Gary Fong
Encyclopedia
Gary Fong is an American
entrepreneur and former wedding photographer. After twenty years, Fong ended his photography career in 2002 to pursue business interests such as marketing photography products, luxury vacation rentals, yacht chartering, plastics manufacturing, a distribution and fulfillment center, and authoring a successful inspirational memoir.
Fong, left with no mentor or proper training, started a wedding photography business in a bedroom of his parent's apartment, and offered his services for $150/no time limit. While this entry price severely undermined the pricing standards, he was able to present comprehensive designs that were far more costly than the standard photography package. He would go on to photograph such people as, Sylvester Stallone
, Ronald Reagan
, Sidney Sheldon
, Lee Remick
, Paul McCartney
, Peter Criss
, Bruce Lee
, Todd Rundgren
, Priscilla Presley
, Pia Zadora
, Michael Landon
, Florence Henderson
, Shelly Fabares, among others.
While watching an on-location filming of "Charlie's Angels
", Fong saw for the first time an on-set Storyboard
and reasoned that wedding photography albums should use a similar format to depict a wedding story. So, using sequential photo layouts rather than static, posed images, Fong introduced the "Storybook Concept". This style of wedding albums remains popular to this day.
Here Comes the Guide, a respected "bible" of wedding planning has said, "Every once in a while someone comes along to revolutionize an art form; for wedding photography, that someone Is Gary Fong."
Fong was selected in the telecast, Weddings 2000 as one of the top ten wedding photographers in the world. This live simulcast was broadcast to movie theaters internationally, and was a first of its kind.
invested $29 million dollars to acquire Pictage in 2006.
. Because the scale of his photographic accessories company had reached a sufficient scale, Fong's Canadian Holding Company
began acquiring companies in the Midwestern United States
to produce and distribute his products, including a fulfillment facility in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, and a rapid prototyping and plastics injection molding company adopting use of polylactic acid
.
. "Accidental Millionaire" has been described as "a humorous, poignant memoir of the man said to have revolutionized wedding photography".
In the book, Fong claims that his entire life changed when, during an emotional meltdown, he nearly rear-ended a car that had a bumper sticker that said, "Since I Gave Up Hope, I feel Much Better". From that point, Fong gave up trying to meet or achieve goals, and dropped out of society. It was during this period when we went to Club Med in the Bahamas to vanish, that his greatest inspiration came in the form of maintaining emptiness in not only his schedule but in his aspirations.
This began an awareness of a mindset which Fong calls, "The Law Of Repulsion". In the book and interviews, he theorizes that much of what sabotages a person from success is trying "too hard" to achieve a narrowly focused goal. He lists among the examples of the "Power Of Repulsion", couples who want badly to have children that have better luck becoming pregnant after adopting, or how a salesman with a quota in mind can become more repulsive to closing a sale than if the goal was not so heavily focused upon.
One review described that Fong's approach caused his wealth "to grow only after he stopped focusing on a set goal for success". Fong's seemingly random path to a diversified portfolio of business interests came as he "cast his fate to the wind to free himself and let life lead his path".
Another reviewer described Fong as "very unlike the Jack Welch type of millionaire that professes the full control of cognitive evaluation of risk approach, or the scores of books offering money making formulas investing in real estate."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entrepreneur and former wedding photographer. After twenty years, Fong ended his photography career in 2002 to pursue business interests such as marketing photography products, luxury vacation rentals, yacht chartering, plastics manufacturing, a distribution and fulfillment center, and authoring a successful inspirational memoir.
Wedding photography career
Originally a musician, while pursuing a degree in Pharmacology to appease his parent's demands to become a doctor, Fong accidentally stumbled upon a Life Magazine article featuring wedding photographer Rocky Gunn in a multi-page spread. Feeling that this was more fate than coincidence, Fong pursued Gunn for a chance to assist and learn. It was during this time that Gunn died at age 42 of a sudden heart-attack.Fong, left with no mentor or proper training, started a wedding photography business in a bedroom of his parent's apartment, and offered his services for $150/no time limit. While this entry price severely undermined the pricing standards, he was able to present comprehensive designs that were far more costly than the standard photography package. He would go on to photograph such people as, Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
, Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, Sidney Sheldon
Sidney Sheldon
Sidney Sheldon was an Academy Award-winning American writer. His TV works spanned a 20-year period during which he created The Patty Duke Show , I Dream of Jeannie and Hart to Hart , but he became most famous after he turned 50 and began writing best-selling novels such as Master of the Game ,...
, Lee Remick
Lee Remick
Lee Ann Remick was an American film and television actress. Among her best-known films are Anatomy of a Murder , Days of Wine and Roses , and The Omen .-Early life:...
, Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, Peter Criss
Peter Criss
George Peter John Criscuola , better known as Peter Criss, is an American drummer and singer, best known as the original drummer for the rock band Kiss...
, Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
, Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
, Priscilla Presley
Priscilla Presley
Priscilla Presley is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the ex-wife of singer Elvis Presley, and the mother of singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley....
, Pia Zadora
Pia Zadora
Pia Zadora is an American actress and singer. After working as a child actress on Broadway, in regional theater, and in the film Santa Claus Conquers the Martians , she came to national attention in 1981 when, following her starring role in the highly criticized Butterfly, she won a Golden Globe...
, Michael Landon
Michael Landon
Michael Landon was an American actor, writer, director, and producer. He is widely known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza , Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie , and Jonathan Smith in Highway to Heaven...
, Florence Henderson
Florence Henderson
Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...
, Shelly Fabares, among others.
While watching an on-location filming of "Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...
", Fong saw for the first time an on-set Storyboard
Storyboard
Storyboards are graphic organizers in the form of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence....
and reasoned that wedding photography albums should use a similar format to depict a wedding story. So, using sequential photo layouts rather than static, posed images, Fong introduced the "Storybook Concept". This style of wedding albums remains popular to this day.
Here Comes the Guide, a respected "bible" of wedding planning has said, "Every once in a while someone comes along to revolutionize an art form; for wedding photography, that someone Is Gary Fong."
Fong was selected in the telecast, Weddings 2000 as one of the top ten wedding photographers in the world. This live simulcast was broadcast to movie theaters internationally, and was a first of its kind.
Lightsphere
Discouraged by the look of flash photography because of the flashlight-shaped light source, Fong found the answer in the soft lighting of a lampshade in a hotel room. This led to the invention and patenting of the Lightsphere, a dome-shaped light diffuser, which was introduced in late 2004 and has sold more than 400,000 units worldwide.Pictage, Inc.
With the advent of digital, Fong knew that online presentation of images would be best matched to an instant print delivery service. So, joining up with Pictage's online presence, Fong brought his own personal print lab into Pictage's headquarters, and installed it in the kitchen. Joining the Board of Directors and Senior Management team, Pictage started with seven employees in a small office, and within years the employee count would top 150, making Pictage the largest dedicated online digital/web solution anywhere in the United States. Apax PartnersApax Partners
Apax Partners LLP is a global private equity and venture capital firm, headquartered in London. The company also operates out of eight other offices in New York, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Tel-Aviv, Madrid, Stockholm, Milan and Munich. The firm, including its various predecessors, have raised...
invested $29 million dollars to acquire Pictage in 2006.
Vertical Integration
In 2009, Fong began focusing on a style of management called vertical integrationVertical integration
In microeconomics and management, the term vertical integration describes a style of management control. Vertically integrated companies in a supply chain are united through a common owner. Usually each member of the supply chain produces a different product or service, and the products combine to...
. Because the scale of his photographic accessories company had reached a sufficient scale, Fong's Canadian Holding Company
Holding company
A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...
began acquiring companies in the Midwestern United States
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
to produce and distribute his products, including a fulfillment facility in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, and a rapid prototyping and plastics injection molding company adopting use of polylactic acid
Polylactic acid
Poly or polylactide is a thermoplastic aliphatic polyester derived from renewable resources, such as corn starch , tapioca products or sugarcanes...
.
Memoirs
In 2009, Fong published his memoirs, The Accidental Millionaire - How To Succeed In Life Without Really Trying with BenBella BooksBenBella Books
BenBella Books is an independent publishing house based in Dallas, Texas. Founded by Glenn Yeffeth in 2001, BenBella specializes in non-fiction books on popular culture, health, and nutrition, along with books on science, politics, psychology, and other topics....
. "Accidental Millionaire" has been described as "a humorous, poignant memoir of the man said to have revolutionized wedding photography".
In the book, Fong claims that his entire life changed when, during an emotional meltdown, he nearly rear-ended a car that had a bumper sticker that said, "Since I Gave Up Hope, I feel Much Better". From that point, Fong gave up trying to meet or achieve goals, and dropped out of society. It was during this period when we went to Club Med in the Bahamas to vanish, that his greatest inspiration came in the form of maintaining emptiness in not only his schedule but in his aspirations.
This began an awareness of a mindset which Fong calls, "The Law Of Repulsion". In the book and interviews, he theorizes that much of what sabotages a person from success is trying "too hard" to achieve a narrowly focused goal. He lists among the examples of the "Power Of Repulsion", couples who want badly to have children that have better luck becoming pregnant after adopting, or how a salesman with a quota in mind can become more repulsive to closing a sale than if the goal was not so heavily focused upon.
One review described that Fong's approach caused his wealth "to grow only after he stopped focusing on a set goal for success". Fong's seemingly random path to a diversified portfolio of business interests came as he "cast his fate to the wind to free himself and let life lead his path".
Another reviewer described Fong as "very unlike the Jack Welch type of millionaire that professes the full control of cognitive evaluation of risk approach, or the scores of books offering money making formulas investing in real estate."