The Pug Headshot Project is Starting!

Before you go, “What the heck is the Pug Headshot Project?”, let me show you this:

Now that I got that out of the way, I have a signup going strong for local Georgia pugs to be included in this project. You still have no idea what a Pug Headshot is and I am going to answer that with you two fold:

So obviously, a Pug Headshot is a small specialty of mine. Small in terms of “Not too many people know that I do this” not in “I don’t do this too much, nor am I good at it.” Because, I’m going to brag right now… I’m good at it, and I love doing it whenever I can.

So, the idea of every photographer at some point comes down to, “How do I get my work in front of as many people as I can?”.

I sat and looked at my portfolio, I have tons of great work that I know would look amazing in a coffee table book.

• Landscape Work
• Macro Photography
• Night Photography
• Astrophotography
• Long Exposure Shots

I had a LOT to choose from, but I didn’t really know what I was going to do. I wasn’t known for any of that beyond friends and family and I saw that the only people out there with that sort of work were big names with huge followings and publishers loved them because they sell these crazy books. So I shelved the idea for a few… years… yes, years. Which was a lot of self doubting bullshit.

I really didn’t know how publishers worked… nor did I have an idea about self publishing (which seems to be the only way to go). So, a chance wandering into a furniture and other home furnishing store in Sandy Springs sparked something.

I picked up a coffee table book and said out loud, “Wouldn’t it be funny if I put out a book like this, but doing those Pug Headshots like the ones I’ve done for Matilda, Phil, and Penny?” To my wife and our friend Mandy (Matilda’s Mom). And we all kind of laughed and I said I would love to do a book like this with my crazy “The World Around Us: Macro Mundane” Series or a book of Pug Headshots.

And the seed was planted.

A couple weeks later, while getting ready for bed, Nina had said, “That would be really cool getting a bunch of pugs to do headshots, and eventually make it something big, with more than one book, where we can travel to different cities and states and capture the pugs. Who knows, maybe a book like that will take off”.

Then I went ahead and drafted a Facebook post.

And I drafted a landing page and posted it as well.

Then the emails started coming in. And they keep coming in. Which seemed unreal, then I remembered a KEY factor in life. Pug People are CRAZY. I know… I am one of those people.

So, I am going to open up the whole thing for signups.

https://mailchi.mp/bc2c7dc5a188/the-pug-headshot-coffee-table-photobook-project

So, the world is funny, I plan on getting a lot of people signing up and I don’t know when I can do other states and areas. But I found it, the crossroad of where my passion for photography and my desire for my work to be seen and pugs… all intersected.

So on the list

1. Secure a location that allows pets and is centralized to everyone.
2. Secure Publishing, though Self Publishing looks like it’s the best option.
3. Talk to my connections in the Pug Community, that’s right, I have “connections”.
4. Create Kickstarter for this project.
5. Create social media campaigns… which is basically just me posting in my pug groups. Sure other people will want this book if they see it in stores, but pug people want pug things.
6. Shoot headshots
7. Create Book – 50 pages, layout, create cover art, inside jacket art and words.
8. Promote it when it’s done and ready for the world.
9. Have a pug party as a book release party.
10. Have another pug party, because it’s a pug party.

I’m excited, determined, but most importantly… I’m scared… I have a little fear to put myself out there and do this.

That last reason. That tells me that it’s the thing I need to do.

So, if you’re reading this, share it with your friend who is obsessed with pugs. You know the one. Unless it’s me, you don’t have to share it with me.

And once again IF YOU SKIPPED THE BUTTON THE FIRST TWO TIMES: