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.

Dec. 4 Meeting - Website Critique

Don't forget about our PUG Meeting tomorrow night, Dec 4th. Same bat place, same bat time (Hi-5 @ 6:30pm). We had originally chatted about doing some headshots of one another but I think we should save that for later.

Let's focus on what we really wanted to do website critiques!!! If you have a laptop that can get on WiFi... bring it, we will be given the internet code from Hi-5. I think it will make it easy to follow along as a group if most people bring a laptop and we can buddy up. Shoot me an email at millie@millieholloman.com if you plan on coming. I would love to get an idea of how many people will be there and be sure to bring a friend in the business!

November 6th Meeting

Hi Everyone!

My apologies for not posting or touching base sooner! I just wanted to let you know that our next meeting is this coming Tuesday, November 6th. We are at the same place, same time. Hi 5 at 6:30pm. This weeks local agenda will be discussing Hi Resolution DVD's: Do we give them to our clients?

I also received a box of goodies from Pictage... it was full of samples to bring to the meeting so I will be bringing them with me for everyone to take a peak at. Pictage has a new product coming in December and I have a sample of it to bring as well. We will also be discussing what type of products Pictage should carry, they are going to be brining in some new lines of product before long and want our opinion.

Hope to see you at the meeting!