Share the love, join a PUG. Pictage User Groups are designed to facilitate communication and education among professional photographers on a regional level around the nation. There are over 55 PUGs located across the United States and in Canada. PUG meetings are open to both Pictage and non-Pictage members and are a great resource for professional photographers to network and grow.
In our attempt to get photographers connected to local PUGs, we are beginning Pictage User Group Spotlights. In each spotlight post we will get to know the PUG through the PUG leader.
We would like you to meet Christine Lee Smith of CLS Photography, Pictage User Group (PUG) leader in Long Beach, California. Hear from Christine herself, what she loves about being a photographer and what her goals are for the Long Beach PUG.
Photos courtesy of CLS Photography and Pixel Dreams Media.
From Christine:
I have been a Pictage member since 2006, when my husband and I decided to start our wedding photography business. Prior to that I was a Print Journalism major who loved photography and worked as the office supervisor at a mystery shopping company. It was an odd start, but I wouldn’t change a thing.
My favorite thing about being a photographer is catching the moment of emotion and feeling a person exhibits; the moments that show you who someone truly is, and what they’re really thinking. It’s a moment of honesty – and that’s ultimately what draws me to photography, the rare beauty of truth in a person we see in a protected and preserved moment.
I have been attending PUG meetings since Mike Larson told me I had to. In 2007 I responded to a Pictage forum post Mike started, offering to meet and talk about business. I was blessed and offered the chance to sit down with him and to be honest about where our business was at. When I confessed we were having a heck of a time, one of the things he suggested was that I attend a local PUG meeting. I attended the Los Angeles PUG the very next month and was instantly hooked; it was a learning community of photographers at various levels of experience who were all willing to open up and talk openly, without criticism.
As for the Long Beach PUG, I hope to continue growing and inviting photographers in, sharing our experiences and offering some creative and fun opportunities to refine our skills as photographers. Early next year we hope to offer some shooting workshops, as well as additional chances for us to get together and get to know one another.
I look forward to the opportunity of building local community. We truly learn and grow most when we are challenged and when we look at our strengths and weaknesses head on. Together we can encourage, support, and refer one another.
Join the Long Beach PUG to connect and learn and because we really want to meet you. 🙂
The Long Beach PUG meets the 4th Wednesday of every Month, the next Long Beach PUG meeting will be December 16th. (An exception to the 4th Wednesday general rule).
For more information about the Long Beach PUG such as time and location visit www.longbeachpug.pictage.com. To find a PUG near you visit www.pugs.pictage.com or email pugs@pictage.com.