Thank you to our PUG for an awesome 2009!

Well, it's been an awesome year for our Pictage User Group (PUG), and do you know why? Honestly, it's because we have such an amazing group! Pictage is keenly aware of the great community we have up here in the Northwest, and we have worked hard with them (thank you Emily & Jim!) to make sure that some of the best speakers in the country get a chance to experience our group first hand.

As the year comes to a close, we wanted to make sure that we took the time to say thanks to all of the amazing speakers who came out, and especially to all of you who join us each month and are an integral part of this community of photographers. We are thrilled that we have had the opportunity to lead and learn along with you, and we look forward to growing together as we enter a new decade!

For those of you who may not have been at all the meetings, here are a few highlights from 2009...

This week we got to hear Gary Fong...
Before that it was Jeff and Erin Youngren, Jim Collins, Joe Buissink, Sarah & Chris Rhoads, and Dane Sanders (photo coutesy Paula Thomas).


If you've never been to one of the PUG meetings, you should come join us--whether you're a newer photographer or a seasoned pro, I guarantee that you will have opportunities to give and opportunities to grow and hopefully you will come to value this community as much as we do. You can find more information and RSVP to future PUG meetings on the Tacoma PUG blog. Have a wonderful Christmas and we'll see you in 2010!

~Gerald & Airika


p.s. This past week, our PUG group also brought in over 125 pounds of food to donate to a local food bank as well!

July PUG BBQ

We are so excited for tonight's PUG meeting! If you've never been to a PUG meeting before, this is the perfect time to start. It's is a great place to meet other local photographers, so bring a friend, bring a side dish and drink and join us as we toast to a fabulous (though very hot) summer in Seattle. We look forward to meeting you!

Date: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 (TODAY)
Time: 7:30pm – 10:00pm (Please note that this meeting is starting later than usual.)
Bring: Please bring a drink and a side item/dessert to share. Burgers (meat & veggie), hot dogs, and buns are being provided.
Location: Alex Rubin’s Rooftop Deck in Fremont, 2558 Dexter Ave. N #104, Seattle, WA 98109 (Phone: 206.276.1894)
Questions? Leave a comment below and we will respond to you here on our blog.

Seattle/Tacoma Pug Meeting

For those of you who don't know, Airika and I lead a group of local photographers who get together every month to hang out, eat food, and talk a little about photography. Last month I was the "guest speaker" and led the group in a mini off camera flash tutorial. Hopefully it was as educational for all of them as it was for me!



Toward the end of the night, I sat on the other side of the lens for a few quick shots. I always look goofy in photos, but somehow Jessica Hanaumi managed to make a model out of me! Thanks!


Our next meeting is TONIGHT (Thursday May 28th), and our good friends Sarah and Chris Rhoads will be there to speak! For more details, go to http://tacomapug.wordpress.com/.

Pictage PartnerCon and the Tacoma PUG

A couple of weeks ago, I headed down to the Pictage Partner Conference in Los Angeles for three awesome days of learning and "talking shop" with some of the best and brightest of my peers in the wedding photography industry. A few of my highlights:

1. Shopping in Manhattan Beach with my friend Christy. VERY relavant to photography. ;)
2. Having a heart to with Katie Humphreys and Rachel LaCour Niesen about the blessings & challenges of working with your spouse.
3. Being inspired by Will Jacks to step out of my comfort zone & pursue some personal photographic projects.
4. Being challenged by Dane Sanders and Mike Larson to be even more intentional about letting our business be a reflection of who we are & things that we value the most.
5. Gleaning new ideas from the fabulous Justin & Mary Marantz on how we can better express our love and appreciation for our wonderful clients!
6. In 'N Out with Rachel, Christy & Andrew (who took this photo with his iPhone)

Upon returning from L.A., we started busily preparing for our PUG's annual Martini Garden Party, which ended up being a total and complete blast!

A HUGE THANK YOU goes out to all of the amazing people/businesses who donated prizes for our party--Jared Bauman sent a copy of his DVD, Shooting the Perfect Wedding, ShootDotEdit donated a 25% off coupon, Me Ra Koh donated one each of her 101 Kits for Photographers, and Ami Davenport brought two copies of Dane Sander's book, Fast Track Photographer.

Another HUGE THANK YOU goes out to Michael from Integritas for providing music and a super cool old-school style microphone (see below) for the second year running.!

Even though Gerald and I (sadly) did not win any of the fabulous prizes, we had an awesome time hanging out with the 50+ photographers from Seattle/Tacoma who came down to celebrate the end of summer together! If you're interested in joining us, our next meeting is on October 29th, at the home of JFK Weddings. All photographers and aspiring photographers are welcome. Email me if you'd like to be added to the mailing list. We look forward to meeting you!

Airika (& Gerald)


Tacoma Pictage PUG Leaders

Our first Pictage PUG Meeting--as leaders!

Well, the secret is finally out. We are the new Tacoma PUG leaders! Our faithful leaders, Me Ra & Brian, are running in so many directions now with their "Refuse to Say Cheese" DVDs for moms (and dads), their Workshops for Women, and all of their other crazy adventures, that they decided it was time to hand over te reigns. However, they plan on staying connected and involved and our meetings will continue to take place at their house in Tacoma, so they have no choice but to stick around! ;)

Our first meeting as leaders went great--the group was very understanding when I just plowed into "business" without any introduction (Gerald saved me later), and our speaker was a huge hit! Me Ra invited Dani Collins, VP of Columbia Bank, to come and talkwith us about smart ways of financing our businesses so that we build ourselves up for long-term success. Dani, thank you for coming--I learned a lot and can't wait to get to know you in the future.

Tacoma group photo, taken by Brian Koh, of Me Ra Koh. ;) In the photo: Jen Macniven, Marianne Graham, Rebecca Douglas, Laurel McConnell, Dinea Norrell, Julie Watts, Christy Pelland, Tessa Gilbertson, Sara Montgomery, Michael Neugent, Cheri Miller, Amanda Mays, Yuriy Manchik, Heather Gilson, Dani Collins, Me Ra, and Gerald and I. If I missed anyone, then please just leave me a comment and I will add you!

Wow--we have an awesome group. Don't forget about the April contest--email me if you have any questions. Let's get Joe Buissink up at our PUG!

Have a great day--we can't wait to get to know ALL of you better!

Airika & Gerald

LEAP Day and the Tacoma PUG!

Well, today is Febrary 29th--otherwise known as Leap Day. Since Leap Day only rolls around every four years, we'll share a few jumping photos of the guys at the Tacoma PUG this past week. We met at the home of Ella Blue Studio on Wednesday and since we had a smaller turnout due to the change in location (b/c Me Ra's vacation), we stayed up late and played with our cameras. The guys were certainly in rare form, and it was quite entertaining!


Gerald executing a nearly perfect cannonball....
Yuriy, taking one for the team...
Jason, showing us how to take care of the bad guys...

And some other random shots from the evening...
So close, Gibson!!!
the Manchik
Erwin showing off the new toy (the Canon 1D Mark III)...

More to come soon...check out the photos on Ella Blue & Erwin Wijanto's sites!

Gerald & Airika

Tacoma wedding photographer

Pictage PUG Party!

Last night we went to the annual PUG Party down in Tacoma--we really had a blast! As usual it was hosted by the lovely Me Ra Koh, at a cool little pizza place called the Upper Crust Bistro. They had great food, and we packed that place with amazing photographers! Here are a few photos that we grabbed...

Here is a very typical shot of Brian... it's impossible to get bored while he's around--even when he can barely talk due to laryngitis!

Airika & Sarah RHOADS...she and her husband Chris are some of our newest photographer buds!

We actually did a little Christmas shopping last night and bought Me Ra's newest DVD from her series on photographing your children. Seriously, if you have kids, you need to check this out! Not only is Me Ra an excellent teacher, but she will encourage your socks off! Check our her blog and you'll see what we mean. :)

Bill Cawley, bigger than life...

Yuriy Manchik. It saddens me to see a Nikon in his talented hands, but I suppose I can forgive him this time since it's the new D3. This is Jason... very funny guy--undoubtedly he is explaining something very important.
Ron Storer. There was a gift exchange towards the end of the party, and after perfectly executing an ingenious white elephant gift exchange strategy, Airika ended up with the gift that Ron Storer brought--a lens baby (and a ronstorer.com coffee mug)! This photo of Ron was my first attempt with the Lens Baby... These feet belong to the one of the cooks at the Upper Crust--he stood on this chair to get a group photo for us and I couldn't resist snapping a shot of his pants! You can see the group photo and a lot more really cool shots on Erwin's blog).

Gerald and Airika

Usage Rights

Usage Rights

Thank you for visiting our blog! While we're quite flattered that you appreciate our photos, please keep in mind that they cannot be used or reproduced without our written permission.

Thank you for understanding.

Airika & Gerald Pope