What is a pug? No, it’s not the curly-tailed, bug-eyed kind. PUGs (Pictage User Groups) are wedding and portrait photographers organized in local groups around the US. Most attendees are customers of Pictage (hence the name), a photo lab that is much, much more.

Local PUG organizer Emilie of Emilie Inc. invited me and several other commercial photographers to take part in a panel discussion at the next gathering, July 15. We’ll be there to show some of our work, discuss questions on things like licensing, etc. and generally have a good time talking shop.

I’m excited because it’s a good opportunity to see colleagues and to meet some new talent. Although we are all photographers, there are notable differences between wedding and commercial photography–not just in terms of subject matter, but also when it comes to things like clientele and workflow. Primarily, we deal with businesses and agencies and wedding photographers work directly with consumers. As such, there are some differing traditions in terms of licensing and use of commercial images that most (but not all) wedding and portrait shooters may not be aware of.

When it all comes down to it, though, we all are creative, motivated, visual people who are lucky enough to make a living doing what we truly love. Looking forward to July!