by Skip Cohen

​We're an industry of artists, and our love for any particular image is always unique to the viewer. My old buddy Dean Collins, when an image of his was criticized, his comment was always the same, "Beauty is in the eyes of the checkbook holder!"

We all have favorites we follow on their websites and in social media, and Mike Peters is one of mine. Two years ago, I did a book for Panasonic and Marathon Press. There were only two copies made for the public display. It was a giant album designed to show the quality of LUMIX cameras combined with Marathon's outstanding quality of Bella Art Albums.

The page at the top of today's post is where I look at my relationship with Mike started, and I shared the image on the left in a post last year. Although now and then a closeup nature shot jumps in, Mike is all about people. As a LUMIX Ambassador, he's out and about capturing his favorite species - humanity.  

We can only speculate on the story behind each image, but as a body of work, the story couldn't be more continuously developing or obvious. At a time in the world where the news media captures the challenges in the differences between us - Mike is capturing what makes us all the same. From the intensity of a pensive stare to a smile to communicating and sharing an emotion, he never slows down on his quest to capture another face to add to his own version of The NeverEnding Story. 

​I love the way Mike describes the images in his galleries:

The images you will see here have been presented as seen, I crop only rarely and work to get the composition nailed in the camera. No pixels were harmed in the making of any of these images! The people you see in these photographs, with the exception of the performances, are regular people, not models or actors. Many are in real situations that were happening in the moment, while others have been a part of a scenario that was set up just for the camera.

Mike needs to be on your radar - follow him on Instagram, or his website. Every image he shares represents another chapter in a day in the life of America. Click on any image to view in the SCU lightbox.

Mike is a LUMIX Ambassador, and a member of one of the most unique and diverse educational teams in professional photographers. This group of artists and educators represent some of the finest photographers in the industry and should be on your radar, along with Mike. You'll also find them hanging out from time to time in the LUMIX Photographers group on Facebook.

​Panasonic never slows down on developing creative tools for photographers to raise the bar on the quality of the images they capture. Mike's favorite camera and lens to work with these days is the LUMIX G9 and the Leica 10-25mm F1.7 lens. For more information, click on either thumbnail below.

“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life.
When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’.
They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”
John Lennon

by Skip Cohen
​
Sunday is always my day to follow a different path other than business and marketing. "Sunday Morning Reflections" started as a way for me to share a thought or two about something other than photography. And, as I've written before, writing this post has a therapeutic value to help me recharge my thought process before a new week kicks off.

While sometimes I have no idea what to share, this morning, I knew exactly where I wanted to go and the topic...looking back.

Since celebrating my fiftieth anniversary in imaging ten days, I've repeatedly fallen into stretches of looking back. It started with that first post on February 6. That brought out a few hundred people from both my past and present, with an overwhelming never-ending flow of much appreciated congratulations. Thanks to social media through LinkedIn and Facebook, they came from all over the place in my career. Later in the day, I was a guest on Don Komarechka's podcast, Inside the Lens, and we talked about  some of the lessons I'd learned over the years. 

Then, a good buddy, Jerry Costanzo and his wife Sharon, came for a short visit. Jerry and I go back to my early Hasselblad days in '87, and while we don't catch up that often, our lives are deeply rooted in the industry and it's a friendship I cherish. Then on Friday, I kicked off a new post series called "Lessons Learned," an idea also thanks to Don Komarechka. 

Last but not least, in a search for something new for next week's Throwback Thursday, I found three disks loaded with old images from Ofoto. Ofoto was the foundation for today's Shutterfly. Most of the images were from 20-25 years ago, creating another trip down Memory Lane.

Five different events have contributed to the longest stretch of looking in my rearview mirror I've ever experienced. It's been one of those out of body experiences people talk about, only my life didn't flash before me, but became a full-length feature film. I repeatedly kept stepping back into chapters of my story.

They say we can never go back, but that's not true. We can go back - we just can't stay there very long! While I could easily kick back and be one of those, I remember when kind of guys, I'm too excited about tomorrow and memories that haven't been made yet. I'm also looking forward to how much I still have to learn. I'm too enthusiastic about the new challenges in business and life. That's what keeps me going.

This time next Sunday I'll be sitting on a plane headed for WPPI in Las Vegas. The show's had its share of challenges since it went from a family-owned business to a corporate entity, but it's still a benchmark of potential. I'll be in the Platypod booth catching up to both old friends and new ones as I share another chapter in my career and a product line I've grown to love deeply. (If you're at WPPI, come by and check out Platyball!)

And that brings me full circle to my point. We've all got a rearview mirror to look back through. Those nostalgic journeys behind us give us the foundation to appreciate the new ones ahead of us. We can take long and short glances back, but it's the view going forward that feeds everything behind us.

Regardless of how you got here today - appreciate your roots. Remember that everything you've experienced and every person who's come into your life, good or bad at the time, has contributed to who you are today. They've all been building blocks in developing your sense of self, and your skillset well beyond when a camera's in your hands!  

Wishing everybody a Sunday filled with just as many great looks back as you enjoy looking forward. While you can't go back, you sure can appreciate the path you've taken that got you here. Best of all, you can change the road you're on at any time. Always go for those long therapeutic hugs with the people most important in your life and make it a day when the smile on your face sets the stage for the week ahead.

by Skip Cohen

On February 6, I celebrated fifty years in imaging. My good buddy Don Komarechka wanted to have me on his podcast, Inside the Lens, which is part of Photo Geek Weekly. The topic? Lessons learned over my career. As things go, especially in this industry, one thing led to another, and Don planted the seed for a new SCU series, simply called "Lessons Learned."

But let's the stage first. As I've written before:

At a time when so many of my friends have slowed down, I love this business too much to give anything up. The busier I am, the more I love it. The more I realize how much there still is to learn outside my comfort zone, the more energy I seem to have to explore and navigate a new path.
 
My intent with this new series is to share another chapter from my past each week...whether it was good or bad. I'm hoping you can learn from my mistakes so you can make new ones of your own!

In 1970 my career in imaging kicked off with the need to find a job. Landing a job at Polaroid and coming into photography was purely an accident. I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up, and most of my friends today know that I still don't. And that brings me to one of my earliest lessons learned - the importance of finding mentors.

I joined Polaroid because I needed a job and at $2.89/hour it was more than I'd ever made before. However, I completely underestimated the importance of stepping outside my comfort zone. One of the selling points of the company was their internal bidding system. Open jobs in the company were most often staffed from inside, giving all of us the opportunity to apply to other open positions.

In my second year at Polaroid I put my name in for 63 different jobs, and was turned down due to lack of seniority. All of them were outside R&D where I just didn't want to be. I almost failed Chemistry in high school, so to be involved in chemistry on this level scared me to death. But here's the first lesson - no matter what our goals, we all need a mentor.

For me, on the chemistry/engineering side of life it was Edgar Gutoff, a PhD Chemist who took me under his wings; taught me to use a slide rule, expand the parameters on his formulas, and within two years I actually understood what I was doing.

Edgar watched over me, and while I didn't always understand the importance of the results of the experiments, I did understand and respect the process. You couldn't ask for a much better foundation in photography than actually understanding how to make emulsions - literally the light-sensitive coating on a sheet of film.

Now take the concept of having a mentor and apply it to anything you do today that's new. The Google definition of "mentor" is an experienced and trusted adviser. Those three key words mean your mentors have more experience than you; have built a relationship of trust and as an adviser are willing to share that experience with you. 

We ALL need mentors, especially today at a time when every morning technology has moved the goal line. Just when we think we understand a particular process or technique things change. We need those trusted friends in our life to help us with our choices; watch our backs and guide us along the way while still giving us enough room to grow.

And that's the perfect point to wrap this up with a comment about my friendship with Don Komarechka. Too often people think mentors need to be older than we are. I've got a lot of years on Don, but I consider him one of my mentors in technology and imaging. He's the mad-scientist of imaging, never accepting anybody telling him something can't be done. So, as a good friend, inspiration, and somebody I'm continually learning from, the word mentor certainly fits.

Don Komarechka needs to be on your radar. I pulled together a few of my favorite images of his below. Click on any one of them to connect to the backstory on his website or on SCU.

And to so many of you who commented and congratulated me on my fifty-year celebration, thank you. I honestly couldn't have done it without you, your support and guidance all along the way! 

by Skip Cohen

Yesterday I was thinking about what I might share for Throwback Thursday today when the mail came and answered my question...the Yellow Pages. Seriously, while last time I wrote about the "phonebook" a couple of photographers still claimed they get leads, overall I don't know anybody who lets their fingers do the walking.

But there is a point when it comes to Sarasota County that's fast becoming obsolete. I heard once that Sarasota County has one of the oldest average age populations of any county in the country. Now, if you pay attention to the demographics of your business, that means we've got a community that's less computer literate than in other parts of the country. So, just maybe the Yellow Pages becomes a good thing for part of the population here.

But it's Throwback Thursday, and like the national obsolescence of the phonebook, I've got some other things it brought to mind:
 
Floppy disks and payphones? Alarm clocks and encyclopedias? Fax machines? Bench seats in cars?

My good buddy, Brian Caporicci, has found a perfect use for old floppy disks. He hands them out to brides at bridal fairs and says, "Please take this home and enjoy looking at some of my favorite weddings and albums." And when they look at him like he's from outer space and exclaim, they've got no way to view them; it becomes the perfect argument about printing your images and the importance of the wedding album!

I just shared a few of my favorite obsolete products but I wanted more. I Googled "Products that have become obsolete" just for the fun of it.  What I found was a mini-goldmine of memories. ​

From Business-Insider:

Mini-labs: At their peak in 1993, there were 7,600 one-hour labs in the US, and another 14,700 so-called mini-labs inside chain stores like Kmart. If you didn't live through the 1980s and 1990s, it's hard to visualize just how common these stores were.

by Skip Cohen  
  
In January 2019, we launched the first episode of Tamron Recipes. Well, here we are over a year later with a new series of conversations with our guest "chefs." My co-host, Chamira Young, and I chose to play off the chef analogy because so many great artists are like the fine chefs we've grown to know through reality TV. And the Tamron Kitchen, just like a foodie-driven episode on the food channel, is loaded with great ingredients - one of the most diverse collections of high-quality lenses in photography. 

Cecil Holmes joins us in the kitchen this month, but we thought we'd have some fun with a different kind of "dish" and show his diversity. While Cecil's passion is outdoors with landscapes and critters, there's nothing he can't photograph. So, we thought we'd have fun with two of his favorite extremes - the night sky and a macro of a daisy. 

In these two new recipes, Cecil's using two of his favorite Tamron lenses, the 15-30mm G2 and the 90mm macro. The links to both lenses are below.  
 
Cecil is no stranger to the SCU blog, but until last month we'd only talked on the phone or in cyberspace. At IUSA, we were able to actually meet face to face, as Cecil and his son walked the trade show floor. There's something about meeting people you admire face to face that enhances the impression you've already developed from other means of contact. Cecil couldn't be more passionate about the craft or more friendly and approachable, and his son, Keegan is a chip off the old block.

With each new "chef," I like to search for a quote that applies to their work or personality. 

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel."
Maya Angelou

Like most photographers, Cecil is a storyteller. I'm so familiar with his work - his images are often about sharing what he's experiencing or observing. In an episode of "Why?" here at SCU, and later featured in a Tamron video, he talked about changing plans on a landscape shoot when Mother Nature didn't cooperate on the weather. He had no choice but to simply go with the flow. 

Whether he's on assignment for his portfolio, teaching, or working with another photographer, his approach couldn't be more relaxed. While he's often got a vision of what he wants to capture, his approach is to head out with his camera and capture what he wants to share. 

​About "Chef" Cecil:  If there's one word that describes Cecil Holmes, it's humility as an artist. I usually don't share a chef's about page here, but I pulled a paragraph from his website that's so appropriate in demonstrating Cecil's love for the craft:

Oh yeah....about me. I am a forty-something. I do not know if my generation has a name. I do not have any kind of art background at all. I didn't study under any of the big names in art or photography, in fact, I am self-taught. I know...I know, it seems blasphemous. I simply picked up a camera some time ago, when my oldest son began playing sports. Even though he was 5, I knew I would need good, sharp images to send to all the college scouts and coaches ten years in the future. That's when I decided to purchase my first DSLR. I still blame my son. Soon after, I combined my love of photography with my love of the outdoors. Those two things fit together naturally. 

Click on either of Cecil's recipe images above to visit his website and galleries.

by Skip Cohen

​I love artists who let us take a peek behind the scenes. It's like a door they open to share their ideas and the vision behind their images. All we have to do is walk through it.

BTS videos like this give us a chance to see the preparation to capture each image. They give us a better understanding of not only the skillset involved but the talent of the artists themselves, and their thought process.

While the most effective type of education to grow your skill set will always be hands-on. There's so much you can learn watching a BTS video, especially when you've got three LUMIX Ambassadors in the driver's seat! 

As I've written dozens of times, the fun of this industry is in the friendships. Charles and Jennifer Maring and I go back close to twenty years. I've watched their growth as artists, educators, writers, and even entertainers.

Then, with the video below, they brought Photo Joseph into the mix. I haven't known Joseph as long, but he's just as focused on his love for imaging, and diversity. Joseph's joining Charles and Jennifer to capture their story on video.

Lots of people can capture/create beautiful images, but they can't tell you about the process.  Even more important is when they can SHOW you what they're doing, and they're comfortable sharing those "secrets."

This video is part of "Together In Style," Charles and Jennifer's educational website, which should be on everybody's radar. They cover a wide variety of information, and their presentation is as high-impact as they are as artists.  Photo Joseph's website is packed with great education. He's one of the most diverse educators in imaging and always helping photographers raise the bar on their skillset. Pick just about any topic in professional photography and you'll find it on his website!

As LUMIX Ambassadors, Charles, Jennifer and Photo Joseph are members of one of the most unique and diverse educational teams in professional photographers. This group of artists and educators represent some of the finest photographers in the industry and should be on your radar. You'll also find them hanging out from time to time in the LUMIX Photographers group on Facebook.

And last but certainly not least - Panasonic's tagline is "Changing Photography." Check out the new full-frame S series cameras with a click on the banner below. The S Series is changing photography and filmmaking. Isn't it time you understood what all the buzz is about!

by Skip Cohen

​Well, it's 7:00 am, and the Sunday routine is in full swing. The pups have been out to do their thing, Alexa's got music playing, and I'm stepping away from business and marketing to write about some aspect of my life. While there are some Sunday mornings where I have no idea what I want to write about, this morning was easy. The topic is aging.

This past Thursday, I celebrated fifty years in the photography industry. For a few weeks leading up to February 6, I wrestled with whether or not to celebrate or withdraw into seclusion! I even talked with several good friends about whether or not I should keep it quiet or put it right out there. The unanimous opinion was to celebrate and share what I've learned. Essentially, stop worrying about what people thought and run business as usual.

Except for creaking for ten minutes when I get up in the morning, I don't feel a day older than I did in my forties! I've got a few more scars, literally and figuratively, but there's no change in my passion for imaging and business. There's also no change in wanting to keep sharing ideas with you, so you can learn from my mistakes and make new ones of your own.

Thursday's celebratory post probably got the most significant response of anything I've ever written, and it's still going. Now and then somebody's shocked I've been around this long and even more surprised I still have something worth reading and talking about.

It's all about passion. "Passion" is probably the most abused word in any language, not only in imaging but in business, and in life. It's that one ingredient that if you've got it, you can do anything, and without it, you'll wander aimlessly. 

Passion is what keeps us focused on our goals, even when we don't seem to know what they are. It's what keeps us looking forward rather than spending too much time staring at the rearview mirror. It's also what sets the tone for virtually everything we do.

Somebody asked me what my "secret" was? There is no secret. Your level of passion is involved in every single thing you do and think about. What's wonderful about my journey has been how my passion for everything in my life keeps growing as I've gotten older. Nothing gets in the way for how much I love my life, Sheila, the pups, our friends, having a new camera in my hand, or writing this post this morning.

I know it's a trite way to wrap up a post, but I found a few quotes that say it better than I could ever write it: 

You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream.
C.S. Lewis

Those who love deeply never grow old: They may die of old age, but they die young.
Benjamin Franklin

Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional.
​Walt Disney

This past week somebody congratulated me and wrote: "Here's to the next fifty." It's a little overwhelming to actually consider I'm going to be around for another fifty. We all know it's not going to happen. However, I'm not going to slow down or stop doing things I love just because I'm older - so my point is wake up every morning with the same enthusiasm and passion you've had since you were a kid!  There's no reason to grow up because nothing is impossible!

Wishing everybody a terrific day ahead. Don't let anything or anybody stand in the way of your dreams. Age gracefully or with chaos - if you're passionate about your life, it won't make any difference. And, if lately, you've been off a beat trying to find the right direction on your internal compass, just remember, you can't create images that tug at people's heartstrings if your own heart isn't in it.

Go for those eleven-second therapeutic hugs with the people most special on your life and make time today to think about your next goal or dream. Most important of all, never waste time worrying about growing up!

Happy Sunday!

by Skip Cohen

Since it's Throwback Thursday, even though I've shared bits and pieces of this story in past posts, it's perfect for this morning. Fifty years ago today, I started my journey in imaging, and it's amazing how fast time has flown by.

Off to college in 1967, I was every parent's nightmare. Forced to take a class that was a requirement, I'd never study, but give me something I loved, and I could make Dean's List. Unfortunately, I went on and off academic probation, like the changing of the seasons.

However, certain aspects of my college experience became my first introduction to marketing and sales. For example, I had trouble studying in the dorm because it was so noisy. Summer of my sophomore year I convinced my folks it was cheaper to live in an apartment, which it actually was. I did a full presentation worthy of pitching investors in Silicon Valley today! (Note: You weren't allowed to be in an apartment until your senior year. However, I found a grad student who needed a place to live, and that's all it took. He also taught me how to cook...okay, so it was Alice B. Toklas brownies, but still required learning baking technology!)  

After being on and off probation, Miami U. sent me on my way in December of 1969. I didn't want to live at home and needed to spread my wings. Much to my parent's dismay, I decided to move to Boston, where my girlfriend lived. A neighbor in Ohio knew one of the engineers at Polaroid at the time, and made a call - I had my first real full-time job. 

It was February 6, 1970, when I started. Polaroid updated security badges every year or two, and while others were lost along life's journey, the one above, probably from 1975, survived. I was a Lab Tech in the Emulsion Development group washing bottles in the lab at $2.89/hour. It was the most money I'd ever made. Plus, on B-shift for a few months, there was a premium and overtime was 1 1/2 times with weekends being double time.
 
Leading up to the introduction of the SX70, the department was working on new ways to make emulsions, the light-sensitive coating on film. I was working with some incredibly patient people, one of them being Edgar Gutoff, a Ph.D. Chemist/Engineer who sadly passed away a short time ago. For those of you who know me, try and picture me in a lab coat, complete with pens in a pocket protector and a slide rule.

So, the short version of my career goes - back to school nights through Polaroid's tuition reimbursement program. Polaroid's worldwide population was over 20,000 back then, and my journey included positions in HR, Customer Service, Regional Services Manager in Chicago and International Services Manager, traveling all over Europe and Asia for almost three years. My last assignment was Photo Specialty Dealer Manager, which were the camera stores. In April of 1987, I got a cold call from a headhunter looking for somebody to be "president of a small camera company," whose products were only sold through camera retailers. That company was Hasselblad USA, and my world changed. 

Hasselblad to PhotoAlley.com to Rangefinder/WPPI to my own business in 2009 and six co-authored books over the years. SCU was born in 2013, and my career has never slowed down. I know I sound like a McDonald's "Lovin' it" commercial but I wake up every morning with a smile on my face. And I've got an ongoing level of curiosity that would rival any of the characters in a Willy Wonka movie!

As I wrote recently in a post:

At a time when so many of my friends have slowed down, I love this business too much to give anything up. The busier I am, the more I love it. The more I realize how much there still is to learn outside my comfort zone, the more energy I seem to have to explore and navigate a new path.

All along the way, amazing people and companies have come into my life and career. I consider myself one of the luckiest guys in photo, and I've learned so much from so many different artists, writers, managers and educators. And as I've written so many times in the past, it's the friendships that make this business so incredible. 

With fifty years invested in this industry, stay tuned. I'm going to launch a new series called "Lessons Learned," and I'll do my best not to hold anything back. If you can learn from my mistakes, then you'll have time to make new ones of your own!
 
Take the time today and take a look in your rearview mirror...as long as you're always going forward, it helps to appreciate your roots!

​Happy 50th Anniversary to me, but even better, Happy Throwback Thursday to all of you! ​

by Skip Cohen
 
I spend a lot of time talking with other photographers online as well as time at every convention. Lately, it seems like everybody has gotten so serious. I'm not saying you should take the challenges of business lightly, but there are too many people in this industry who need to loosen up a little. 

I have no idea how my brain works when it comes to my "archives," but the expression "that's so funny, I forgot to laugh" popped into my head. It sent me on a quest to YouTube looking for of one of my favorite old SNL skits with Gilda Radner and Bill Murray. The SNL channel on YouTube is jam-packed with the classics and well worth your time whenever you need a chuckle.

Here's my point today - a lot of you need to loosen up. Stop being so serious about your quest for success. Seriously, what good is working to become a great artist if you're not stopping to smell the roses along the way? What good is working this hard if you're missing time with family and friends? 

Thinking of photographers I admire, Tony Corbell immediately comes to mind. You'll never see him without a smile. He deals with the same stress in his life we all do, but it's rare anyone has ever heard him say "NO" to helping another photographer because he's too busy. He couldn't be more focused as an artist, but we love him because he's never let the craft overshadow his love for life.

So, lighten up today! Focus on your business, your clients, but don't forget to focus on yourself, your family, and your friends. Don't let your sense of humor get buried under the stress of business. In my Sunday Morning Reflections series, I always write about giving the people you love most one of those eleven-second therapeutic hugs...well, maybe it's time I suggested you give a friend a "noogie!"

And speaking of people in the industry who make us smile: At PPE a couple of years ago, I gave my buddy "Vanelli' a series of noogies, and I'm still laughing! Fortunately for me, as a past Triple Crown Karate Champion who could take me out with a blink, he's still laughing too. (Thanks Andrew Darlow for capturing the moment!)

Here's a recipe for success: Laugh more than you worry. Don't lose sight of your goals. Recognize that success isn't just about the bottom line, but being happy. Stay in touch with good friends. Accept that you're only one person and can only do so much. Know that everyone makes mistakes. And like Tim McGraw's lyrics, always stay humble and kind!

​Happy Hump Day! I hope Todd and Lisa make you smile as they did me this morning!

Intro by Chamira Young

Drawing inspiration from other fellow photographers is an important part of keeping your creative juices flowing. How many of us have grown stagnant in the work we've produced over time, especially as we get caught up in the daily responsibilities of running a business? ***Raises my hand.*** I certainly have! That's why studying another photographer's work for educational purposes is a wonderful way to breathe new life into your own photographic practice.

Today's post is the perfect example of checking out a fellow artist's work and getting a serious dose of inspiration. Colorado-based photographer Aaron Anderson is a master at creating highly individualized, creative portraits that will leave you breathless using Tamron's SP 15-30mm VC GZ lens. We all know Tamron creates amazing glass. Now it's time to see it in action! Check out his work below and get the interesting backstory behind these great portraits.

Small Space, Big Backstories
​
Aaron Anderson creates highly individualized portraits of an artists' collective in a confined space with the Tamron SP 15-30mm VC G2 lens.

By Jenn Gidman
Images by Aaron Anderson

When the SPQR artists' collective decided to pitch an exhibit for Meow Wolf, an immersive art installation out of New Mexico, the group recruited Colorado photographer Aaron Anderson to do a photo shoot for them. "They wanted to showcase themselves, both individually and as a group," he says. "And so we undertook this collaboration where I would tell each of the artist's stories through a portrait. We sat down together for four hours, talking about each artist, what their background was, and how they worked. My goal was to balance each portrait so that there was something meaningful in each photo—something only the artist and those close to them would understand—but so an outsider would still think it was a beautiful image."

Aaron had intentions of tapping into a variety of lenses for this session, which was shot entirely with studio lighting, but the space they were photographing in was so small that he opted for the Tamron SP 15-30mm F/2.8 VC G2 wide-angle lens for the entire shoot. "If you watch the behind-the-scenes video, you'll see that every picture was taken pretty much in the same room; we just redid the set to customize it for each artist so every portrait looked different," he explains. "So I was in a very confined space—sometimes only 6 to 8 feet away from my subject—but I had to get the entire room into the frame and make it appear as a large, open space. I couldn't have done that without the 15-30 lens. I also love using this lens for portraits, which isn't why I originally bought it. It adds a somewhat unconventional look to my portraits."

Read on for the backstory on each artist and how Aaron conceptualized their accompanying portraits.

While there's nothing Rick Gerrity can't photograph and probably hasn't, I wanted to share a little of his black and white work, because it brings out so much about him as an artist. I usually love to share the artist's backstory, but this morning I'm going to share it from my perspective.

Rick's a LUMIX Ambassador, and educator teaching all over the US, but most importantly, he's a student of people. His passion is telling the story of America, and that truck of his, which is approaching 500,000 miles, is proof of his road-warrior mentality to go everywhere it goes! All along the way, no matter where he's headed, a LUMIX camera is never out of reach. He described the combination of his LUMIX G9 with the Leica 10-25mm lens as a "life-changing combo!"

The fun of this industry is always about the friendships, and I first met Rick in 2013 when our mutual buddy, Tom Curley, was getting the Ambassador team started. Since then, thanks to cyberspace, I've been able to follow him all over the country as he documents Americana. And, while I love so much of his work, I chose black and white for today's post because B&W is so pure of the distraction of color - each image is about the personality of the subject or simply the moment. If it's true that a picture is worth a thousand words, then Rick's already surpassed everything Shakespeare ever wrote.

But another aspect of knowing Rick is the fun of what he shares. Because of my affiliation with Platypod, he sent me the image on the right over the weekend, and the video below. While out and about in South Jersey, Rick was playing in the mud.

He used a Platypod Max with his G9 to capture the video. He had it tied to a tree as he took his truck in and out of a mud puddle just smaller than Lake Erie!
​
On one side of my home are two tables and all of Sheila's gardening tools and flower pots. She loves to garden, and I had a sign made that says, "Sheila's Garden Shop - Some kids just like to play in the dirt!" Well, obviously, Sheila's not alone.

For more information on Rick's favorite camera and lens combo, click on either thumbnail below. The G9 is also my favorite, but I love the versatility of the 14-140mm lens.

The best thing about this industry has NOTHING to do with imaging, but the friendships that come out of everyone's mutual love for the craft! Yes, I've written that dozens of times, but it's so true. And Scott Bourne sets the bar pretty high when it comes to loving the craft, the business, and helping artists raise the bar on the quality of their work!

We've been involved in dozens of projects over the years; wrote a great book together and share dozens of the same friends. We've also got a mutual love for marketing and business.

I grabbed the image above from Scott's Facebook header, but there's another place you'll find him hanging out, his blog, "Picture Methods." This weekend he announced a new contest, and Platypod has a fun role as one of the top prizes.

Check out Platypod's Max-Macro Bundle. It's a $300 value, and includes the Platypod Max, two sets of the new stackable goosenecks, and two Litra Torch 2.0 lights.

The specifics of how to enter the contest are all just a click away. And Scott Bourne needs to be on your radar. While his passion is photographing critters - his expertise is in virtually every specialty. So, whether you're photographing birds, bears, or a bride and groom, you should be following Scott.

Click on his image above to follow him on Facebook and the banner below to enjoy the support Picture Methods provides. You'll never be disappointed with the information being shared!

If you want something you've never had, then you have to do something you've never done!
Thomas Jefferson

by Skip Cohen
 
Whether you consider Sunday the start of a new week or the last day of the previous week, I love this time because I've made it all mine. My routine gets a little challenged with the two pups, but there's time for me to kick back, think about the past week and recharge for what's coming Monday.

​A few weeks ago I wrote about comfort zones. I guess the topic is still on my mind, because I'm back on it today. It's so important to creating a richer life.

At a time when so many of my friends have slowed down, I love this business too much to give anything up. The busier I am, the more I love it. The more I realize how much there still is to learn outside my comfort zone, the more energy I seem to have to explore and navigate a new path.
 
There's that old saying with age comes wisdom. In all honesty, the best thing that comes with age is more experiences. I'm learning every time I think "been there done that," I'm often wrong. So, for me, those shots at gaining wisdom come from taking more risks, stepping outside my comfort zone and exploring something new.

I've written a lot about Platypod lately from a business standpoint, it's a perfect example. Outside my comfort zone, I was part of a team who launched a new Kickstarter campaign, 2 1/2 weeks ago, now at over 1250 backers and growing. My point is that it gave me a better understanding of business, marketing, reach, and social media. Plus, a new network of associates, all with different skillsets.

Then there are the puppies - while comfort zones at home are all about being comfortable - I'm fortunate in having a partner, Sheila, who helped me shatter our comfort zone. Now, three months later, we're putting it back together. The puppies are starting to figure it out.

Each podcast I've done with Chamira Young has introduced me to another artist or educator. Each guest has stepped a little outside their comfort zone by agreeing to share their story with all of us. From Suzette Allen talking about hope; to Gareth Rockliffe finding a similarity between spirituality and stepping out of "P" mode; to Ken Hubbard shooting everything from landscapes to portraits in Tamron Recipes each artist is known for taking risks - ALL of them often outside their comfort zone.

And here's my point - Comfort zones are easy places to hang out. There's short term security in knowing something really well and not taking risks. But, you've got to get out of your comfort zone to keep discovering your potential. You've got to expand your circle of friends, your experiences and then often dive into what you might think are scary waters.​

The sooner you step away from your comfort zone, you'll realize it really wasn't all that comfortable.
Eddie Harris Jr.

​As photographers, you're surrounded by opportunities to do something different. Whether it's a class on something you've never done at an upcoming conference or exploring a new aspect of marketing and social media, take the time to think about everything you're doing now. You've got a never-ending choice of paths to follow, explore, and grow.

I hate it when I can't decide which quote to share, but here's one more:

We have to be honest about what we want and take risks,
rather than lie to ourselves and make excuses to stay in our comfort zone.
Roy T. Bennett

​Wishing everybody time to appreciate your comfort zone with family and friends, and then look at ways to step outside that zone and grow even more! Those eleven-second therapeutic hugs should go to those people you love the most and are closest to because they're always with you in and out of the zone!

​Happy Sunday, everybody!

Earlier in the month, I shared an image of Jordan Bunch's I simply loved. It got mixed reviews, but reminded me what any of us think of an image doesn't matter -  "beauty is in the eyes of the checkbook holder." So, if your client loved it, that's all that matters.

Besides the feel of the photograph, what I loved was that it was SOOC ( Straight Out of Camera.) Jordan Bunch shared two more images from that same wedding, all of them right out of the can. It's a perfect reminder of the importance of knowing what you're doing on the front-end, rather than cleaning up files in post-production and wasting time that could be invested in other aspects of growing your skillset and business.

Click on either image to see more of Jordan's work. And as a LUMIX Ambassador, he's always sharing great images. This group of artists and educators represent some of the finest photographers in the industry and should be on your radar. You'll also find them hanging out from time to time in the LUMIX Photographers group on Facebook.

Check out the new full-frame S1R with a click on any of the thumbnails below. Panasonic's never strayed from their tagline of "Changing Photography."

"Did you ever look at your dog and think, how did I get so lucky?"​
Unknown Author

by Skip Cohen
​
​It's Sunday morning, and I'm off-track from the business of photography, but that's what Sunday Morning Reflections are all about. Just like new parents who are wonderfully obnoxious, showing you baby pictures and telling you about their new addition - people with dogs are no different.  When I found that quote above, it got me thinking about a lot of things, not just Lucy and Belle. However, they're the perfect place to start.

I'm not sure where the spark of insanity came from, thinking raising two puppies at the same time was something we could easily do. Sheila and I have both had other dogs as puppies, but we forgot about the work it takes and the importance of consistency. But after eleven weeks we've finally got light at the end of the tunnel! They sleep through the night...the crate's dry every morning...they've got a vocabulary of about 8-10 words and the word "NO" is being used less and less each day. 

Our lives have changed as these two knuckleheads have latched on to both our hearts. But it never would have happened if the two of us hadn't been focused on working together. We don't always agree, and Sheila's a lot tougher on some things than I am - but over the last three months, I've learned a lot about myself.

There's a line I've used many times in posts and workshops - growth only occurs outside your comfort zone.  Getting two puppies was clearly outside my zone, and it's changed how I'm doing some different things, and that brings me right to my point. 

Last Sunday, I mentioned working in the Platypod booth at IUSA, and I couldn't have been more nervous. I hadn't worked a booth in twenty years. It was definitely outside the comfort zone. But it was a fantastic show, and the response to Platyball, as well as the interest in the regular product line, was remarkable. Plus, each day, my network grew a little more, meeting other photographers, as well as catching up with old friends.

It's not just looking at the pups and thinking, "How did I get so lucky?" It's writing this post right now, looking at Sheila, catching up to friends in Cyberspace today, and working on new projects and asking that same question. Even on those days, jam-packed with stress and the pressure of various deadlines bring out that same feeling of how lucky I am.

Our lives keep changing. It's not all roses and not without growing pains, but in the end, I feel so fortunate to love what I'm doing; appreciate my friends and like how this old dog really can learn some new tricks!

Nothing earth-shaking in today's topic, just a reminder to appreciate everything in your life - even the tough challenges. Everything plays a part in making you who you are, and there's that old line to remember, "Without change, there'd be no butterflies!" It couldn't be sappier, but it's change that helps us learn to stay focused and be successful whenever we step out of "P" mode!

Wishing all of you a terrific day ahead and time outside your comfort zone doing something you don't usually do. Go for those long therapeutic hugs, and don't forget you're never alone. Appreciate everyone on the journey with you. Make it a day looking at your world and doing the same thing I'm doing right now...wondering how I got so lucky!

Happy Sunday, or Monday if you're on the other side of the world.

by Skip Cohen

I've written a lot about my role with the team at Platypod over the last few weeks. Since launching the new Kickstarter campaign on January 15, we've not only turned the tripod world upside down but set a level of awareness and performance that rocks the record books.

As of this morning, the campaign has brought together almost 1100 photographers as Kickstarter backers in just the first nine days of a sixty-day campaign. To find out more about the product and how you can take advantage of the launch promotion, take a scroll through the Kickstarter page. 

Yesterday, Jay P. Morgan on The Slanted Lens shared the first video tutorial showing the Platyball in action which is below.

​What I love about the short film is that it's more than just an introduction to seeing the performance of the product. It's a perfect demonstration of what makes Jay P. one of the leading educators and filmmakers in imaging. Whether you've got an interest in the ball head or not, pay attention to how he takes you through using Platyball as well as his thought process for what he's trying to capture. Then, imagine what the rest of his presentations are like.

There are almost 400,000 subscribers to The Slanted Lens on YouTube, with 501 videos to choose from. Each one brings together technology and Jay P's unmatched love for education and imaging. It's one of the best educational resources available, and subscribing is just a click away!

Seeing old photographs, we get enamored by the memories we made
which will keep tugging at our heart-strings forever and ever...
Awijeet Das

by Skip Cohen
 
The other day my good buddy Glen Clark posted this picture of Tony Corbell from the IUSA convention and me. We were in the Platypod booth, and I was showing him the Platyball, the revolutionary ball head recently launched on Kickstarter.

Well, this image sent me straight to my stash of old photographs looking for something that had Tony in it. As I wandered through both prints and digital files, I realized I could do a book loaded with stories of the adventures we've shared during a 30+ year friendship.
​
I have yet to figure out where the years have gone, but that old expression of "time flies when you're having a good time" couldn't be more appropriate. Put the two of us together, and within minutes the stories are going to flow, as each of us takes turns trying to top the other on a walk down Memory Lane. But the best thing about our friendship is that we're still having a blast and writing new stories every day!

​It was hard trying to decide what to share this morning, and I settled on this grab-shot that another good friend, Jim Morton, sent me. The year is 1995, and we were flying someplace on the planet. The woman with the hot dog, Eva, worked for the factory in Sweden. She was in the US on a three-month assignment to better understand the US market and Hasselblad's role.

As you can see, we introduced her to the culinary thrill of an airport hot dog and a coke. But I picked this shot because there were two other things that it brought back.

First, Tony's got a mullet that tops anything Billy Ray Cyrus ever grew! Second is educating somebody from Sweden on the unofficial rules of travel.

Tony had arrived at the airport earlier than any of us and scooped an upgrade to first class. The rest of us were back in coach. As the plane took off, Eva turned to me and said, "Is Tony not an underling?" (Tony and I worked together for many years at Hasselblad. Since I was president, technically, he worked for me.) I answered that he was, but that we worked together. She followed up with, "Then why is he in first class, and we're back here?"

So I explained the rules of the road - whoever gets there first gets the upgrade. But I had to bite my lip and hold back from telling her that there was no "we," she wasn't even in the running for a first-class seat!

And that brings me full circle and back to why I love Throwback Thursdays. I've made it a routine to wander through old photographs once a week. Why? Because they're reminders of the journey, I'm on and looking in the rearview mirror now and then helps me appreciate where I'm headed next. 

Tony and I have shared hundreds of trips, practical jokes, and moments that helped to change both our lives. In fact, the original foundation for classes I teach today on marketing and business all started with help from Tony. And like so many of you, who also consider him a good friend - he's one of the most supportive and giving people in the industry. If he's speaking at any of this year's upcoming conventions, and you're there, run don't walk to grab a seat!

Take the time today and look through some of your old photographs. Those walks down Memory Lane will help you create more in the future!

Happy Throwback Thursday!

by Skip Cohen

​​Last year I started adding a little fun with each new "chef" by searching for a quote that seemed to fit some aspect of their love for the craft. The Tamron Kitchen isn't just about recipes but often the driving force behind each chef's passion for photography. It was so easy to find a quote that fit Chef Mickie DeVries. While her quest is to never stop raising the bar on her technical skills, it's her role as a mom that inspires her most. 

Mickie shared a lot about the priority she's put on being a storyteller of her own children. If you're a parent, then you already know how fast everything changes in your family. We've all looked at our children and pondered, "Where did the years ago?'

Well, Mickie doesn't need to ponder. She's created a storyline she revisits all the time. With each click of the shutter challenging her skill set to document her children, at the same time she makes it fun for them as well as her. And there's the magic word, "fun."  While she's an educator helping other photographers raise the bar on their skill set, her priority is always keeping fun in the playbook!
 
We featured Mickie's go-to lens in this new episode. It's the 28-75mm F/2.8, and while some of the images I grabbed for today's posts were captured with other focal lengths, Mickie talks about why this lens is one of her favorites in the podcast.

"Chef" Mickie's recipe is a click away if you missed it when it was posted last Tuesday. For more information on the 28-75mm lens, click on the thumbnail to the right. 
​
If you haven't visited your local Tamron dealer, it's time to check out the entire family of Tamron lenses.  
Tamron is manufacturing some of the finest glass in photography. You owe it to your clients and yourself to capture images with the very best tools available!

​And to see more of Mickie's work and follow her teaching schedule, click on any of her images in today's post.