Get your PitchFest2 tickets now!
On September 28 LIFT hosts its second annual #WeAreYQQ PitchFest & Party events. PitchFest2 is a kick off to the Fall LIFT season of entrepreneur events. It’s also the culmination of a year’s worth of entrepreneur “BizOnDeck” workshops. This year PitchFest features seven Vancouver Island entrepreneurs, three judges, a keynote (Spring Activator global startup school’s Keith Ippel), and the signature #WeAreYQQ party format with $1000s in prizes.
At LIFT we’re dedicated to “leading, inspiring, and fuelling talent” in the Comox Valley and on Vancouver Island. When we say “talent,” we’re as interested in artists as we are in foodists as we are in technologists. For example, one of the three winners at our 2016 PitchFest event was a chocolatier. Another was an innovator in children’s clothing and safety gear. Another was a photographer. Ron Pogue won for his pitch about his “alternative wedding photography” service.
What is an “alternative wedding” photographer?
Ron’s vision is singular. Alternative wedding photography, however, isn’t something he invented. Like many innovators, he’s building on what colleagues and peers are doing as they modernize and adapt wedding photography conventions. You can find this large and growing body of work online by search for social media tags like #alternativewedding, #alternativeweddingphotography, and #alternativeweddingphotographer.
“The images my clients cherish most are serendipitous, unexpected, the things they couldn’t have planned for.” Ron’s approach captures the spirit of the event as it unfolds. He references photojournalistic innovator Henri Cartier-Bresson, who was dedicated to capturing “the decisive moment.”
“I treat clients’ weddings as historic, newsworthy events,” he says. “I don’t ask people to pose or smile. m y approach is more documentary, more candid than what most people think of as traditional, what I call ‘fairy tale’ wedding photography.”
Who’s buying? Where’s the market?
Our region has a wealth of talented wedding photographers. They’re meeting the demands of a growing wedding market, and part of an emergent wedding industry. “Alternative wedding photography” is part of the mix.
Ron acknowledges that this style isn’t for everyone. His clients are coming a particular demographic, one that is also growing in our region: younger creatives whose weddings, like their lives, are not necessarily conventional.
“Artists, musicians, people who are looking for something different, these are the people who I’m typically working with,” he says. Couples often tell him, “We’re not having a traditional wedding.” Ron’s response: “That’s fine, I’m not a traditional wedding photographer.”
How to contact Ron Pogue Photography
Email: [email protected]
Website: ronpoguephotography.com
Instagram: instagram.com/ronpoguephoto/
Facebook: facebook.com/RonPoguePhoto
LIFT Comox Valley and the #WeAreYQQ talent economy
Our region has been attracting talents like Ron for generations. At LIFT, we believe that people like Ron are our greatest “natural resource” and that talent is the future of our economy. Join us on September 28 for PitchFest2. Learn more about the talents that are shaping the Comox Valley’s economy.
Early bird tickets (and more information about the event) are available at WeAreYQQParty.ca. Come early for a Community Throwback dinner at Prime Chophouse, with a portion of your dinner going to support Startup Comox Valley.
~ hpm
@hanspetermeyer on Twitter