Image copyright Daniel J. Cox. All rights reserved. by Skip Cohen I started "Why?" as a new feature on the SCU site to help more photographers understand the stories behind the favorite images of some of the most respected artists in our industry. I can't turn back the clock and chase down photographers who are no longer with us, but I can introduce you to so many of the movers and shakers today. This is number thirty-one in the series since we started in April. Dan Cox is in the spotlight with what many will agree is the perfect reason for an artist to select his/her most favorite image. The image launched Dan's career as an artist. He was seventeen when he captured the photograph above, which became his first published piece as an Eddie Bauer catalog cover. They ran it as a front to back wrap, essentially becoming a double-page spread! But, there's more to the story. Dan's parents were visiting him in Bozeman last week when we recorded his "Why?" backstory, and we included them in the podcast. His parents were his support team, and as you listen to him tell the story behind this image, think back to the early days when you were getting started and the people who were your biggest fans. Like Dan's folks, they were hopefully the ones who helped you stay focused on your goals. Eddie Bauer's publication of the image became a family project when the image was offered as a limited edition print. Even more important the image launched the career of one of the most talented outdoor/wildlife photographers today.
When Dan and I started working together almost two years ago through Panasonic's Luminary team, I had no idea of the depth of his experience or his passion for the craft. Dan and his wife Tanya spend approximately ten months of the year on one photographic adventure after another. As a result their trips have had an impact on thousands of photographers through their company Natural Exposures. On their website there's a sentence I want to share. It so appropriately describes their business: Natural Exposures, your connection to the world of photography, nature, conservation and the conduit to fulfilling your lifelong travel dreams. Check out more of Dan's images and the trips he and Tanya offer the photographic community with a click on any image above. Then, check out The Corkboard Blog for some of the exciting stories about their journeys and Dan's passion for education and images of the outdoors and wildlife. I have yet to follow one of his trips that wasn't on my own personal bucket list!
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by Skip Cohen Every now and then somebody posts an image on Facebook that simply deserves more exposure. I've shared a number of them over the years. Well, this morning I spotted this classic from good buddy Levi Sim and couldn't help but smile and then share it here on the SCU blog. It's Levi and daughter Lana. She's probably about 2 1/2 in this image. However, as good as it is and as much as it makes me smile, there's another reason to share it. So often as professional photographers you forget that old expression, "Charity starts at home!" You're so busy helping other people capture memories you forget to document a few of your own. Don't let time slip through your figure tips without capturing a few images every so often of your own family. Time goes by way too fast, especially with kids. Just trust an old fart on this one - in a blink of an eye they'll be grown and gone. So, make it a point to have a camera around at family gatherings, day trips or for that matter just there to capture seemingly unimportant events. I shared this image of me on my Dad's shoulders a few months back. It was taken by my mother over sixty years ago. It's still one of my favorite images. I was a year or so younger than Lana in the image on Levi's shoulders. But, as I told Levi when I asked for permission to share it, "Lana will have this one in a frame when she's forty!" A big thanks to Jen Sim who was the true artist on this one! I guess having a good eye just runs in the family! Interested in checking out more of Levi's work, follow him on Photofocus. Just click on the image of him and Lana above. A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in. Robert Orben Here's a perfect topic for a "Sunday Morning Reflections" post! Ever had one of those "A-ha" moments? For me it was a moment where I realized I don't always walk the talk or maybe it's more accurate to simply say practice what I preach. Well, here's my recent "A-ha" moment - for the first time in seven years I just took a real vacation, going completely off the grid for ten days. In the last three and a half years since I started SCU, I've probably written a dozen or more blog posts or articles for Shutter Magazine where I've hit the subject of recognizing burn-out and taking time to step away from the business. I've told all of you how important it is to take a break, but I rarely follow my own advice. Welcome to Sheridan, Montana! We just spent a week there, fly-fishing with our son and daughter-in-law and it was just what I needed, but not without a little pre-trip preparation.
Sheridan, Montana is about 90 minutes south west of Bozeman and an hour south of Butte. It's a beautiful drive and Ruby Valley Lodge is a three bedroom cabin within a ten minute drive of some of the finest trout streams in Montana. We also took a couple of afternoons off to visit Butte and hike a trail or two in Beaverhead National Forest. If you read Shutter Magazine, I did my video for my October online article from the doorway of the Dumas Brothel Museum, the oldest brothel in American. It went 90+ years before being shut down in 1982. A great location to talk about marketing and promotion! LOL Two major highlights came with flying in a couple days early. Our first night we caught up to good friends, Duncan and Donna MacNab for dinner in Bozeman. Besides being an outstanding photographer, Duncan put together the snowmobile trips into Yellowstone each winter for ten years, which I've shared a few times in Throwback Thursday posts. The next night it was dinner with Dan and Tanya Cox, who also live in Bozeman. Dan is a Panasonic Luminary and we've worked together for almost two years. Nothing beats starting a vacation with quality time with good friends! Since this is a Sunday Morning Reflections post, I always like there to be a lesson with my madness. Well, here's what I learned to share - the world didn't come to a stop just because I was gone. We all get so wrapped up in thinking we're indispensable and the reality is, while we each have special skills, with a little advance planning things still get done. Another lesson - I will NEVER let that much time go by again without taking a longer break. Up until this trip, we've done long weekends, even a week with friends in Ohio once, but every morning I spent the first 2-3 hours of the day on line, taking care of email, posting and tweeting. I rarely ever took a real break. It isn’t how much time you spend somewhere that makes it memorable: it’s how you spend the time. David Brenner And that leads me to my last vacation lesson - It's too easy to lose sight of what and who is most important in your life. It wasn't about how far we went to get away or how long we were gone, but the quality of each day. It was about time for Sheila and me together; time with some very special members of our family; the peacefulness and Zen-like quality of fly-fishing; the lack of technology - no phones, no TV just the quiet of the mountains, and a lot of time to ponder the meaning of life.
So, on this beautiful Sunday, finally absent of Tropical Storm Hermine here in Florida, I'm wishing all of you a perfect holiday weekend. Take the time for those eleven second hugs with loved ones most important to you. and put work away - everything will be where you left it on Tuesday morning! Wishing everybody a safe and relaxing Labor Day weekend! And, to my overseas readers who don't have a long weekend - all the same wishes for a safe and relaxing Sunday. Image copyright Lori Nordstrom. All rights reserved. by Skip Cohen I started "Why?" because I wanted more people to know the movers and shakers of the photographic industry, but these back-stories have become so much more. We look at hundreds of images every day, but never hear the stories behind them. We never learn why artists might have captured an image the way they did, what was on their mind at the time or why it's an important image/milestone in their career. In this new back-story, meet Lori Nordstrom. She's one of the industry's leading educators, and an outstanding artist with a passion for photographing babies. She's involved in dozens of industry projects, workshops and online presentations every year. Her tagline for her business says it all: Celebrating Real Life. Lori couldn't be more real or for that matter approachable if you meet her at a convention and just need a little help/advice. Need help building a stronger business? Just click the image above to connect to Lori's coaching site. Also, check out more of her work on her website. And, it's a lot of fun to show how this image continues to be an iconic part of Lori's business and share the cover of her book. Just click on the cover to the right if you'd like to find out more. |
Our Partners"Why?"Check out "Why?" one of the most popular features on the SCU Blog. It's a very simple concept - one image, one artist and one short sound bite. Each artist shares what makes the image one of their most favorite. We're over 100 artists featured since the project started. Click on the link above and you can scroll through all of the episodes to date.
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