Michael + Anna Costa

Big thanks to Michael and Anna Costa for visiting us yesterday on their multi-city PUG tour and to everyone from Baltimore and DC who showed up to hear about standing out in the photography industry. We had a great crowd who thoroughly enjoyed learning some of the strategies that have made this duo an almost overnight success. Stay tuned for info on October's meeting.

--Geoff

PUG Dinner before Michael and Anna Costa

As many of you already know, Michael + Anna Costa will be joining us for a combined DC/Baltimore PUG on a special night, Tuesday, September 16th. You will hear this dynamic duo discuss "Standing out in the Photography Industry."

I will be setting up a dinner at the Austin Grill before hand should anyone want to join me.
We will be meeting between 5:30-6pm.
Please send me an email at sarah@blinkdc.com if you would like to be added to the reservation list.
Emails must be received by 2pm tomorrow (9-16).

Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow, and hearing what I am sure will be a sweet presentation from Michael and Anna!

Sarah

Michael + Anna Costa for September 16th Meeting

Michael + Anna Costa will be joining us for a combined DC/Baltimore PUG on a special night, Tuesday, September 16th. You will hear this dynamic duo discuss "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 three 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 Costa
Michael and Anna Costa have been recognized by some of the most prestigious companies and publications in the photography industry and will be seen in the fall of 2008 on the We Network TV show "Platinum Weddings." Michael and Anna are honored to actively speak at international conventions - previously at Pictage Partner-Con 2006-7 in Chicago & Los Angeles, in 2008 as Platform presenters sponsored by Fujifilm for Wedding & Portrait Photographers International in Las Vegas and have been invited to be presenters in January of 2009 for Professional Photographers of America.

"Whats the Big Deal with Wedding Photography Anyway?"

Ok folks...Time for the teacher in me to come out. With the economy in the state that it is now, wedding clients are becoming more aware of what they are spending on that special day. While this is normal and I would be the same way if I where going through this process, some folks are questioning the value of the photography itself. So, after hearing this a few times recently, I have some thoughts that might help other photographers and brides.

When you think about the expense of a wedding, it can get rather overwhelming and you start to weigh out what is most important to you when you choose vendors. Here is something to think about; when your wedding is over and you have gotten back to your routine, what elements from your special day will remain with you for the rest of your life? The food and the beverage will be gone and forgotten, the flowers will be gone, the music won't be playing any more and your friends will have gotten back to their routines as well. The only elements that will remain is your wedding dress and the memories that your photographer had captured. Now I'm not saying that those other things aren't important. They help make your day fun and enjoyable! But they don't last any longer than a day. The memories from that day are the only thing that will last forever. Just some food for thought...

August Meeting Follow-up

Thanks to everyone who joined us for this month's meeting. We look forward to hearing more of your experiences with the new Canvas prints from Simply Canvas and Pictage. Stay tuned for more exciting developments.

Special thanks to Adam Levner of Critical Exposure who shared with us the great work that they are doing combining the power of documentary photography and youth voice to strengthen campaigns and organizations working to secure a quality education for all children.

Here's a link to the show we saw of students' photos, writing and statistics from the project in PA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcRWnQZDP8g

For more, here is Link to student-created video from a teen pregnancy prevention project in Alexandria, VA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc7GQqOi62Q

You can contact Adam directly at:
Adam Levner
Critical Exposure
1816 12th St. NW, 3rd Floor
Washington, DC 20009
202-745-3745 x19
www.criticalexposure.org
alevner@yahoo.com

Look for September meeting preview shortly.

Geoff

Picnic Success

Despite the rain and crazy location of Fletcher's boat house, the DC PUG picnic was a success.
Thank you to everyone who braved the rain to join us!

We look forward to seeing you all at the next PUG in August.
For some fun photos check out Armin's blog .

PUG Picnic!

Hello All You DC Puggers,

Are you ready for a good old fashion BBQ?

We have thought long and hard about how to make our first annual DC PUG picnic a memorable one... and while we are still figuring out just how to do that, we would love to know if you are able to join us or not.

We can promise lively conversation (we may even talk about stuff other than photography), good food, kid and grown-up friendly out door games and much more.We hope you can join us in creating some DC Pugradery! :D

This will be a pot luck picnic so please check the list on Evite to see what you can bring. Here is your chance to show off the fact that you are more than just masters at photography! We may even have a prize for the most creative/tasty side dish.

If you have any questions you can contact us via email or phone.

Sarah - 703 851 8463 sarah@blinkdc.com
Jess - 202 744 3746 jessica@jessicadelvecchio.com

We will be updating the Evite shortly with a location site so stay tuned! Please RSVP and let us know you are coming!