by Skip Cohen

Technology and trends in demand NEVER slow down. Now add in the "new" normal created by the pandemic, and there are so many opportunities for photographers to raise the bar on their skills and expand their business. Here's one example:

Thousands of restaurants all over the country are serving outside. At the same time, carry-out has become a significant part of their business. Most of them have little in terms of visual assets to show their menu.

But there's one more factor playing a role in your potential to grow your business - most of you have time on your hands. As we come out of the pandemic and things return to a little more normalcy, while business is picking up, it's the perfect opportunity to fine-tune your skill set.

Aaron van is an accomplished food and beverage photographer. The video below is only eighteen minutes, as Aaron goes through the technique and tools he used to light and capture the image above. In addition, he shares a lot of great "how-to" content. 

So, whether food photography is typically part of your business or not, grab a coffee and take a few minutes to follow his process. Then, start thinking about the restaurants in your community that could use a little help in sharing their menu beyond their physical location!       

​Interested in seeing more of Aaron's work? Visit his website, and you'll see galleries of stunning work from one of the industry's very best. And check out KelbyOne for Aaron's most recent online workshop.

by Skip Cohen

My mother used to use the line, "Shoemaker's children need shoes," about me being in the photographic industry and never getting her enough photographs of her grandchildren.

Recently I was asked to write an article for my high school alumni newsletter about the importance of photography and capturing memories. It was published at the beginning of this month, and as I read it, I realized professional photographers are often the guiltiest of all when it comes to capturing memories for their most important clients - their own family!

I'm hoping the article below sparks some ideas to help you become a better historian of your own family. Don't miss capturing memories so that everyone can enjoy a long look in their rearview mirrors down the road!

I’ve been active in the photographic industry my entire adult life, which kind of makes me a one-trick pony when it comes to career paths. But there’s that old line about if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.  Well, that describes my career and the incredible experiences I’ve had over the years in photography.

When the pandemic hit, photographs (videos too) became an essential component in fighting off the frustration and depression of hunkering down. For example, “Throwback Thursday” became a weekly endeavor, not only sharing images in my blog and social media stream but often just enjoying them for me and my wife, Sheila. Every fun old photograph we’d find became an opportunity for one of us to share the backstory.

While I’ve always been an optimist and prefer to look forward rather than back, regular looks in my rearview mirror helped me stay focused on getting back to the good old days. I suppose that’s why Jodi Picoult’s quote above has always been one of my favorites.

When things are tough, whether, in life or business, we all get proactive and start making changes we should have been doing all along. So, before another day passes and you miss out on capturing special memories, here are some suggestions.

“My Journey” videos: The Senior Friendship Centers here in Sarasota has a program where for a small fee/donation, you can have a chapter of your life recorded to pass on to family members.

Everyone’s journey is a story. Through the years, you’ve accumulated a lifetime of knowledge and wisdom. Now, thanks to My Journey, a new initiative being launched at the Friendship Centers in Sarasota, you can record and preserve your story, in your words, to share.

ALL of you have aging relatives with stories to share. You also have cameras and phones that capture video. Get together with your oldest relatives and capture those stories. It couldn’t be easier – set up the camera and sit down with them and ask them to simply tell you their story.

A few months before my Dad passed away, a friend who’s a professional photographer set up her camera and sat down with Dad for stories about a little of his journey in life. I regret that I never did it myself – so, learn from my mistakes and capture those stories, while there are still family members around to share them.

Old Photographs: Everybody has old photographs, some in albums, others in shoe boxes. I get that it takes time to put them all in albums, but at the very least, clean out those drawers, along with every place else you’ve stashed prints. Please keep them in one dry place. Don’t let them take a beating, discarded, and stuffed in some obscure place in your home.

Write down who’s in those photographs. There’s nothing more frustrating than looking at an old picture and not knowing who it is, where it was taken, or when. This comes up repeatedly when people share images in one of my favorite Facebook groups, “If You Grew Up In Painesville, Ohio You Remember…” People share photos all the time with question marks.

Your Family Shots: Digital photography is a kick, but how many pictures are on your phone right now without any information, never to be printed or shared? I’ve started regularly uploading to my computer and often take advantage of special offers on Shutterfly to get them printed.

Photographs and Therapy: When my mom was fighting Alzheimer’s, one of the most fun activities was pulling out old albums. While her memories of contemporary events were fast disappearing, we could pull out old photographs, and she was non-stop energy and accuracy. She might not remember what she had for dinner, but she knew everybody in those old pictures.

Social Media: I’m a huge fan of many of the forums on Facebook. The Painesville, Ohio group I mentioned above has been one of the best experiences. Sharing old pictures of my grandparents, I connected with people who knew them both. They’ve both been gone at least forty years! Posting an old family photograph, I heard from the daughter of a woman who used to babysit for my sister and me. And sharing a 1930s shot of my grandmother at their summer cottage by the lake in Painesville Township, the woman who lives in the house today, responded.

Sharing photographs in social media, especially when they involve old memories, puts the “social” into social media. They bring us all closer, and often it’s like the “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” game when we learn how so many of us are connected.

Don’t Miss Memories: When was the last time you did a family portrait? Obviously, I’m a fan of professional photography, being in the industry, but it’s so important for somebody in your family to be the family historian. Whether hiring a pro or getting your family together for an updated portrait, don’t miss the opportunity to capture memories.
​
For the first time in history, all of us went through the same horrible experiences because of the pandemic. Coming out of the challenge, there’s a renewed sense of family. Along with that renewal come opportunities to turn intangible memories into tangible photographs and videos to cherish for the future!

by Skip Cohen

Now and then, a great educator in photography, just like in sports, finds the sweet spot! Here's a seminar that's live and online with one of the best educators in imaging - Moose Peterson. Even if aviation photography is a long way away from your specialty, here's a chance to grow your skillset and be unique. Even better is being able to apply what you'll learn from Moose to the images you capture and create for your current clients or yourself.  

Click on any image in today's post to enlarge and view in the SCU lightbox, and then check out the seminar with a click on the banner to the right.

​It's taking place LIVE in Tulsa on July 31 and online, with a minimum of 4 1/2 hours of outstanding education. And before you say to yourself, "I don't do aviation photography," check out the images I chose to share in today's post. Pay attention to the way Moose composes each one and turns them into art!

A few years back, I was hanging out with Scott Kelby before his show The Grid. In the gallery of rotating artists at Kelby Media was a collection of Moose's aviation work. Each print was stunning. I had no idea one of the industry's finest outdoor wildlife photographers was also an artist with a love for aviation.

Don't miss the opportunity to learn from one of the very best.  

by Skip Cohen

Jonathan Thorpe shared this image on Facebook this morning, and it's the perfect post to wrap up the week! The point he makes is just too good to only be on his Facebook page.

​His comment below says it all.

​I’ve said it a million times, LIGHTING IS A GAME CHANGER. Before and after from last nights live stream. Happy to say no editing on right shot aside from the smoke. This is what you can do with lighting to your photos, creating drama and story. The left side is just using the natural light provided in the studio, the right has 5 strobes on it. Make photos, don’t take them.

Jonathan should be on your radar. Follow him on Facebook, and check out his website too.

by Skip Cohen

​I've commented several times over the last two months about opportunities to demonstrate leadership as we come out of the pandemic. Well, here are a few perfect examples!

Everyone is looking for ways to make their work look different. At the same time, technology never slows down, and there are more people on the Internet than ever before - many of them potential clients checking out your work. So, from understanding infrared to outstanding portraiture to flash, are your skills as good as they could be? 

Nobody does it better than Bobbi Lane and Lee Varis, and yes, I'm a little prejudiced because they've been good friends of mine for so many years. But the friendship grew out of getting to know them and the respect I have for their skills as artists and educators. Plus, they're FUN to hang out with. Remember "FUN?" It's a word that got lost a little over the last year, and it's time to get it back!

The first stop: Coming up this Sunday, June 13, on Cape Cod - Bobbi and Lee are teaching an infrared workshop.

by Skip Cohen

​For those who never shot with film, the expression "right out of the can" meant everything was done in camera. The "can" referenced a roll of film. According to Google, today, that's "Straight Out Of Camera," simply meaning that an image can be good enough to print straight from the camera without further processing.

Jonathan Thorpe shared the image on Facebook yeterday with the following "how-to" explanation:

Portrait I shot last night of my good friend and talented Daniel Duffin The cool part about this shot it it’s all done in camera! How? It’s actually fairly simple, the background is a Westcott FJ400 in a large parabolic umbrella, gelled with a mix or orange and yellow. The key light was another FJ400 into a beauty dish camera right. The affect you’re seeing is called dragging the shutter. I’m shooting at 1/10 of a second here and also using rear curtain sync. Rear curtain means the flash fires at the end of the shutter movement, not the beginning. So it is exposing, you move the camera, causing the background light to bleed into the image, then right before the exposure is done, the flash fires, freezing the face. Viola! Shot with the Fuji GFX 100 and my Tamron Lenses USA 85/1.8VC

Jonathan Thorpe needs to be on your radar. Check out his website and then follow him on Facebook and Instagram. He's always sharing great content!

by Skip Cohen

​I'm not sure there's ever been a time in recent years when outdoor photography was more popular, but it goes beyond that. After a year of being conditioned to social distancing and creating individually, being outdoors with a camera in your hands is safe. It's also therapeutic, and I know for me is a never-ending reminder of why I fell in love with imaging in the first place.

If you haven't checked out the KelbyOne conference on Monday and Tuesday, now's the time. Just click on the banner above. And check out the instructors for this two-day event. There's also a unique program on Wednesday with the dynamic duo of Larry T. (inventor/founder of Platypod) and Larry Becker. Together they'll share one idea after another to help you boost your creativity and explore new perspectives with your camera.

Over the last year KelbyOne has launched some of the finest online programs in the industry, with some of the industry's most respected artists and educators.  Put KelbyOne on your radar so you don't miss their ongoing series of online conferences!

Click on any image above for more information!

by Skip Cohen

Coming up there's a very special conference you need to know about!

​Time to learn about the Visual Storytelling Conference. Check out the line-up of speakers, and early next week the speaking schedule will be posted. I'm proud to be doing two programs during the conference. Along with the team of speakers, we want to help you make 2021 a stronger year for revenue, branding and getting back to the fun of being an artist!

For information on your FREE pass plus how to get the very most out of the conference, just click on the button below.

The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but in building the new.
Socrates

by Skip Cohen

​As I've written so many times before, the best thing about this industry has nothing to do with photography directly but the friendships that come out of everyone's love for the craft. One of the first photographers I met when coming over to the professional side of imaging back in the late 80s was Clay Blackmore.

He was an assistant to the legendary Monte Zucker, and over the years, I've watched him grow as an artist, business owner, and even husband and father. It's been a remarkable career to follow, but each step of the way is Clay's signature - the spirit he puts into everything he does. I'm sure there are times when he's stressed and less than fun to hang out with, but it's something I can't imagine. 

He's always there to help, and no matter what the challenge or the difficulty, you can be sure Clay's going to find the silver lining. I know it's a little sappy, but this is a guy who always makes lemonade out of those lemons in life.

I don't usually add quotes to MYOB blog posts, but I found two that fit Clay so well. The one by Socrates describes how Clay is constantly building the "new." And the closing one below is simply why Clay is always so great to work with - it's his "positivity."

Clay and I have worked together on hundreds of projects and conferences together. While his passion is portraiture and weddings, there's nothing he can't shoot. Most important of all, he's always looking for ways to make his work look different. He never stops learning, experimenting, and pushing the edge of the envelope on creativity!

​Clay shares a lot of great insight into photography, and especially about relationship building and networking. He should also be be on your radar. Click on any image below to link to his website and check out more of his work!

Positivity always wins...always!
Gary Vayerchuk

by Skip Cohen

​Lately, what I love most about this industry is the challenge of how much I have yet to learn. With each challenge comes a new set of lessons. Yesterday it was practice makes perfect - but as my good buddy, Roberto Valenzuela, reminds his students, only if you practice it right.

While there were a few things I did right, the more significant mistakes were what I did wrong. I was so focused on doing a time-lapse series for the first time that I missed the big picture and should have just shot video. It's only 5-10 minutes once the action starts.

I was down to the wire on this chrysalis attached near the underside of a concrete bench in our backyard. I had problems setting up the camera, but three calls later, another good buddy, Shiv Verma, came through.

I shot in "P" mode because I was in between doing a podcast and a conference call and didn't have time to think through the journey I was about to embark on. However, the Platypod set up with the goosenecks, and two Litra Torch 2.0s was perfect. I was able to get under the chrysalis.

It was a complete failure as a time-lapse video - but learning from my mistakes, I still managed to capture one of nature's most incredible moments!

And like any proud papa - it's a girl!

by Skip Cohen
 
Long before the pandemic, we'd all experienced online education, but safety and social distancing has created an entirely new level of quality programming over the last year. "E-learning" is a buzzword regularly in our vocabulary. Coming up on April 16-18, circle the dates for CanAm Expo - three days of intense opportunities to help you fine-tune your skillset and raise the bar on the quality of your images.

Sometimes it's tough to figure out which programs are going to meet your needs best. Well, here's one that's destined to be outstanding - great instructors and a platform designed to allow you to raise the bar on your imaging skills with excellent presentations.

I've written a lot over the years about the best thing about our industry being the friendships that come out of everyone's love for the craft. It goes deeper than that because it's also about respect for each artist's skill set, which is often the catalyst for kicking off the friendship in the first place.

Besides teaching great photography, there are three instructors who are great friends of both mine and Platypod's - Rick Friedman, Don Komarechka, and Shiv Verma. All three are teaching at CanAm and putting their best into programs to help you become better at your craft! Click on their headshots below for more information

​Plus, there's a special bonus program: Batting "clean up" and wrapping up the conference is Platypod's founder and owner, Larry Tiefenbrunn.

​"Dr. T" will be presenting a ninety-minute program on the last day of the conference featuring dozens of photographers using Platypod in a long list of different applications. Together with Shiv Verma, they'll share dozens of "how-to" tips to help change your perspective in portraiture, landscape, wildlife, macro, closeup, and even working with flash.
 
CanAm Expo offers you an opportunity to learn from thirteen of the movers and shakers in imaging today, all in the comfort of your own surroundings. Great topics and perfect timing for you to sneak in more ideas to help you create even better images for your clients as we approach Spring seasonality.

Remember, hunkering down has been about your health - not about your business or building a stronger skillset!

See you at CanAm Expo!

by Skip Cohen

If you're a beginner in landscape photography or if you know somebody starting out, here's a $99 investment to establish the right foundation to build on. 

Meet my good buddy Kevin A. Gilligan. Kevin and I have worked together on several different projects over the years, and he's not only a talented artist but an outstanding skilled, and diverse educator. He's been a regular contributor to the SCU blog since the very beginning.

Kevin's an award-winning artist, but he certainly didn't start out that way. Over the last fifteen years, he's never slowed down on expanding his skill set, teaching, and capturing/creating stunning images.

In part due to the pandemic, landscape photography has become one of the fastest growing specialties in photography. It's outdoors, and you can work within the parameters of physical distancing and the appropriate health restrictions.  The two short videos below will introduce you to Kevin and his work. Click to watch them full screen if you'd like.  

As Kevin mentions in his overview, for somebody just getting started, this will help answer most of the questions, not only about having the right equipment but also how to use it. This is a no-brainer for a beginner photographer and an inexpensive investment to help make sure the basics are covered.  

I pulled screenshots of two of my favorite images of Kevin's, but you'll find lots more on his website. Plus, bringing together landscape photography and portraiture, here's one of my favorite headshots he did for me a year ago at Redondo Beach.

Click on any of the three images in today's post to view in the SCU Lightbox. And for more information on how you can help somebody get started as a landscape photographer, click on the banner below.

by Skip Cohen

Think about how we share images today versus twenty years ago. From Facebook to Instagram and even LinkedIn, we share photographs as often as we like. No waiting for a convention to catch friends, carrying a portfolio case, or putting prints in the mail - we've got instant fulfillment at any time.

Marc Morris joins us this month, and it's thanks to 
Facebook that we first saw his photograph above. From FB, I headed to his LinkedIn page to learn more about him, which led to a great phone call.

Besides a stunning image, there are two additional reasons to feature his work this month. First, we're still in the pandemic, and restrictions abound. However, it's not hard to physically distance when you're outdoors. Second, Marc's photograph crosses that line from landscape into fine art.  I want to see his image blown up to a five by seven-foot print in an office or living room with a cathedral ceiling! 

The pandemic has changed everything in our lives, but not the passion of our chefs. Chef Marc couldn't be more proud to be a photographer, as well as help other artists raise the bar on their skill set.  

Finding a quote that relates to each chef became part of this series starting early in 2019. It wasn't hard to find one that fit Marc - in fact; he wrote a lot about the photograph and the feeling he wanted to capture when he clicked the shutter. 

“Photography for me is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at,
then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.”
Don McCulin

About Chef Marc: Marc's based out of Denver, as a Sales Representative for Tamron USA. Members of the Tamron team don't often join us in the Tamron Kitchen, but the image was so powerful, it deserved to be shared. As Marc and I talked, it turns out he and I met a few years back at WPPI, and like so many people in this industry, we have a lot of mutual friends. 

​About this Image: "I was in Hawaii on a work trip. There are many misconceptions about road warrior gigs, and one of the biggest (and most understandable) is that it’s a constant vacation, tourism mode activated 24/7, being that we do indeed travel constantly. However, I had never been to Hawaii, so when I was asked to head out in support of a fairly large workshop being hosted by Pro Camera Hawaii, I certainly didn’t turn the opportunity down. The trip was tightly packed, with very little room for “extracurricular activities.”

Due to weather (a right proper morning to midday monsoon with flooding that the locals laughably took utterly in stride) and the workshop schedule, I was only able to find a few hours before my flight back to Denver to go exploring...I had never shot in a rain forest before...There were pockets of the trail that clearly had their own microclimate: rain would form and fall at random, and the oxygen-rich environment allowed me an energy and movement I’d not had for years. O’ahu. Island of eternal youth.

I’m a highly tactile person, and this translates to my photography. When I’m scanning a subject or an environment, not only am I watching the light and its fluidity, how it fills this well, how shallow or deep others may be in their shadows… but I’m also seeking texture. Texture is what sells depth, scale, and to a certain extent, authenticity. I like images I can feel. If I’m looking at a photo and my hands itch, I know the photographer got something right: it’s in the fingertips. And the rainforest is if you’ll pardon me, absolutely saturated with texture.

The image you see here is an expanse that opened up off a corner of the trail, and its dimensionality was so overwhelming I was rooted to the spot. A floor above the floor. A sky below the sky. It was unlike anything I’ve ever personally witnessed in nature, and I simply had to try to capture it to see if I could translate its depth to print. It took about 20 minutes of working that corner, about forty feet up and down the trail, changing lenses for perspective studies before I settled on the 17-35 at the wide end. It was the only lens that was truly able to fit the scene, corner to corner, at the points where I needed the photo to end while also keeping that world within a world feel I wanted to come across."

Take the time to visit Chef Marc's Instagram page.  He regularly shares great content and photographs that will tell you more about his love for the craft.

In the world of photography, the first quarter of each year has always been a series of "reunions," as we all attend the various key conventions around the country. The pandemic has changed that for 2021, but it hasn't slowed Tamron down. Online and off, in small programs around the country, they support imaging artists as best they can. Check out their listing of local events, all within the appropriate safety and physical distancing guidelines.

The lens Marc used for the image above was the 17-35mm F2.8-4 Di OSD. Click on the thumbnail to the right for more information, and understanding why he made this choice for the coverage of the scene he wrote about. 
​
I write the same reminder with so many posts - hunkering down is about your health, NOT about growing as an artist and expanding your skill set. Nothing grows if you stay in your comfort zone. That means the downtime you're experiencing now is an opportunity to raise the bar on the quality of your images. 

​Stay active in social media and spend time with your camera in your hands every day, capturing images for your most important client...YOU!

by Skip Cohen

We're all dealing with the same challenge, downtime with minimal things to do, but maximum energy and often creativity. So, wandering through cyberspace, I caught a post from one half of one of my favorite couples in imaging. If you know Bobbi Lane and Lee Varis, then it's hard to imagine what they'd be doing in life that wasn't related to something in photography or the arts.

Bobbi posted the image above with this caption:

Best of 2020 FLOWERS! I had a wonderful year photographing flowers in my house (got me out of the rut), in the yard and on location. I shot everything on the Fujifilm XT 4 using three lenses: 80mm f/2.8 macro, 50 mm f/1.0, and the 16-55mm f/2.8.

While all the images she shared were beautiful, I loved this one the most. But it wasn't just the image, but her "Best of 2020" approach. Bobbi isn't known for a lot of still life, but she's also not known to compromise on turning her visions into reality. (I found out after this post was published - She started out her career in large format product photography!)

There's a great line about growth only happening outside your comfort zone. While I doubt Bobbi had any thoughts about stepping into close-up work with flowers, it's great to see one of her projects that burned up the clock a little during downtime.

Remember, "hunkering down" is about your health, not about your business, skill set, or creativity!

by Skip Cohen
 
It's a new year, and more and more, I've come to realize the control we all share in pushing things back to a level of normalcy. The need to capture memories and the potential demand by consumers for the "magic," only a professional photographer can provide hasn't changed. Sure, it's been buried under a lot of stress, frustration, and fear through the pandemic, but it's still out there.

Just recently, Charles and Jennifer Maring shared this stunning family portrait on their Facebook page. While it was taken last fall, it was done during one of the pandemic's most restrictive phases. But it was still captured and created while maintaining physical distancing and exercising the necessary health precautions.

It might be too cold today in various parts of the country for a family portrait like this now, but that doesn't limit your ability as a portrait artist. Your creativity gives you the potential to create something just as stunning - the challenge is that it's up to you to plant the seeds of ideas with your target audience. This is where your blog, a personal letter to your clients, or a direct mail piece can help.

It's still going to be a while before the vaccine really makes a difference, but you don't have to wait! Hunkering down is about your health - NOT about your business.

Charles and Jennifer captured this image with the LUMIX S1R, LUMIX 70-200mm f/4 lens and a Profoto B10 (off camera for fill light). The exposure triad was: 1/80 @ f/8 ISO 100 in Manual.

​Panasonic technology is "changing photography," and giving artists some of the most creative tools in the history of imaging. Click on either thumbnail below for more information about two of the Maring's most favorite tools!

by Skip Cohen

Business pretty much disappeared for so many artists and educators this year, but not their love for the craft. So many of you have taken classes at various conventions with one of the industry's favorite couples, Bobbi Lane and Lee Varis...or you've joined them on one of their photo adventures.

While it doesn't compare to their tentatively planned Iceland trip in September of 2021 and Venice, Italy in 2022, their backyard is New England with no shortage of clickable moments. I pulled three of my favorites from their "New England 2021 - Bobbi and Lee's Photo Adventures at Home" calendar.

I wanted to share the images in a post for three reasons:

• Putting together a calendar for your clients is a perfect way to remind them what you do for a living. Even with the pandemic, there are opportunities to utilize your images and then include community events on the calendar as well. 
• No matter what we go through as individuals or as members of the industry "family," Bobbi and Lee are prime examples of two artists who never give up. As ugly as 2020 was for everybody, it's so important to stay focused on your passion for the craft. The pandemic hasn't destroyed anyone's dreams of being a great artist, just changed the path for your journey!
• Last but not least, sign up for Bobbi and Lee's newsletter with a click right here. You'll find the newsletter signup at the bottom of the page. It's your best way to keep in touch with what they'll be doing in the year ahead!

The fun of this industry is all about the friendships we share, as well as our love for photography. The sunflowers and cranberry harvesst were captured by Bobbi, while the fall reflection in the river was Lee's.

But the wish for all of us to stay healthy and refocus for a great year in 2021 is from both of them!​

by Skip Cohen

Part of the fun of being in this industry my entire adult life is catching up to old friends and associates. It's also fun to have followed their journeys, aspirations, and dreams. 

In 1987 I joined Hasselblad USA as president, and my world completely changed. Moving to the NY/NJ area, I was surrounded by some of the industry's most respected artists. The variety of projects they were involved with was never-ending.

Meet Dave Frieder and the reality of a dream he's had for a long time! Dave was a regular visitor to the Hasselblad office in New Jersey, and we'd also catch up to him each year at what today is PPE.  I met lots of artists over the years, but Dave's claim to fame was unique - he photographed New York from the top of each major bridge. 

A copy of Dave's dream arrived at my house last Friday, and it's stunning. One of the jacket stories for the cover was written by Kriss Roebling, and here's a small part of what he wrote:​

"...Amongst the many bridges that are represented in this tome is the bridge that my great-great-grandparents built, the Brooklyn Bridge.  I am grateful to Dave for leveling his artistic eye on my ancestor' crowning achievement from vantage points that no average photographer would have the vision, or the courage to pursue. His daredevil capacity to capture the uncaptured image reinvigorates the beauty of my ancestors' work, and deliver that work once again from the realm of visual cliché."

If you're looking for a stunning gift this holiday season, especially if you're in the NYC area, here's a book that belongs on every coffee table. This is a quality piece, and like everything Dave's done, he never compromises on a great delivery.

And to Dave, as sappy as it sounds, I'm so proud to have played a tiny part in this project. I'm looking forward to the pandemic ending and getting back out to the shows and conventions we all miss so much. Nicely done, buddy - Congratulations!

by Skip Cohen
 
I grew up in Ohio and was twenty-one years old when I visited NYC for the first time. I remember being told to be careful in New York because I'd be swallowed up by the millions of people, and never heard from again. (There's no embellishment in that statement - it was my family's midwest mentality.)  

Over the years, I obviously outgrew the fear of NYC.  In the twelve years with Hasselblad, I was in the city often, even driving in and out of Manhattan. What I grew to love about NYC was people watching, the crowds, and like Mike Peters on a quest as a street photographer, each face had its own story to tell.

Joe Pellicone loves New York. It really is his city, and in an email, I mentioned the sadness I feel seeing how Covid has turned one of my favorite places in the world into a ghost town. He sent me a link to a folder of his images called "Covid City Captures."

I grabbed some screenshots from Joe's gallery to share in today's post. They require no explanation, except to send you to his Instagram pages if you'd like to see more of his work. He's got two different pages, the first "Neon at Night," and the second is where Joe shares his diversity as an artist and photographer. You'll also find more of his work on the blog at Platypod.com where he's a regular contributor.

New York will come back, just like the rest of America, but seeing the city through Joe's eyes and camera is like a scene out of a sci-fi movie - it just doesn't seem real without lots of people and traffic.

by Skip Cohen
​
It's Sunday morning, and I'm definitely not in my usual mode of being off the topic of photography.  

The pandemic has changed everything in our lives and not for the better. But it's also created some unique leadership opportunities in creativity and support to your clients and community. I know it's been an ugly year for virtually every business, but I also know there are ideas out there to help you get back on track and jumpstart your business.

ClickCon Nation kicks off today with an all-star cast, but more important than the educators/speakers is the timing and the topics. For example, I'm doing a program at 10:15 CST called "My Business Has Disappeared, Now What?" In one hour, I'm going to pack in 2-3 hours of material - one after another of things photographers can be doing RIGHT NOW to capture the seasonality in business. 

​And check out the company I'm with below.

The program is FREE - all you have to do is download the ClickCon Nation app, and you're in. I know this doesn't apply to everybody, but there are too many of you who have been crying the blues over the decline in business and not doing anything about it.

Remember that line of "God helps those who help themselves?"  Well, regardless of what you believe spiritually, there's so much help in this industry. But you've got to make the first move - open your mind and join us!

Wishing everybody a day filled with ideas and opportunities to be a leader in creativity and business. The year isn't over yet. As I've written so many times in the last nine months - hunkering down is about your health - NOT about your business.