A Fourteen Year Throwback in Photography: WPPI 2007

by Skip Cohen
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I know I shared one of these images six years back, but there's no expiration date on wonderful memories or the love we have for special people. Bill Hurter passed away six years ago. He was a friend to so many of us in the industry. Print competition each year at WPPI, together with most of the speaker choices and the Awards Night Program, were all his babies.

The year is 2007, and this was part of an idea thanks to Maureen Neises from Graphi. Every year, four photographers would be chosen to document the WPPI event and put together an album of their images. The whole idea was to tell the story of the convention through the eyes of the four artists. So essentially, it was A Day in the Life of WPPI, like the day in the life books Kodak published back in the 80s. 

I was thinking about Bill recently and went in search of these images. There are no words to describe the respect between these two knuckleheads, Bill and Cliff Mautner. And I use the word "knuckleheads" as the highest compliment for people I care about, respect, love, and appreciate. 

This would have been the last show we did at Bally's and Paris. WPPI had outgrown Bally's. Two years earlier, just as we were ready to move to the Las Vegas Convention Center, they pitched us on taking over both hotels!  
 
The fun of Throwback Thursday is about those memories that make you smile - even when they're bitter-sweet like these. Don't miss the opportunity to take a break from the grind and stress of today's business. Take a few minutes to hunt down an old photograph that makes you smile. It's the perfect way to remind yourself of the importance of the career path you chose when you brought imaging into your life.

Now, think about what every image you capture means to your clients. Nobody can create the magic you can as a professional photographer. Recognize the value of your work and appreciate the trust put in you.

And to Maureen at Graphi and Catherine Hall - thanks for the joy you created - it's definitely been a gift that keeps on giving!

​Happy Throwback Thursday!

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