Maine PUG September agenda

A year and a half ago I was approached to lead a monthly group of local wedding photographers who also use Pictage, the online image hosting and professional lab I have used since 2003! I gladly accepted and opened the group up to all photographers, not just wedding photographers and not just photographers who use the Pictage service. We've had round-table discussions with magazine editors, commercial and stock photographers, other top notch wedding industry vendors, lighting and gear demonstrations, and even legal advice. I am proud of the range of topics covered and depth of information shared with our close knit community. I am also insanely busy and therefore will be passing the torch after next Tuesday, my final meeting as host.

Photographers: Months in the making, we're so happy that Justin and Mary Marantz will be joining us from Connecticut on September 6th at 7p to discuss tips for attracting and booking clients like you. A perfect pep talk as we head into the fall booking season! Please RSVP asap as this meeting will be limited to 25 people.

Look forward to seeing you next week!

Maine spring PUG agenda

Happy March Maine Photographers!

It's almost Spring and clients will be coming! Time to brush up on those lighting skills! As I'm still on maternity leave, please join Beth Fitzgerald for the PUG group on Wednesday, March 16th at 7pm at Blush Imagery Photo Studio, 28 Maple Street, 3rd Floor, Portland, Maine. Location lighting guru Brian Fitzgerald of Fitzgerald Photo will lead a full tutorial on balancing multiple lights and modifiers in the studio and on-location. Bring your camera, if you want to shoot along. Plus, a membership to the Maine Wedding Company for a year (a $275 value) will be given away as a door prize so bring your biz card! Drinks and snacks will be provided. Open to all photographers.

Upcoming PUGs:

Wednesday, April 20th: Meet Mary Jo Brown, publisher and creative director of Seacoast Bride Magazine and Melanie Brooks, editor of Real Maine Weddings Magazine for tips on how to get your wedding images published.

Wednesday, May 18th: A round table discussion with a local accountant, trademark lawyer and business lawyer to chat about taxes, Quickbooks, registering your logo, the benefits of incorporating your business, and more!

Wednesday, June 15th: J Sandifer of liveBooks shares the inside scoop on how to create a user-intuitive website and secrets of SEO.

For more information and to RSVP, please contact Nicole at photo [at] emilieinc [dot] com.

Maine PUG January agenda

Happy New Year, photographers!!

Given that I may be in the hospital during our January PUG, Beth Fitzgerald of Blush Imagery has offered to host the PUG for a few months so I can get settled with baby.

Join the group for a gismo and gadget share on Wednesday, January 19th at 7pm at Beth's Blush Imagery Studio, 28 Maple Street, 3rd Floor, Portland, Maine. 207-899-5585. Drinks and snacks provided. Beth will lead a fun discussion on favorite camera equipment, studio equipment, gadgets and gismos to excite you for the New Year. Bring your favorite thingy-ma-bob for show and tell. Let's share our best and worst photo purchases with each other to avoid spending too much in 2011.

Please RSVP to this event at beth@blushimagery.com.

Open to all Maine photographers.

Maine PUG December agenda

Join us for a little holiday cheer at a casual potluck dinner at Em & J's new house on Thursday, December 16th at 7p. Bring your spouse or significant other, your favorite dish and a bit of booze as we wrap up a successful stretch of monthly PUGs and bid farewell to a fabulous 2010.

Please request an evite for directions and to RSVP to this event at photo@emilieinc[dot]com.

Open to all Maine photographers.

Maine PUG November agenda

Meet Kerry and Richard of Richard Coke Guided Safaris, visiting the states from South Africa, as they share an inside peek into their unique lifestyle and show Richard’s beautiful wildlife photography at the Maine PUG on Wednesday, November 17th at 7p at Sea Dog Brewing Company in South Portland. RSVP to photo@emilieinc.com or on our Facebook PUG page. All are welcome.

Upcoming PUGs:

Thursday, December 16th: Holiday potluck

Maine PUG October agenda

Join us for our October Pictage PUG with special guest Rachel LaCour Niesen of ShootQ.

Rachel will be in town from Atlanta to discuss Pictage's recent acquisition of ShootQ, what it means for your relationship with Pictage and how ShootQ can help your studio workflow.

When: October 20th at 7p

Where: Sea Dog Brewing Company, 125 Western Ave, South Portland (private dining room)

RSVP: All are welcome photo@emilieinc.com

Upcoming PUGS:

Wednesday, November 17th: Richard Coke and Kerry Bardwil of South Africa will be discussing their photo safaris and nature photography

September PUG agenda

Join us for a round-table discussion with several of the area's premiere commercial photographers: Brian Fitzgerald, Darren Setlow, Zack Bowen, Jeff Stevensen and Trent Bell as they show us a peek into their world of advertising, architecture and food imagery.

Wednesday, September 15th, 7-10p at emilie inc. photography, 227 Congress St., Portland

7p: arrivals, mingling

7:30-9p: program

10p: evening ends

Snacks will be provided, please BYOB and RSVP to photo@emilieinc.com by Tuesday 9/14. Guests welcome.

Upcoming PUGS:

Wednesday, October 20th: Rachel and Andrew Niesen of ShootQ

Wednesday, November 17th: Richard Coke and Kerry Bardwil of South Africa will be discussing their photo safaris and nature photography

August PUG agenda

It’s the middle of wedding season, everyone is feeling a little overworked and our bodies are perhaps a little sore. Let’s start our August 18th PUG with a foot soak at Soakology at 30 City Center in Portland at 5:30p (soaks start at $20 and range in price depending on the ingredients you add to your soak and if you would like to add a massage to your service). Afterwards we’ll head over to David’s at 22 Monument Square to meet up with anyone who may not have attended the foot soaking to catch up.

Soakology is limited to the first 12 people who RSVP to photo[at]emilieinc.com. Please include any additional services you might like with your regular foot soak on this menu.

If you would rather just join us at David’s, please also RSVP asap so that I can make a reservation for the right group size.

Upcoming PUGS:
9/15: commercial photographer panel discussion
10/20: Rachel LaCour Niesen of ShootQ visits to share insight on the ShootQ acquisition by Pictage

Thank you, and I look forward to seeing you all soon!

July PUG agenda

(Rescheduled for September 15th!)

Continuing our tour of Portland photography talent, join the Maine PUG (Pictage User Group) for a round-table discussion with several of the area's premiere commercial photographers: Brian Fitzgerald, Darren Setlow, Zack Bowen, Jeff Stevensen and Trent Bell as they show us a peek into their world of advertising, architecture and food imagery.

Thursday, July 15th
emilie inc. photography, 227 Congress St., Portland

7p: arrivals, mingling
7:30-9p: program
10p: evening ends

Snacks will be provided, please BYOB and RSVP to photo[at]emilieinc[dot]com by Tuesday 7/12. Guests welcome.

Maine PUG

I have recently assumed the role of PUG leader, better known as the local Pictage User Group, a group of photographers that meets once a month in Portland to mostly talk about wedding photography, running a business and specifically, Pictage, as we're all subscribers to this online image hosting service based in California.

Moving forward, we've decided that we would like to expand our group to not just Pictage users and to not just wedding photographers, but to all professional photographers in Maine who make a living behind the camera either full-time or part-time, and within every genre of the medium.

We are hosting our first such gathering at the studio a week from today, June 14th, at 7p and would love for any and all local photographers to attend. The evening will feature a conversation with Peter Dennen, director of photography at Aurora Photos, who will discuss the elements of a great photograph (with examples). Please feel free to bring some of your own images as well if you would like to offer them up for group discussion.

Other points of the evening to note: We will be ordering Portland's best new pizza, Otto, to munch on. And should we have at least 35 attendees, liveBooks has offered to give away a one-year subscription for a website (!). Pictage will give a $50 print credit (to a Pictage member only).

7p arrivals and introductions
7:30p Peter to take the floor
8:30-9p wrap-up

Want to come? Be sure to RSVP (either to photo[at]emilieinc[dot]com or on our PUG blog). And remember, bring a friend or two so that we can gift someone a new website!

See you soon! 227 Congress St, Portland (above the North Star Cafe). BYOB.