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SAMPUĆ
You don’t take a photograph. You ask, quietly, to borrow it. – Unknown
About Sam Puć Business Overview Sam “Sandy” Puć is a worldrenowned photographer and educator who runs multiple businesses and organizations. Below is an overview and brief description of each venture. Sandy Puć Portrait Design Launched in 1991 in a spare room of Puć’s home, Sandy Puć Portrait Design today fills a 5,000 square foot studio in Littleton, Colorado. The studio features multiple studio bays and large wall-length windows that allow for custom builds. Clients then choose their images in luxurious “home theatre” styled rooms with image
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consultants who assist in the selection process. The studio employes approximately 30 fulland part-time staff. With a specialty in portraiture, the studio is well-known for its children; family; high school senior; and business portfolio work. On average, the studio books nearly 2,000 sessions annually. Sandy Puć Tours Puć’s business success and photography skills are well-known in the photography community. Passionate about sharing what she has learned in building her business with other
photographers, Puć tours the U.S. and Canada sharing her business; marketing and photography tips and tricks to current and aspiring professional photographers. The tours launched in 2008 with “Bellies and Babies” and then was followed by “Tots-to-Teens” in 2009. The 2010 Tour focuses on Family portraiture and the art of building generational relationships with clients. Sandy’s World University An extension of her live tour, Puć leads an online training school that provides multiple courses in both photography technique and
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Sam Puć Business Overview, cont’d.
“Chaos is a friend of mine.” Bob Dylan
business savvy. She also provides students with downloadable marketing and branding templates that they can then use in their own photography business. The tools include postcards; blog samples; mailers; posters; and other proven marketing materials. International Charity Model Search (ICMS) Launched in 2009, the ICMS provides photographers with a means of growing their business in arguably the slowest time of the year, post-Christmas, while also giving back to a meaningful nonprofit. Photographers across the US and Canada join the ICMS contest in search for “the cutest family in North America” in 2010. Those who attend one of Puc’s tour stops are automatically enrolled in the contest, others may join for a small fee. Family portraits are submitted and are open to public voting for $1 per vote. The winning photo in each city is then voted on by a panel of professionals in both the photography and model industries. All funds are donated to Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, a non-profit Puć co-founded to provide free photography for families whose newborns will never make it home from the hospital. In its first year, ICMS raised more than $164,000 for the organization.
Chiaroscuro Puć’s photography style extends to her retail store, Chiaroscuro, in downtown Littleton, Colorado. The store features unique gifts for photography lovers. Everything from camera bags to artistic frames. Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (NILMDTS) Puć co-founded NILMDTS in 2005 after she was asked to take the photograph of a family and their newborn son, Maddux, who died of complications soon after childbirth. This was soon after Puc’
About Sam Puć Biography
Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes. – Walt Whitman, Song of Myself
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Sandy “Sam” Puć is known for her passion, energy, and skilled marketing techniques. A nationally acclaimed photographer and businesswoman, Puć currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Professional Photographers of America. Puc’ also holds the prestigious titles of Print Master and Explorer of Light from Canon USA. Her images have been displayed in numerous magazines, public and professional buildings, billboards and showcased on television. A frequent contributor to
herself faced a difficult birth and a tumultuous first year with her own son. Together with Maddux’s mother, Puć started the non-profit organization to provide free portraiture for families all over the world, connecting them with master-photographers. To date, NILMDTS has assisted thousands of families in their healing process by capturing the memory of their beloved child who never made it home from the hospital.
professional journals, Puć’s first book, Children’s Photography, released in the spring of 2008. Passionate about supporting charities, since its inception, Sandy Puć Portrait Design has been committed to community service. Each year the studio conducts several portrait fundraisers to benefit diverse non-profit organizations. Puć is a co-founding member of Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, a non-profit organization that provides portraiture services to families whose babies will never leave the hospital. Her studio, is known for its accomplished photographers, helpful sales consultants, skilled imaging artists, and gracious hospitality.
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Sam Puć FAQ How do I pronounce “Puć?” Puć contains a soft “u” sound, as in “putch your finger in your ear.” When did Sandy Puć start her career in photography? Her first studio was opened in a spare room of her home in 1991. But she’s known she wanted to be a professional photographer since she was 17. How many people are employed by all of Puć’s enterprises? Approximately 30 full- and part-time employees work with Sandy Puc’ at her studio, online school, tour and other ventures. Why is the current studio so large? Puć opened her current 10,000 square foot studio in the summer of 2009 in order to provide diverse studio experiences for her clients. There are several studio spaces, allowing for multiple builds in both indoor and outdoors locations. Clients also view their photos in a luxurious “home theatre” styled room with professional image consultants to assist them in the selection process.
If art doesn’t make us better, then what on earth is it for? – Alice Walker
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“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” Abraham Lincoln
Are all of the photographs taken at the studio done by Puć? No. Because Sandy is often traveling, she has employed and personally trained several professional and accomplished photographers at her studio. Each adheres to her precise and exacting standards in keeping with the established reputation of the studio for artistic, unique and memorable portraits. Why does Puć run multiple businesses? A believer in living a life less ordinary, Puć best describes a day in her life as “controlled chaos.” Entrepreneurial in her approach, Puć is always looking for new and exciting ways to advance the field of photography, whether its with her tour, her books, her online school or any number of other ideas burning in the back of her mind.
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Sandy Puć Tour Dates 2010 Family Tour
Sandy’s World University ICMS Benefits and Materials Rules and Regulations
Denver, CO..................January 2, 2010 Tulsa, OK....................January 24, 2010 Oklahoma City, OK ...January 25, 2010 Dallas, TX...................January 26, 2010 Austin, TX.................. January 27, 2010 Houston, TX...............January 29, 2010 Baton Rouge, LA.........January 30, 2010 Tampa, FL...................February 1, 2010 Miami, FL....................February 2, 2010 Orlando, FL.................February 3, 2010 Jacksonville, FL............February 4, 2010 Columbia, SC..............February 5, 2010 Raleigh, NC.................February 7, 2010 Charlotte, NC..............February 8, 2010 Atlanta, GA.................February 9, 2010 Nashville, TN..............February 10, 2010 Memphis, TN..............February 11, 2010 Phoenix, AZ................February 14, 2010 San Diego, CA............February 15, 2010 Los Angeles, CA..........February 16, 2010 San Francisco, CA.......February 18, 2010 Sacramento, CA..........February 19, 2010 Portland, OR...............February 22, 2010 Seattle, WA..................February 23, 2010 Boise, ID......................February 25, 2010 Salt Lake City, UT.......February 26, 2010 Kansas City, MO.........March 29, 2010 Omaha, NE.................March 30, 2010 Des Moines, IA............March 31, 2010 St. Louis, MO...............April 1, 2010 Louisville, KY...............April 2, 2010 Indianapolis, IN............April 3, 2010 Columbus, OH.............April 5, 2010 Cleveland, OH..............April 6, 2010 Buffalo, NY.....................April 7, 2010 Boston, MA...................April 8, 2010 Hartford, CT..................April 9, 2010 Newark, NJ.....................April 12, 2010 Long Island, NY..............April 13, 2010 Philadelphia, PA..............April 14, 2010 Baltimore, MD.................April 15, 2010 Richmond, VA................April 17, 2010 Pittsburgh, PA.................April 18, 2010 Detroit, MI......................April 19, 2010 Grand Rapids, MI..........April 20, 2010 Chicago, IL......................April 21, 2010 Madison, WI...................April 23, 2010 Minneapolis, MN............April 24, 2010 Vancouver, BC................August 27, 2010 Calgary, AB.....................August 29, 2010 Edmonton, AB................August 30, 2010 Toronto, ON...............September 1, 2010
Admission and Enrollment SWU is open to all photographers for a monthly fee of $24.99. Benefits of SWU Members of SWU enjoy the following perks: • Special discounts from industry vendors • Tips & Tricks to make running a studio and conducting portrait sessions easier • Access to SWU message board • Live video shoots of a master at work. • Discounts and advanced notification to Sandy’s in-studio workshops and speaking engagements • The opportunity to download brushes and templates • Special tutorials in lighting, posing and imaging techniques • Access to online posing guide • Access to online classes • Access to marketing archives and downloads
Who is eligible to enter? The International Charity Model Search (ICSM) is open to any professional photographer who resides in the United States or Canada. What are the entry requirements? Photographers may NOT enter their own families or relatives. Entries must represent a family grouping consistent with the theme “The Cutest Family.” If minor children are photographed the image MUST contain at least one parent or custodial guardian. All work must be original and unpublished and the image must be taken on or after November 1, 2009 through the deadline date of April 5, 2010. How does a photographer enter the contest? Registration is included with the price of joining the 2010 Family Tour. Interested photographers who do not wish to attend the tour may sign up for a fee of $79. All proceeds benefit the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep foundation.
Monthly Calendar The monthly calendar is available for all SWU members and includes concept, full description, copy text, and layout for a How does a family participate? full-year of marketing campaigns. Families must reside in the United States or Canada. To participate, families can Arts and Crafts 101 locate a participating photographer This is a specialized department of SWU found on our Participating that provides fresh and unique templates, Photographer Page. brushes, album pages, borders, font lists, and cards that are instantly How does the voting work? downloadable for immediate use. Voting is open online starting January 1, 2010 and closes April 8, 2010. Each vote Video and Communications 102 costs $1 and all proceeds benefit the Now This is a unique look into how Puc’ works I Lay Me Down to Sleep foundation. with all sorts of clients from all backgrounds and ages. Members learn How are finalists judged? tips and tricks to help them in their Top entries from each of the 52 cities in business. the US and Canada participating in ICMS will be judged by an elite panel of SWU Survival Skills 103 professional photographers an model This is where members can find posing industry experts. Winners are announced guides; QuickTime tutorials; Photoshop April 24, 2010. classes and other important tools for photographers to hone their skills. What are the prizes? This year, the grand prize is a new car for the winning family. A host of top-of-theline photography gear is available for the winning photographer.