"Why?" with Terry Clark

Image copyright Terry Clark. All rights reserved.

"Why?" is all about some of today's most talented artists and the backstories about their images. Terry Clark joins me with more than just a story about an important image in his career. When I emailed him about being a part of this series and sharing one of his most favorite images, he wrote back:

Favorite photos are like friends. Some come in and out of your life quickly, serving their purpose and poof, they’re gone. Others tend to linger a bit longer. Teaching us a lesson or two then slowly fade. The best ones are forever. Lifetime friends. These are the ones that last. They hit all the right chords and play the sweetest music. They’re also the most difficult to identify because often their strength is in their longevity. They may or may not be part of a specific body of work. In fact, because these are the images that hold their place so long, it’s possible they’re not even part of what you currently photograph. Yet, there they are, holding their place in your heart. 

I first met Terry in his studio in Pittsburgh seven years ago. As part of a photo industry fund-raiser for one of the non-profits, I had donated a few hours of my time for marketing support. Terry was the high bidder. I was living in Akron, Ohio at the time and Pittsburgh was a pretty easy drive. So, Molly the Wonder Dog and I headed to spend a day with Terry. 

Terry's the perfect example of what I love most about our industry, the friends who come into our lives out of a mutual love for photography. That first visit set the stage for a terrific friendship. And, while we might not see each other very often, when we catch up on the phone it's as if the last thing we talked about ended with a comma - the conversation and the comfort of a great friendship just take over.

Click on the image to visit Terry's website and see more of his work. You might also enjoy a post from a few years back that Terry and I sort of did together. 

The bottom line to everything we should be doing as business owners can can be summed up in my favorite quote from Terry:

Smile big, laugh hard, and make people happy!