Millers Blog

March 2008 - Posts

• Miller's $100K at WPPI

  We had another big charity giveaway at WPPI last week with a total of $15,000 donated!  Winners included: Paraluman Lansang of xQcit Photography:  Donating $1,000 to Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep April Greer of April Greer Photography:  Donating $1,000 to The Fistula Foundation Crystal Jones of Crystal Jones Photography:  Donating $1,000 to Generation Fate, Inc. Francesco Talai of Video Cox:  Donating $1,000 to the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation Genevieve Fridley of Genevieve Fridley Photography:  Donating $1,000 to St. Louis Senior Dog Project Lily Cho of Art Hands, Inc.:  Donating $1,000 to the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation Amy Stevenson of Babies N Bellies Photography:  Donating $1,000 to the Child & Family Center Johnny & Cindy Stafford of Johnny Stafford Photography:  Donating $1,000 to Thirst Relief International Tom Bagby of Tom Bagby Photography:  Donating $1,000 to Shadow of His Wings Jacob Atmodjojo of Jacob Galleries:  Donating $1,000 to Indonesian Good News Church Kellie Kane of Photographs By Kellie:  Donating $1,000 to River's Edge Church Rachel Thompson of Girls with Pearls Photography: Donating $1,000 to Thirst Relief International David Carroll of The Photique:  Donating $1,000 to Woods Humane Society Kimberly Nisenshal of Yara Photography: Donating $1,000 to the Jewish Family Service Agency Rebecca Patton of Doug Gordon Workshops:  Donating $1,000 to the Organization for Autism Research - Team 4 Ryan To date, we’ve contributed $64,000 through the Miller’s $100K Charity Program.  Next on the list is New York, where another $2,000 will be handed out to the winners’ favorite charities in their own names.  Hope to see you there!   Posted Mar 28 2008, 03:09 PM by Julie Brown with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Charity

• The Next Big Thing...

  In a few short hours, we will be releasing the new and improved millerslab.com.  With a new look and layout, we’re hoping you’ll find that it’s easier to use, provides more information, and is of course, aesthetically-pleasing.  Because we’ll be transitioning from the old site to the new at midnight tonight, there may be periodic outages for 1 – 2 hours.  Please refrain from uploading during that time.  We appreciate your patience and hope you enjoy!  Here's a screenshot of the new homepage:   Posted Mar 27 2008, 04:07 PM by Julie Brown with 18 comment(s) Filed under: Millers

• Pictures from WPPI

  Following are a few pictures from the action at WPPI in Las Vegas.  If you look closely at the shelves on the first photo, you can see some of the new cover options. A display for samples.   The Miller's booth from across the aisle.   Customer interactions.   A speaker team session.  Posted Mar 19 2008, 08:44 AM by Jason Becking with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Conventions

• Just Announced at WPPI

  It's an exciting first day in Las Vegas at WPPI in the Miller's booth with the announcement of our latest additions to the Miller's line.  All will be available with the next release of Miller's Remote Studio in April.  They include: Eighteen new cover options for our Flush Mount Albums.  Choose from a variety of colors, as well as Etched Aluminum, Brushed Copper, and Brushed Aluminum. LayFlat Albums and LayFlat Press Books.  Order at a discounted price when added to your Assembled Album order, or order them separately at full price.  Select from fourteen cover choices and four different square sizes (5 x 5, 8 x 8, 10 x 10, and 12 x 12). Twenty new cover options for our existing Hard Cover Press Book line.  We're offering a number of new colors in both leather and cloth, as well as Printed Canvas, Printed Glossy, and Printed Metallic. Boutique Packaging.  Select this option and we'll wrap your order in our special upscale packaging. Accordion Wallet Books.  Available through Miller's Press, our Accordion Wallet Books will come in two sizes -- 3" square and wallet sized. These are just a few of the many new products we'll be adding in April.  If attending WPPI, be sure to stop by the booth to see samples.  Stay tuned as we roll out more details in the very near future. Julie Brown Posted Mar 17 2008, 12:14 PM by admin with 28 comment(s) Filed under: Millers, Press, Albums, Packaging, New Products

• Illinois or Bust

  The next great state on our convention trail is Illinois.  We’ll be attending MARC, the Mid-America Regional Conference held in Decatur, IL.  The conference will be held at the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel, March 16th – 19th.  Visit the Illinois PPA website to learn more.  Ted Vlaz will be working the Miller’s booth with plenty of Miller’s product samples and material.  Several members from the Miller’s Speaker Team will be there, including Dave Huntsman, Jessica Vogel, and Jackie Haggerty.  Of course, we’ll be giving away donations through the Miller’s $100K Charity Program -- $2,000 to be exact!  Log in to the Customers Only area to get a free pass from Miller’s. Posted Mar 14 2008, 03:18 PM by Julie Brown with no comments Filed under: Conventions

• Miller's $100K Charity Winners from North Carolina

  We handed out $4,000 through the Miller’s $100K this past weekend in North Carolina.  Winners included:  Kent Murray of Kent Murray Photography:  Donating $1,000 to Burwell School Thomas & Amber Feagin of Feagin Studio:  Donating $1,000 to Veterans Memorial of Macon County Allen & Michelle Wyatt of Wyatt Photography:  Donating $1,000 to the Buddy Stewart Scholarship Fund Suzie Wolf of Suzie Wolf Photography:  Donating $1,000 to the MS Society  Don’t miss us in Booth #659 at WPPI where we’ll be giving away $15,000 in donations!  Good luck.     Posted Mar 14 2008, 03:16 PM by Julie Brown with no comments Filed under: Charity

• Miller's in North Carolina

  This last weekend was spent in Raleigh-Durham at the annual North Carolina PPA convention.  It was an exciting show to say the least, with 1,000 in attendance, breaking all past records.  We handed out $4,000 through the Miller’s $100K Charity Program – visit the Miller's Blog Charity section to see the winners!  We also co-sponsored a memorial dinner for Buddy Stewart with all proceeds going to the Buddy Stewart Memorial Fund.  It was a sold-out dinner with approximately 140 in attendance and close to $7,500 raised.  The Buddy Stewart Memorial Fund, which will be administered by SEPPA, will be awarded once a year to the first-time entrant in the Regional Print Competition with the highest total print score.  The scholarship can be used at any of the affiliate schools within the SEPPA Region.  Thank you, North Carolina PPA, for hosting such a wonderful event! Posted Mar 14 2008, 03:12 PM by Julie Brown with no comments Filed under: Conventions

• What happens in Vegas...

  We’ve got a schedule full of fun happenings in the Miller’s booth (#659) at WPPI in Las Vegas, March 17th – 19th, including: The introduction of the newest additions to the Miller’s line – new Album cover options, LayFlat Albums and Press Books, and Boutique Packaging, just to name a few. All will be available with the next Remote Studio release in April! A WPPI show special on the LayFlat Press Books – be sure to stop by and pick up your 50% off coupon. Another $15,000 donated through the Miller’s $100K Charity Winners. Fifteen lucky winners will win $1,000 to give to their favorite charity in their own name. A Spinning Wheel of Prizes. We figured its Vegas and didn’t want you to walk away empty-handed so we’re giving away a ton of cool prizes from Gallery Wraps to Photoshop Actions. We’ll be spinning the wheel each day so drop by to try your luck. Select members of the Miller’s Speaker Team. Catch presentations by JB and DeEtte Sallee, Mike Fulton and Cody Clinton, Tom Bagby and Kristin McGill, Terrell Lloyd, and Lori Gragg. They’re ready to share their hottest techniques with you.  We’ve also got numerous events taking place outside of the booth that are definitely must-sees. On Monday night, Miller’s is sponsoring Mike Fulton and Cody Clinton in the WPPI Champagne Shootout, where you can watch as they, along with other top photographers, manage an entire shoot from beginning to end with their own models. Miller’s is also sponsoring a number of other speakers throughout WPPI.  Listen and learn as Bob DiCaprio speaks about his success with marketing to Seniors.   Go to WPPI’s All About Schools to get more details on Bob and his presentation.  Jack Avalos will be sharing his knowledge about Print Competition, and Marilyn Sholin will speak about Creating and Selling Art.  Visit WPPI Platform Programs to see when Jack and Marilyn will be speaking. Finally, JB and DeEtte Sallee are sure to inspire during a couple of WPPI programs, including an already sold-out MasterClass.  They’ll also be involved in Young Guns, a round-table event featuring the 12 hottest photographers in the industry.  Learn More We look forward to seeing you there! Posted Mar 13 2008, 11:49 AM by Julie Brown with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Conventions

• March 12, 2001

  Seven years ago to the day, Miller's second facility -- located in Columbia, Missouri -- opened for business.  I'd hoped to be able to post today that our first expansion in Columbia was complete.  While that is true, I guess, some of the remodeling that occurred afterwards is still underway (we don't quite have carpet in the new office area, for example).  And we're missing about 20 pieces of 1.5" tile in the new men's room.  Details. Even forgetting the expansion in Columbia, a visitor to the lab on that first day would hardly recognize the production area as it exists today.  What was 30,000+ square feet of production is now over 40,000, but that's not nearly the biggest change.  Film cabinets are gone, we've changed printers 4-5 times, we've rearranged countless times, we have an entire area dedicated to Assembled Albums, and we have 3 enormous NexPress machines sitting on one side of the room.  For every change we've made in Columbia, I'd wager our Pittsburg facility has undergone twice that many. Throughout that time, however, our consistent daily focus has been on improvement.  Better quality, faster turnaround, with more options has been our driving force for the past 7 years (and before) and will certainly remain our driving force for the next seven. As always, thank you for your business.  We are truly honored to serve you and are fortunate to be in this business. Jason Becking  Posted Mar 12 2008, 03:38 PM by Jason Becking with no comments Filed under: Millers, Columbia construction

• Sneak Peek

  By now, many of you have checked out the Miller's Baby & Child Contest site.  We hope you like it, as we will be unveiling a new Miller’s site with a similar look and feel in the very near future.  The new site should be easier to use, provide more information, and of course, be aesthetically pleasing!  If you haven’t had a chance, be sure to take a look.   Click here   Enjoy this screenshot of our new homepage!       Posted Mar 04 2008, 01:35 PM by Julie Brown with no comments Filed under: Millers

• Miller's Visits North Carolina

  We’re off again this weekend to the North Carolina PPA show being held at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel/Research Triangle Park in Raleigh-Durham, NC.  The show will run beginning March 9th through the 10th.  Go to their website at www.ppofnc.com to learn more.  Marsha Thomas and Randy Rhue will be in the Miller’s booth (#66), giving away $5,000 through the Miller’s $100K Charity Program.  Don’t forget to drop by and register.  See you there! Posted Mar 04 2008, 11:57 AM by Julie Brown with no comments

• Five More Winners Named at Mid-East

  We were at it again this past weekend in Dayton, Ohio, giving away money through the Miller’s $100K Charity Program.  A total of $5,000 was donated at the Mid-East Annual Convention.  This week’s winners are: Daniele Morgan of Morgan’s Art in Photography:  Donating $1,000 to the Richland County Humane Society Cindy Gallo of Terry Ann Photography:  Donating $1,000 to Project Hope for the Homeless Kasey Coder of Inspiring Images:  Donating $1,000 to United Way Flood Relief (Long Term Recovery) Tracy Steele & Carol Steele of Steele Photography: Donating $1,000 to Golden String, Inc. John Michael of Images by John Michael:  Donating $1,000 to Saint Jude's Research Hospital We’ve given away $40,000 so far this year through the Miller’s $100K Charity Program.  Our next stops include North Carolina, Illinois, as well as WPPI where we’ll be handing out $15,000!  Visit the Miller’s booth at any of these shows to register.   Posted Mar 04 2008, 11:49 AM by Julie Brown with no comments Filed under: Charity

• Online Training Center

  Every once in a while something so good comes along that you just have to share it.  That "something" is the Miller's Online Training Center.  Hi, my name is Gene Worsley, I am the instructor for the online courses here at Miller's.  2008 marks the beginning of our third year with the online courses.  They are a remarkable resource for any studio!   You can view the course listing and register for any classes here:  http://millerstraining.webex.com.  Classes are offered on a wide variety of topics, designed with the photographer in mind.  I schedule the classes throughout the work day, evenings, and weekends for your convenience.  And the classes are available to you, our Miller's customer, at no cost! Here is a recent e-mail from an attendee of the Using Adobe Bridge and Camera Raw - CS3 class: "I just wanted to thank you for the class and all the useful information.  See you in the next class!!!  This is why I love Millers!!!  follow up, you guys listen, great quality, fast service and very competitive prices!!!  I already turned in a fellow photographer to Millers and I will continue to recommend Millers!!! Thank you for everything!!!!"  AP Photography Take a couple of moments to look at the courses and register for a class -- you'll be glad you did! Gene Worsley Posted Mar 04 2008, 09:50 AM by admin with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Millers, Online Training

• Home from Mid-East

  We have just returned from the Mid East Convention in Dayton. As always it is nice to get out and see long time friends of Miller’s as well as meet new acquaintances. We also had the opportunity to listen to Miller’s Speaker Team member Carletta Watkins in action. If you ever get a chance to hear her speak it is an absolute must. Carletta has such an amazing passion for photography, not to mention the fact that she is a great designer and marketer. There were 5 winners in $100K charity drawing.  Thanks to all who did stop by the Miller’s booth to check out our products or even just to chat! Ted Unruh, Miller's Customer Service Posted Mar 03 2008, 01:45 PM by Julie Brown with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Conventions