From the day PHOCO began in 2012, Patrick Edmiston was focused on being more than just another photography company that views the world through a single lens. He adopted an African proverb “If you want to go somewhere fast, go alone, but if you want to go somewhere far, go together.” He did just that and worked to grow his team by focusing on each person’s unique abilities, collaboration, and community. Five years later, PHOCO is recognized as a top photography and videography collective because of the consistent adherence to these principals.
When Patrick began PHOCO, he had become an expert as a single photographer but wanted more. As a Fort Collins native, he had an urge to blend giving back to the community with his photography, sparking the idea for PHOCO. Patrick added the eager and ready to learn Shaye Fitzgerald to the team and the two began networking around Fort Collins to form PHOCO. As the team grew, each member added their own unique skills and ideas and soon enough PHOCO was becoming a one-stop shop for photography and videography.
Team PHOCO from left to right: Shaye Fitzgerald, Ryan Waneka, and Patrick Edmiston
Fast forward five years to 2017 and PHOCO has used its team to stay true to its initial values of creating a collaborative atmosphere and using their business to connect with the community. The current team of Patrick, Shaye, and Ryan Waneka keep busy with hundreds of events every year and about eight major multi-day, full-scale events. Some of their major events include shooting for New West Fest, promotions for New Belgium and Lululemon, and most recently a music festival in Napa called Yountville Live. Check out the video they created to highlight Yountville Live! But PHOCO is also available for one day events like headshots and weddings. Their wedding portfolio is remarkable with personal video highlights and collections of photographs, each one vivid with detail and emotion. The team is focused on capturing memories and ensuring the highest quality of services and products for each event because they understand the impact it has. As Shaye puts it, “PHOCO is more than a job. All the people I meet and the places I go create an impact on me. When I hear from a client about how an image we took for them moved them to tears, it fills me with so much reward and humility for the opportunity I have.”
Looking forward to where PHOCO wants to be in five more years, Shaye notes, “We currently shoot all around the country but would like to be recognized as a top photography company nationally and pull more clients from all over the nation.” With so much talent and passion for delivering each client a personal and unique project to touch them emotionally, PHOCO is certainly headed in the right direction.
Patrick, Shaye, and Ryan would like to personally invite the community of Fort Collins to attend their Five Years of PHOCO party hosted at The Articulate this Friday, March 24th! The event is focused on thanking the community for all its the support over the last five years and looking back on the wonderful memories the team has shared with their clients. Join us at The Articulate this Friday, March 24th from 6-9pm.