WHY I'M PROUD TO BE A PICTAGE PHOTOGRAPHER
/
“You use Pictage? Really? Why?”
I’ve been asked that question a few dozen times, and it’s always accompanied with a look somewhere between disbelief and absolute horror. I get it. I know why I get that look. I know why it’s hard to believe. Pictage is a company that almost every photographer that’s been in business for more then 3 years has had some kind of interaction with. Let’s face it, Pictage has meticulously cultivated a TERRIBLE reputation among wedding and portrait photographers.
It sometimes seemed as though they actually worked HARD to force photographers to rearrange our business to fit into systems, workflows, processes, and policies that often made no sense - and frequently made life really rough. It sometimes seemed like photographers were “customers, and not clients.” It sometimes seemed like photographers were simply a means to get access to the consumers that attended our weddings, and once we had the images, it would be better if we just got out of the way and let them sell to our clients - whether it was good for our business or not.
That was Pictage 1.0. (that’s my term, it’s not official or anything) I was a Pictage 1.0 user, and it was rough. There were a lot of times when it would have made sense to just pull the plug. There were times when the headache was so bad, that looking back, I’m not sure how I came to the decision that it was good for my business to stick with them. I’m not sure how, but I’m glad I did.
I LOVE Pictage.
Here’s why:
It’s probably the most valuable photography community in the industry. That’s not a knock on any of the other “communities” out there. I’m a member of many of them, and they are really great. It's worth mentioning, though, that almost every single one of them had it’s roots in the groundwork laid by Pictage. In fact, the community was one of the only things that kept me connected to Pictage 1.0 when things were really rough.
Pictage is truly an amazing community. The photographers that participate in this community are beyond talented, but more importantly the are family. They look out for each other. They care for each other. They share with each other. They encourage each other, and motivate each other, and challenge each other. The Community team at Pictage is top-notch and they are helping raise the bar for our industry in a way that makes all of us better.
Pictage makes life easier. Pictage is a solution to a lot of the problems photographers face. Pictage has worked super hard over the last year, to transform themselves into a solution to the problems we have as photographers. They’ve worked super hard to be a company that makes it easy to fit them around the business I’ve built, and it’s so apparent that their mission TRULY is to “empower photographers.”
From their online proofing, redesigned photographer interface, order fulfillment, training opportunities and marketing support - they’ve become a real solution. They have listen to what’s important to photographers - made those things better - and removed everything else that just makes life more frustrating. Pictage truly makes my life easier - and that’s huge for me. As a business owner and photographer, I need partners that help me grow my business by doing the things that I need to get off my plate. Pictage does that.
They are in LOVE with photographers. More than almost any other company I’ve worked with in this industry, Pictage LOVES photographers. Even as I type it, I’m compelled to use capital letters because the word itself almost doesn’t do justice to the absolute passion the people I know at Pictage have for photographers. In fact, I’ve rarely encountered a group of people anywhere that more genuinely care about photographers - and what we do.
I count myself fortunate to know personally so many of the people that make Pictage work, and every one of them is authentically affectionate towards photographers. I'm fortunate to have been able to rub shoulders with many them, and I've seen their heart for photographers. In fact, MANY of them ARE photographers. They get what our life is like, and they work hard to support and encourage us.
A week or so ago, Pictage introduced their new branding. I don’t care what you think about the logo, that’s really not important - and not the point of this post. I think it was entirely appropriate and timely, because truthfully - Pictage is a brand new company in a lot of ways. It’s like Pictage 2.0
If you’re at WPPI, you should stop by and meet Pictage 2.0. If you’re not at WPPI, you should still check them out. They didn’t pay me to say this, and I actually pay full price for the service, so you can rest assured that this is just my opinion :) They do support the workshop I teach by donating a year of Pictage Lite that I get to giveaway to one participant. Take that for what it’s worth. They don’t even know I’m posting this (shhh don’t tell them)
I just happen to find it to be a really valuable partner, and thought you might want to know why I’m PROUD to be a Pictage photographer.