

Our next meeting is June 3rd and I am looking forward to seeing everyone as it has been a couple of months now! I am excited that we have Justin, from Gig Books flying in to speak at our next meeting. He is on a PUG Tour showing off his new studio management software. I spent about an hour and a half on the phone with Justin last week previewing the software and it is a great tool for tracking leads, sending client emails and having a great database of your valuable information. The web based application is just a great way to organize your business and I hope everyone can come out for the presentation, great fellowship, and food!

See everyone at 6:30pm on June 3rd at Hi-5 in downtown Raleigh.

May Meeting Cancelled

Hey Everyone! Just a quick note to let you know that we have cancelled tonight's meeting. I recently found out that there is a workshop in the area which many of you are planning to attend and many of our PUG members who were planning to attend either have sick children or activities tonight. However, know that I am scheming up some great plans for our June meeting and will announce them once everything is concrete!

May PUG Meeting and Poll

It's that time again... Our next PUG meeting is coming up next Tuesday, May 6th. I heard the last meeting went off without a hitch as Elizabeth took lead during my absence and gave everyone a tour of Lightroom. Thanks Elizabeth!

I have been racking my brain trying to figure out what to discuss at our next meeting and I have a couple of ideas which I have listed in the poll below. I am also looking ideas on guest speakers and and even topics you may want to present to the group. Be sure to take the poll below and let me know what topics would be of interest to you. Also, let me know what you might contribute and that you are willing!

I also received a copy of the new Pictage Art Book, which is REALLY nice. I was actually surprised at how nice it was. I will be sure to bring it to the meeting with me next Tuesday.

Our meeting is next Tuesday, May 6th. 6:30pm at Hi-5 in downtown Raleigh. Anyone is welcome to come!

no more puppy for us...

I just got news from Pictage headquarters that we have finally graduated from a PUPPY PUG to a real PUG. We have grown up and no longer have to carry the status of PUPPY in our group any longer. This means super cool things for us like more guest speakers, prize drawings and it also means that we are headed in the right direction with our growth... yippee!!!

Congratulations to all of you on the growth of our PUG!

Don't forget that our April meeting has been moved to the second Tuesday in April, the 8th. Elizabeth will be doing a sweet presentation on lightroom and helping us all become better managers of our time by using a great program to speed up our workflow. Don't miss it!

Feb PUG MEETING

A brief update on the February meeting for our PUG. We will meet on February 5th at 6:30 pm at Hi-5. Don't forget to come out and invite someone to come with!

Elizabeth will be moving her Feb presentation on Lightroom to April because we had a little conflict with her calender. No worries though... I will be giving a presentation on how to build relationships with wedding vendors and how to have them sending you business by the droves. This will be the same presentation I gave at the Pictage Partner Con last year in Chicago. I think everyone will enjoy hearing how these ideas have helped my business and how you can apply these same ideas in your market! I can't wait to see everyone there!

January PUG Meeting Review

Our group is growing quickly and at just 5 months old we recently had 21 people in attendance at our most recent meeting! Many people drove in from a couple of hours away just to attend. Of course we had some great guest speakers come in from CT to share some great ideas and inspire us all. Justin & Mary of Imagine Imaging shared with us how we could take out client relations to another level and they did a fantastic job. If you are looking for more information on the PUG, give me a call in the studio to discuss times and locations.

We are building and little "photo family" and we have BIG PUG plans for 08' too! Our upcoming PUG meeting for February will take place at 6:30pm, February 5th, at our normal location Hi-5, where our very own PUG member, Elizabeth of Sweet Life Photography, will be sharing with us how Lightroom helps her to increase performance in her business and giving us a tour of this powerful software. I can't wait because I have been wanting to learn the ins and outs of this software for some time but have not taken the time to learn it.

In March we have big plans to have a CPA out to speak with us about all things governmental and how they relate to photography. I guess we will soon find out everything we are doing wrong and how to make it right. Ignorance is no excuse when you get audited.

Don't be a stranger, stop in, we would love to have you anytime! Here are a few shots of Mary and Justin brining the goods and the entire gang being goofballs is up above! We love you Justin and Mary and appreciate you driving in to hang out with us... you left us inspired! For those of you who read this blog post and are located in the Raleigh area or even a couple hours of it... you should join us.

January 15th - WE HAVE GUEST SPEAKERS!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

It has been too long since we have met and I am super excited because not only do I get to spend this coming Tuesday with my good friends and fellow photographers Justin and Mary Marantz... you do too! Justin and Mary are driving in from Connecticut on a mini PUG tour and they are going to be joining us on Tuesday, January 15th at Hi-5 in downtown Raleigh at 6:30pm. Everyone try to bring out a friend to enjoy their company and wisdom. Remember, you do not have to be a Pictage photographer to come out!

These are some of the sweetest and most down to earth people I know. I had the chance to speak to their PUG group in mid 2007 and their PUG is awesome not to mention the LARGEST PUG group at Pictage.Below is a little more info on Justin & Mary as well as a bit about what they will be speaking on...

Mary & Justin Marantz own one of the fastest growing studios on the East Coast. In the past year their business has exploded, going from shooting local weddings averaging $3,000 to booking events upwards of $10,000, taking them all over the world in 2008. Ultimately, the reason for this breakout success comes down to one basic principle that has become the very foundation of their business: they view their clients and other photographers as friends.
Breaking the bounds of conventional professionalism, Mary & Justin have built a sales force based entirely around their “clients & competition turned friends.” They’ll take you through the entire experience- from the very first meeting to long after the wedding- showing you exactly how to create an ongoing “loyalty beyond reason” with your clients. In turn, this particular brand of loyalty translates into the kind of super-referrals that take all of the work out of future bookings.
Combined with the power of repeat-referrals from a strong network of photographer friends, you will be able to shift the dynamic and actually pick and choose the clients you want to work with…and there is no better place to start building this kind of community than with your own local PUG.

BIO:
Justin graduated from the highly-acclaimed Rochester Institute of Technology in 2003, and was the featured winner of the 2006 PDN Top Knots Photography Contest. Mary is a 2006 graduate of the Yale Law School, and brings with her a sharp business sense and a high-end take on marketing & branding. Their work has been featured in Brides magazine, Grace Ormonde and La Bella Bride. In 2007 Mary & Justin formed a non-profit called “The Portrait House,” and their “Million Faces Campaign” has taken off nationally on its mission to raise a million dollars for Habitat for Humanity.