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Rangefinder Magazine, 2005 and a Classic Photograph!

2/1/2018

2 Comments

 
Picture
This is a Throwback Thursday post that really hits the time machine, taking me back to 2005. I get that you can't please everybody, but the response to this cover was one of the very few times in my career I had to deal with screamers. ​

The photographer was Damien Bredberg, and the image won him Editorial Photographer of the Year in Australia in 2004. Adding to the fun of the image and backstory is the fact that it was his father who was the model.

How many of you could talk either of your parents into that kind of role? I remember joking around with my Dad when the issue was published. He said he was willing but not on a scooter. He wanted a Harley!

PictureImage copyright Damien Bredberg
The image and story was a definite staff favorite when it came time to decide on the cover for that issue. It made us all laugh, and represented an artist with a great skill set and sense of humor. The issue was published and within a couple of days I got my first angry call.

I don't remember his name, but he was from Arkansas and accused me of publishing porn! He screamed at me to cancel his subscription; that his granddaughter saw the issue and was embarrassed. Then he hung up on me.

But technology was on my side, and thanks to caller ID I called him back to get his name and address! I know you should never go head to head with an angry customer, but he'd pushed all my buttons. In all honesty, I was happy to let him go as a reader.
 
Then, a few days later I got a letter from a woman who also hated the cover. She tore it off the magazine and sent it to me with a note: "May the view from the back of this motorcycle rider be your just reward!" It took us a minute to realize she was referring to the obvious moon-shot.

I can only imagine the comments we would have gotten if we had shared this second image I found yesterday on the Vanishing Point website from a post in 2012. Click on the image above or below to for more of the story about "Scooter Man."

Picture
Image copyright Damien Bredberg
For years I had the "Scooter Man" cover shot as my last slide for the close of any class I was teaching. After telling the story of the people who objected to the cover, what I said back then is still so relevant:
Stop taking life so seriously and just have fun with everything you're doing!
​If you're not smiling for most of your day as a photographer then you're doing something wrong!
Happy Throwback Thursday!
2 Comments
Donna Keidel link
2/1/2018 07:55:05 am

Isn't it interesting how there are a few times in our careers where letting a customer go is the right thing to do for your business? It doesn't happen often but when it does, you're usually quite confident it was the right choice...

And as for fun!! The photography is ALWAYS fun!! The business side? The marketing? Those, I struggle with enjoying.

Reply
Marilyn Sholin link
2/1/2018 08:02:14 am

I always Loved this image. It made me smile for days on end. 14 years ago is three lifetimes in professional photography. How far we have come! I remember 20 years ago I was mixing my images together and people thought it was “cheating” until Richard Stuyvesant turned it into moneymaker art for team Photography and then he took it to new levels. I have so many thoughts about this journey that I started with high key portraits being the trendsetter in Miami Metro market and then starting with my digital paintings that were featured in October 2005 cover for Rangefinder. Controversial Photography usually is the beginning of a new trend and needs to be seen and create excitement for the future.

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    Skip Cohen is President of SCU, founder of Marketing Essentials International and past president of Rangefinder Publishing and WPPI. He's been an active participant in the photographic industry since joining Hasselblad USA in 1987 as president.  He has co-authored six books on photography and actively supports dozens of projects each year involving photographic education.

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    Scott Bourne was the first Dean of Marketing at SCU. He helped to establish this blog as a resource for aspiring and working professional photographers. He's an educator, artist, author and from time to time you'll see his name on guest posts that are always relevant to photography and marketing!

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