Welcome, Portland Visual Explorers!

Share your passions in photography with professional photographers Jerry Avenaim and Rolando Gomez and friends with this group dedicated to each of its members. This group is part of the http://www.PhotoMeetUps.com (PMU) co-op, or group of groups which is a social networking community dedicated to spreading the gospel of photography virtually and in person.

Our goal is to help photographers become better with the photography they passionately enjoy. From beginners to advanced, PMU will strive at providing every photographic explorer (member) tools to improve their photography skills. Utilizing our on-line community with scheduled events across the country, PhotoMeetUps.com offers personalized guidance to the photographers.

PMU brings a new format to online social networking combined with meet-ups. A hybrid model of virtual assets combined with on the ground human interaction. Our focus is teaching photography by sharing knowledge and experience at these events amongst groups within our virtual network. As encouraged by meetup.com, we have our own website for all our groups so every member of every group can benefit in mass.

Open to all levels of photographers, from beginners to advanced; learn how to improve your photography skills while socializing with fellow members. Spend time with two of Lexar’s Elite Photographers during your photographic journey, whether you are just starting or looking to expand your photography business.

Jerry Avenaim, born in Chicago but now a Los Angeles resident, is best known for his fashion and celebrity photography. Throughout his career, Avenaim’s photographs have appeared in almost every major magazine worldwide, including Vogue, GQ, People, Vanity Fair, and Newsweek. A few of his celebrity clients have included Halle Berry, Helen Hunt, James, Caan, Milton Berle, Ben Stiller, Ricky Martin, Emmit Smith, Brett Favre, Shaquille O’Neal, Mel Gibson, Phil McGraw, Angela Bassett, Patricia Arquette, Brooke Shields, and Julia Roberts. His portrait of Halle Berry appeared on the cover of Ebony magazine and People Magazine’s Yearbook issue. Avenaim shot the Ford Campaign with Toby Keith in 2005 as well as Donald Trump for the cover of the book Donald Trump: Master Apprentice by Gwenda Blair.

Some of his recent projects have included a special guest appearance on Germany’s Next Top Model with Heidi Klum, and currently he’s working with MSNBC and 44 Blue on a special television series “LOCK UP, Doing Time in America” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhRuaxUwmfw) in which he visits five “supermax” prisons.

Rolando Gomez, an accomplished professional photographer and author, brings over 30 years of experience to the group, ranging from military combat photography to discovering Playmates and Penthouse Pets. Gomez served over 8 years in the United States Army, and was named one of the military’s top five photographers in the world in 1994. Some of his assignments included the coverage of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Olympics, the Presidential Inauguration, Desert Storm, and the Rwanda refugee crisis in Africa.

Since his military service, Rolando has focused his passion for photography towards the glamour field, and founded a popular website GarageGlamour.com, with thousands of visitors daily. He has written three photography how-to books, all published thru Amherst Media, with a fourth on the way. His credits include Studio Photography (as a featured photographer, writer, and contributing editor), Parade (cover story), People, New York Times, Stars and Stripes, Playboy, Maxim, Sports Illustrated, Rangefinder, Leica World News, and many, many more. Gomez’s ad for Evan Williams Bourbon featuring Playboy Playmate Monica Leigh is currently featured in Sports Illustrated, Playboy, and Maxim Magazine.

Jerry Avenaim and Rolando Gomez have both lectured at workshops and seminars across the globe, and each have been known to draw standing-room-only crowds. Both photographers are heavily sponsored, and you can expect to see product demonstrations throughout the year.

Our goal is to keep our membership dues and meetup fees affordable considering the tough economy. Come join two top photographers and many local enthusiasts share the passion of photography with one another!

Visit http://www.photomeetups.com immediately after joining this group here!