by Skip Cohen Last week, I held an online coaching workshop for VIP attendees from the Hair of the Dog Summit I spoke at a few months ago. We've all attended various workshops and taken tons of notes. The we return home, letting life get in the way and not following up on actionable ideas. The purpose of the follow-up program was to help these artists stay focused on things they could still be doing to contribute to this year's success in holiday sales. It's November 13, and there's still time for you to have an impact on making 2023 one of your very best years ever!
You'll miss out if you keep procrastinating and waiting for the business fairy to sprinkle magic dust on your doorstep! There are no unicorns when it comes to building your business, just hard work and your ability to create top-of-mind awareness with your target audience. No one blog post can cover all the ideas out there, but it's Marketing Monday, and there's still time for you to have an impact on this year's sales. I want to help you THRIVE, not just survive!
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by Skip Cohen Today's post comes with a warning label - Sunday Morning Reflections are never about business or marketing. However, they're hopefully about something you can relate to. For me, it's a therapy session as I write about something usually more personal and often on the taboo list of what the "experts" say you shouldn't share in a blog post! LOL The shot above, thanks to Adobe Stock, is pretty much me this morning. I couldn't decide what to write about and started several posts, only to hit the delete button. Lacking a decent night's sleep, for which I blame a York Peppermint Patty just before bed, I'm simply off a beat. Have you ever had a day kick-off where you were simply clueless - not just about the day's plans, but how you felt? My usual dive out of the bed to beat the Energizer Rabbit to the starting line just didn't happen. But with your help, combined with Sheila and the enthusiasm of two pups, I'm almost back in sync. Sheila and I ALWAYS take the pups out together. The backyard is fenced, and the morning's fun starts with these two knuckleheads running around like crazy, then doing their business, followed by at least fifteen minutes just lovin'. I stayed in bed this morning, grabbing more sleep, and the pups came to wake me up. Sensing something was off a beat, they both took turns snuggled up to me. Something was not quite right, and they felt it - it's that amazing intuition pups have to know precisely what you need, often when you don't know yourself. Now, here's where you came in - I mentioned Reflections is therapeutic. Well, trying to express what I'm feeling today, pups climbing all over me, and a partner who gave me room to bounce back together got me back on track. And there's my point - sometimes it takes a village! Sadly, so often, we forget we each have a village to draw from and lean on. So, if your day seems like it's going in the wrong direction, call in the troops! First call to make is to your heart - then check in with those people or critters you're closest to. As I'm writing, Lucy just wandered in, coming by for a hug, and then jumping into her spot on the loveseat in my office to keep an eye on me. Sometimes, you have to ride out whatever is slowing you down and remember the importance of gratitude. An hour ago, I was off a beat, tired, down in the dumps, and having little explanation of why. Maybe finding the "why" wasn't as important as accepting how I was feeling and moving on. Wishing you a day filled with gratitude and time to get a little sappy with the people (and pets) most important to you. And when you have a day like mine started out, go with it. Like stretching exercises before you work out, maybe that's all your heart and soul need - a little time to adjust and move on. Go for those eleven-second therapeutic hugs, just like the ones I'm about to hit Sheila and the pups with...they really do work. Happy Sunday - or Monday, depending on where you are in the world. "If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can read this in English, thank a veteran." From Honor Flight by Skip Cohen I know I've shared a lot of information about Honor Flight in the past, but in honor of Veteran's Day, it's time to share it a little more. In 2014, as a Father's Day gift, I booked a trip with Honor Flight for my Dad and me. I signed us up for the two-day program, hitting all the major war memorials in D.C. At the time, our son was stationed in the area and surprised us. He joined us at each of the memorials along the way. Dad served in WWII in the Army Air Corps in the Asia/Pacific. He never talked much about the war but put him together with his peers on this trip, and the stories flowed. All the other veterans on this particular trip had all been based in Europe. So, Dad's experiences were unique. One night at dinner, I remember one of the veterans asked Dad if he ever got to meet MacArthur. He answered, "No, but I brought in his plane a few times." Dad was trained as a pilot and navigator, but a perforated eardrum grounded him, and he served a lot of his time in the tower in New Guinea. That night, just before going to sleep, Dad told me one last story, "It was my turn to get out of the tower and fly on the routine radar calibration flight that day. I was pretty excited to get in the air. However my "CO" grounded me because he wanted to go. I was disappointed, but no big deal, I'd get the next one...Well, they never came back." Dad let out a quiet sigh and that was he said. If you've got a veteran in the family before they're too old to share the stories, book a trip with Honor Flight. They're an amazing nonprofit with an incredible goal of demonstrating respect and appreciation for our veterans. Check out the numbers below - they've honored 273,543 veterans and had 200,210 guardians along for the trips since they started in 2005! It's Veteran's Day 2023 and an opportunity to express my appreciation to all of you who have served and are currently serving. And I can't forget all the families involved who have sons and daughters in the military. Last but not least - our son Brian, who serves today, "Uncle" Randy, who rarely takes off his USMC hat, and my Dad, who's keeping an eye on us from above. Thank you all for your sacrifices to give us the lives we now live. Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid.
They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices. President Harry S. Truman by Skip Cohen
I shared this image a few years back, but November is the anniversary of when Sheila and I first met. I wrote a piece for my high school's alumni newsletter a few years ago and ran across it recently. This is an excerpt of what I shared. ....Staying connected to my hometown, Painesville, Ohio and digging back to Clyde C. Hadden Elementary maintains a particular place in my heart. There's a smile on my face just writing about it. So, turn back the clock to the 50s and Clyde C. Hadden. Here's a taste of what makes those days so unique and the memories so vivid. My wife Sheila and I met in second grade. My parents moved to their first real house in November. I started the school year as the new kid, almost three months after everybody had already been in school. Being the new kid, the principal, assigned somebody to show me around. Whether it was because he had a soft spot for this young girl or simply knew she had five brothers and was tough enough for the task, Sheila Fetterman was assigned to give me the tour. I remember it like it was yesterday – "Here's the gym… that's where we have lunch…this is Mr. Paxton's office… there's the playground… that's the Boy's Room…see ya!" The photograph above is the 3rd-grade class at Clyde C. Hadden a year later. Both Sheila and I are highlighted. I'm in the top row, second from the right, and Sheila is in the bottom row, third from the left. But Throwback Thursday photographs always bring back memories beyond just the picture itself. ...Rosemary T. had an autograph book, and everyone got to sign it. Thinking I was outrageously creative, I mimicked the Coke commercial at the time and wrote, "Feel refreshed, have a sh _ t." Little did I realize the teacher would be asked to sign the book following my page. Even more painful was that she played bridge with my mother, and the torn-out page of the now "ruined" autograph book was delivered to my Mom. Like the scene in Christmas Story, I was marched into the bathroom, and the giant bar of Ivory soap came out. My mother was mortified and demanded to know where I had heard such language. As the tears flowed down my cheeks, I whimpered, "Grandpa uses that word all the time." Mom bought the story, and for the moment, I was off the hook. A day later, she cornered my grandfather and screamed at him to watch his language around me. My grandfather took the heat, winked at me, and later whispered, "You owe me!" It was another building block in a remarkable relationship with my grandfather. For the next ten years, Sheila and I would often be in the same homeroom, but that was it. We were never good friends. I was a nerd, and she was a cheerleader - we just didn't run in the same circles...So, Sheila went her way in life, and I went mine. Fifty years later, at the fortieth high school reunion, the friendship started. That was in 2007; we were married in 2010. If you have yet to search for at least one throwback image, do yourself a favor and get started. Throwbacks bring back memories and even more important, they're a perfect reminder of the value our industry provides to the world. What would life be like without our photographs and videos? Happy Throwback Thursday! by Skip Cohen
Last year, right about this same time, I was running a series called "Sound Advice." Looking back through my archives, I ran across this post on diversity in your skill set. It's only a four-minute sound bite, but it's relevant to so many of you. I'm hoping most of you are starting to fulfill holiday orders – but that doesn't mean you can't still think about your immediate future from a "what if?" perspective. When business is bad, life becomes a lifeboat drill. We examine all our costs, procedures, etc. Often, the things we change and cut back on are issues that should have been addressed long before the crisis. So, think back to the height of the pandemic – when events were all canceled, people were paranoid about virtually everything – and we all hunkered down. Now, think about your plans if another crisis were to happen, even the most local event that forced you to change your business model. Do you have the skill set to tackle something else, or are you strictly a one trick pony? What's your backup plan? It's a short sound bite from last year, and while references to 2022 aren't valid, the concept of diversity couldn't be more important and worth considering. With IUSA coming up in January and more conferences and workshops on the horizon, whether LIVE or online, what will you do to expand your skill set? by Skip Cohen I grew up with a handful of my Dad's grainy, underexposed, silent movies, which later were replaced with hundreds of Ektachrome slides. While I laugh about all his clicks of the shutter, family slide night was always a kick. Those slides and the movies captured memory-making moments that are priceless. Technology never slows down, and today, all of you have the ability to become filmmakers. It's right there at your fingertips, and thanks to companies like Tamron, you've got optics that bring top-notch quality to the table. Well, it's Tamron Tuesday, and I grabbed two completely different videos from Tamron's YouTube channel. Both were captured with Tamron's new ultra-wide angle 17-50mm lens. Charley Voorhis is no stranger to SCU; I've featured a number of his videos. If you're at a convention where he's teaching/speaking, make it a point to introduce yourself. I don't know @AUXOUT, the artist featured in the second video, but I like the way he toured Seoul and the mix of still images with the new lens. They're both relatively short but don't just watch them for the content, but the style and technique of each artist. Then, think about your style and what skills you need to raise the bar on the quality of your own video work. From a personal marketing video to video holiday cards for your clients to ongoing components in the services you offer - you need to understand the art of storytelling as a filmmaker. For those of you headed to IUSA, WPPI, or dozens of regional, state, and local conferences next year, take a few classes that relate to filmmaking. Everyone has the technology, but not necessarily the skillset. You need to grow this aspect of the craft just like you did with still-imaging. Remember, growth only happens outside your comfort zone! by Skip Cohen If you wander through the SCU archives you'll find posts covering virtually every topic in marketing. Sadly, too many of you are still pondering the meaning of life and your business. I want to take a different approach this Marketing Monday and give you another resource to build a stronger strategy for your business. If you haven't checked out everything Marathon offers, you're overdue! Yes, Marathon is a client, but I was working with them for thirty years before they became one of my sponsors. In the 90s, they printed my first co-authored book, Don Blair's Guide to Lighting and Posting Body Parts. I've been to their plant, spent time in their booth at various conventions, and worked together with their staff. I've followed their growth and expansion into offering some of the very best printed products and marketing support in the industry. It all starts with a click on the red banner at the top of their home page. From there, click on any of the drop-down windows to identify each service/product they provide. And in terms of specific support for the holidays - their BOGO program is going on right now. NO PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER SHOULD EVER USE A STORE-BOUGHT HOLIDAY CARD! There's still time to create your own card featuring one of your images and, on the back of the card, your contact information. And for your clients, nobody can help them create their family card better than you! Plus, with Marathon's BOGO, you can pick up additional revenue because of the savings. It's all just a click away on the banner below. Here's the bottom line - from Bella Art Prints and Bella Albums to studio products, volume photo solutions, websites, their MAP marketing support to direct mail, and everything in between - they're ready to help. But even more impressive, and what I love most about Marathon is their ability to become your marketing department. They've got the expertise and the services/product lines to help you achieve a powerful finish to 2023 and, more importantly - set the stage to kick off the new year! And if I still need to convince you to check out everything they offer, then pick up the phone and call them yourself. You won't be disappointed! by Skip Cohen It's Sunday morning, and if you've followed me for even the shortest time, you already know I'm about to jump the tracks from anything related to business! This is when I just let my fingers, heart and mind wander over the keyboard until something triggers a topic. This morning, I was looking through past purchases from Adobe Stock, and the one above hit me hard. A few recent challenges have left me living the same day twice and then some. And while I realize it's time to break the cycle, it's easier said than done. So, I went off searching for "life is too short" quotes, and Dr. Seuss came through! Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So, love the people who treat you right, forgive the ones who don't and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said it would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it. Dr. Seuss There's nothing more I want to add to this little gem except... Take the time to let those you love the most know their importance to you. Put all your regrets in a shoebox and kick it under the bed - let them live with the dust bunnies! Most important of all - everything does happen for a reason, which isn't always obvious. Accept the challenges and savor the changes in your life that make each day unique, and if the same day seems to repeat itself, then it's time to put up a detour sign and take a new route. Wishing everybody a perfect day ahead, jam-packed with smiles that give you that stupid Alfred E. Neuman "What, me worry?" look. Life is simply too short for anything else. Happy Sunday...or Monday if you're on the other side of the world. by Skip Cohen It's November 3, and you're down to the wire to have an impact on this year's holiday seasonality. If you have some things you're doing already, then you can stop reading. However, I'm betting many of you have a minimal amount going on and are waiting for the Marketing Fairy to sprinkle magical business dust on your doorstep. Sorry, I couldn't resist the image on the right. But if you want to meet the real Marketing Fairy, just look in the mirror. You're the only one who can find the magical fairy dust to create more excitement this holiday season. And if you're stash of ideas is running low, here are some places to start...
Last but not least, use social media to get the word out. Your blog, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X), and even a great personalized-looking email blast have the potential to remind people of your expertise. MAKE SOME NOISE! There's still time to have an impact, but if you wait much longer, you'll be at the airport when your ship comes in! And if you're stuck for ideas, you know where to find me. by Skip Cohen For six years I wrote for Shutter Magazine. Each article was accompanied by a short video highlighting the topic. The fun of the video really was in the theme that always followed my article. And the more absurd I could be, the more likely readers would remember what I said. This particular video was for an article I wrote in 2014. It was all about your greatest marketing tool - building relationships. From pounding the pavement and knocking on doors, to partnerships and community involvement, Scott Stratten says it best, "Stop Marketing and Start Engaging!" While Unmarketing certainly isn't a new publication, it's an outstanding book. It's well worth a trip to Amazon to add it to you business library. Just click on the cover shot to the right. Meanwhile, think about every aspect of your business where you can touch a past or potential client. From how quickly you respond to questions on your website, to keeping in touch with past customers to working with other vendors, and being helpful on your blog - every contact is an opportunity to build a stronger relationship. Happy Throwback Thursday! Images copyright Mike Moats. All rights reserved. by Skip Cohen Since Tamron Recipes started, the analogy between great chefs and photographers has never slowed down on being appropriate. And, just like fine chefs have specialties in different cuisines, so do artists. Today, we're headed in a different direction from many of our past guests. Chef Mike Moats joins us for this month, and he's sharing one of my favorite cuisines - macro/closeup. With each image he captures and shares, Mike's passion for the craft takes us beyond just an interesting photograph - he's all about fine art, storytelling, and sharing a look at a part of the world most of us walk by. The name of his company/website, Tiny Landscapes, says it all. Put a camera in his hands and his favorite Tamron lens, and he'll take you on a journey into a world you missed...because you didn't look close enough! I first "met" Mike many years ago through Tamron's Image Master program. He's no stranger to sharing his work here at SCU. But even more impressive than his images is his love for the craft and education. INGREDIENTS
In today's short podcast, Mike talks about his favorite Tamron lenses, the Tamron 18-400 mm with his Nikon and the 18-300mm with his Fuji X-T30. While many artists might not think about this focal length for closeup work, Mike explains how Tamron's technology has given him the best tool for the images he loves most to capture. From online support to his live workshops throughout the year, Mike never slows down on helping photographers raise the bar on the quality of their work. His Macro Photo Club may be one of the best educational investments with a minimal one-time cost to join for a lifetime membership and access to over 270 helpful videos. Click on any of Mike's three images featured in this month's post to visit his website. And make sure you check out his galleries.
This is what I like about photographs. They're proof that once, even if just for a heartbeat, everything was perfect.* Jodi Picoult by Skip Cohen It's Halloween and what would have been my Dad's 101st birthday. But my post isn't sad, and it's not about missing him. Into his nineties, when he passed away, I used to say how lucky I was to be my age and still have my Dad around, plus enjoying all our time together. He had all his faculties right down to the wire. What today's post is about is the value of photographs. Many of you, as a result of the stress and challenges in building your skillset and business, have forgotten the treasure you provide to every client - your ability to capture their memories! Before writing today's post, I took a short walk down Throwback Lane. Old photographs of my Dad brought him back to me, even if just for a few minutes. The memories, and in turn, the stories I shared with my wife, made me smile. I could hear his laugh in the back of my mind, and one story led to another as each photo brought another memory to the surface. Here's my point - as a professional photographer, you're a magician. You can stop time. You capture intangible memories, and turn them into tangible moments that people can hold in their hands for a lifetime! That's an incredible responsibility, and it's all coming out of the trust each client puts in your skills. As we go into the 2023 holiday season, never compromise on the quality of your work. Deliver the very best to every client. Make yourself habit-forming and exceed expectations with every click of the shutter! And, oh yeah...Happy Birthday Pop - sure do miss you! *I know I've promised numerous times in the past to stop using this quote, but there isn't one better when it comes to describing the value of photographs! If you want to catch more fish, use more hooks! George Allen by Skip Cohen Every year around this time I start a series of reminders of things you should be doing to capitalize on seasonality. Today's post is modified from the SCU archives, but the point is still the same. While business has great potential all year long, it's the November/December seasonality that offers you the most potential. This was originally the seventh post in my get-ready-for-seasonality series two years ago. However, the reality is there isn't any single key to success. But there is a winning combination of publicity, products, and promotion. As we head into the close of 2023, besides all the other aspects of marketing I've been writing about, you need to be creating awareness. What good is working so hard to create the best images of your life if nobody knows who you are? Too many of you think of publicity as awareness outside your control. It's time to kill the myth. Thanks to social media and communication technology - EVERY business can control and contribute to their own awareness.
Stop waiting for that knock at your door from a reporter who wants to do a feature profile story about you and your business. Those opportunities will come, but you have to build your own awareness first! The bottom line is simple: "use more hooks!" by Skip Cohen It's Sunday, and I never write about business and marketing, but instead, I like to run amuck on just about any other topic. This morning, I started by looking at images and illustrations I've bought over the years from Adobe Stock. The first image was the one above, followed by the image below. As kids, our imaginations ran wild. We'd lie on the grass and look at the clouds, finding all kinds of hidden critters. We'd build spaceships out of refrigerator boxes, forts out of blankets draped over the dining room table, and entire scenes of great battles with a bag of army men. There was no limit to what could be accomplished in creating our own virtual world - and we did it without one single electronic device. But we got older and lazier - why create a virtual event in our mind when we could do it on the computer? And we stopped lying in the grass because of fire ants and pesticides. And refrigerator boxes for spaceships and clubhouses - NOT - If we get a large appliance delivered, the box is immediately taken away by the delivery company for recycling. But that old line about "you can never go back" just isn't true. When it comes to your imagination and daydreaming, you can always turn back the clock. All that creativity is still there, screaming for an opportunity to be cut loose. The challenge is silencing the day-in-day-out noise, keeping stress at a distance, and allowing yourself to waste a little time and ponder some of the "what-ifs" in your life.
If you need to build a spaceship out of a cardboard box - go for it! Who's stopping you? We're all victims of our own sense of propriety - we're grown-ups and supposed to act like it. Whatever happened to the spirit of Peter Pan, who lived in each of us? We said we'd never grow up, but we gave in. We sold out - Now it's time to turn back the clock a little. And there's my point - take the time to daydream. Find a way to block out all the noise, lock up all the stress, and start staring at the clouds. If necessary, build a fort or, better yet, a castle with a wide moat - pull up the drawbridge and don't let anything interrupt your creative spirit. Wishing you a day ahead with time to let your spirit fly and daydream a little. Challenge all the daily paradigms and let your creativity juices flow. Life doesn't always have to get in the way of our dreams. Take the time to appreciate the people you love the most. Go for those long therapeutic hugs I always write about and, in the process, share some of those dreams you need to get back to chasing. Happy Sunday...or Monday on the other side of the world! The business of life is the acquisition of memories! "Mr. Carson" Downton Abbey by Skip Cohen
It's Friday and I'm keeping it light - As you head into the weekend, take a minute here and there and create a special memory. If there's one thing we all realize as we get older, it's simply that life is too short. That means - stop wasting time on things that don't matter. Focus on your business when you need to, but don't forget about the face in the mirror, your family and friends. The image with today's post is a perfect example. It was captured on a sunset cruise. We recently went to Hilton Head for a few days - not because we needed a vacation, but because we wanted to catch up to friends who were there. Considering the laughs, fun and the memories we "acquired." we could have been anywhere! Wishing everybody a terrific weekend ahead and time to appreciate the things most important in your life. by Skip Cohen Hump Day thoughts are short ideas to help raise the bar on your success, especially during this upcoming holiday season. Most of you, at one time or another, have been involved in a brainstorming exercise. Most often for me, it happened in marketing meetings in my Polaroid days and later at Hasselblad USA. The whole idea is based on a small group of people doing a brain dump of ideas/solutions related to some aspect of business. There were no rules - just talking slow enough for somebody to write down the ideas - back then on a whiteboard. There was no such thing as a bad idea. The fun began once the ideas were compiled - how to enhance, combine, or boil them down into an actionable program. Here's my point - if you're stuck for promotional ideas for this holiday season or ways to kick off the new year, take the time and start writing down ideas. Don't think anything through initially - just write them down. Give yourself an hour or two in an environment without interruptions. And if you need a little help, bring in a family member, associate, or friend who knows a little about your business. You might be surprised by what comes out of a bit of brainstorming! All it takes is one idea to grow into something to impact your business. Two heads are definitely better than one and by brainstorming as a team and sourcing ideas from each other,
you have a better chance of coming up with a strategy that will allow your business to overcome a setback or challenge. Richard Branson by Skip Cohen
You've only got sixty days to make a difference in your business. And while some of the things I will suggest are definitely last-minute rushes – they can still have an impact!
This post is longer than usual and only begins to cover a few building blocks to make this year's holiday season the best. Remember, everything you do now also helps with a strong foundation for the upcoming new year. And if you're stuck for ideas - you know where to find me! Intro by Skip Cohen It's Marketing Monday, and wandering through the SCU archives, I found one of my favorite guest posts by my good buddy, Scott Bourne. As 2023 seasonality starts to ramp up, have you built a reputation for being unique? If not, then what you're offering is a commodity - the same thing everybody else promotes! And to Scott's point: You've got to be unique - not just in terms of technique and quality, but your ability to build relationships with your clients. Walt Disney may have said it best: To be successful you must be unique, you must be so different that if people want what you have, they must come to you to get it. by Scott Bourne I've written lots and lots and lots about selling photography. The other day someone asked me, to forget the books and long blog posts and seminars I've taught and sum up the key to successful photography marketing in three words or less. I am proud to say I was able to do it in two. Uniqueness and Value Those are the two words I want you to concentrate on when you're trying to build your photography business. These are the ONLY things that matter when it comes to marketing. Not your logo, or which award you've won, or which association you join, but whether or not your photography company is unique and offers real value. Ask yourself... Is what you do unique? Is it something that people want and need? Is your photography truly valuable?
If you answer "No" to either question then you are going to have an extremely difficult time surviving, let alone thriving in the photography business. Because at the end of the day, if you aren't unique you are a commodity. And if you're a commodity, then you will get your butt beaten working long hours for VERY little money. If your products aren't valuable, then no matter what price you charge, you'll always struggle. A car with no engine is not a good deal for the average person. The average person can't build an engine, install it and drive away. So no matter how low the price, the car with no engine has no value. You have to find ways to bring value to your clients. If you do that, then price isn't an issue. And price is what this post is really about. You see, if you are unique, you can charge a higher price - but only if somebody wants the unique thing you have. If you are NOT unique, then you will always be competing on price. If you are on the other hand, valuable, but not unique, nobody will see the value. This is an ethereal concept but try to dig into it. Make a list of how you are truly different from your competitors. Then make a list of how you bring value to your customers. What's your USP (unique selling point?) What's your value proposition? (How does your product match up with the needs, beliefs, feelings and desires of your prospects.) When you can answer these questions, you can move forward and thrive. Almost everything will work if you unplug it for a few minutes...including you. Anne Lamott by Skip Cohen
It's Reflections time, and as usual, I never focus on business and marketing topics. However, today's post is closer to a business necessity - taking a break. We spent last week in Hilton Head, SC, with friends, and except for United Airlines challenges, it was a pretty sweet week. As I put the collage of highlight photos together this morning, I was reminded of those first back-to-school "What I did on my summer vacation" projects. As we got older, we were expected to be more astute about our time off. I'm unsure when those assignments stopped, but I know I was NEVER astute. Well, here I am decades later, and my ability to be astute couldn't be more on target. It's a simple observation - What good is working as hard as we all do if we don't take time off to smell the roses? Sheila and I rationalize a lot - because we live in a vacation destination. There's not as much need to get away. Watching a beautiful sunset over the water, we'll often look at each other and say, "Hey, it's not our last night!" We both feel blessed to live where we do, but we need to get away more - plus, my camera or phone seems only to come out when we are out of town. Then there's the challenge of finding time with great friends - too often, life gets in the way. Here's my point: Take the time off whether you need it or not. It doesn't have to be a bucket list vacation, just time with people you care about in a different environment. And remember to capture a few memory-making shots or videos along the way. Wishing you a Sunday to make some memories. Capture them with your phone or camera so you can stop time and look back in the future. Go for those long therapeutic hugs with the people you love the most, and simply cherish time - because there's never enough of it. And to our friends Wendy and Chip - what a kick to get away with you guys! Happy Sunday...or Monday on the other side of the world. Image copyright Cindy Harter Sims. All rights reserved. by Skip Cohen When you've been blogging for a long time another aspect of Throwback Thursday is digging through your archives and "mining" for older posts. As I wandered through my archives this image from Cindy Harter Sims came up. It's one of my favorites from the "Why?" series which featured the works of over 125 artists. So, the original post below was in 2016 and the first post featuring Cindy's story was 2013. Today, she's one of the most accomplished professional photographers in the industry. Five minutes with Cindy and you feel like you've known her your whole life! Happy Throwback Thursday! "Why?" is about images, artists and backstories. It's about artists who need to be on your radar.
I'm betting many of you don't know Cindy Harter Sims. She's not typically on the speaking circuit, but she's always at the key conventions. Besides having become an outstanding artist, what I enjoy most about Cindy is her focus on building her skill set. She never slows down! Cindy was the music teacher in a Georgia school for many years and decided she wanted to be a professional photographer. She took classes, practiced for endless hours, and then in 2011, after five years of saving and planning, opened her studio. She's never strayed from building her skill set and in the process has worked with some of the finest artists and educators in our industry. Cindy is all about quality - in her images, business, relationships with clients, the community and her friends. Check out Cindy's 2013 guest post on how she got started. In regards to the portrait above, in an IM she wrote to me: "I get pretty emotionally attached to my work. This print is my whole heart. I have been feeling the urge to make a portrait of my father for a while...I wanted to recreate that scene as if to live it once more." To see more of Cindy's work, just click on her image. |
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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