  by Skip Cohen
There's a practical side to Throwback Thursday and a pure fun side. The practical side is how old photographs remind us of the value of imaging. Whether you're looking at pictures from the past or grabbing a few seconds of old videos, it's the power of capturing memories that continues to drive everyone's love for photography. But then there's the fun side - for me, it's the hunt. While searching for older photos, each one I discover, time shifts me to another place in the past. After over a decade of sharing Throwback Thursday images, I found this one from 1990. If there was a golden time in this industry, it was back in the 90s. This is a throwback of a throwback, having first posted it in 2014. It's a kick to think back to the days when PhotoEast was a powerhouse—the show nobody missed! There's a fun sidebar to the story. Sadly, Marc Hauser passed away at 66 in December 2018, but notice the tie he has on. For a few years, he had his name on his own ties, which were then sold at Bloomingdales, where I bought the one on the right. Each tie was signed, and you either loved his designs or hated them—but it didn't make a difference—each one was unique! The year is 1990, and I was on the Advisory Board of Photographers + Friends United Against AIDS (P+FUAA). They had put together a remarkable project to raise money through an exhibit and art auction called "The Indominable Spirit". If I remember right, the sale of the prints in the exhibit raised close to 1.5 million dollars for AIDS research. Along the way, Hasselblad got involved in a few different fund-raisers. We sold Ansel Adams' 1977 Cadillac, and part of the proceeds went to the group. Then, we did a couple of workshops as part of PhotoWest and PhotoEast (later becoming PPE). The image above was from a very special shoot Marc Hauser did for us. Marc waved his fee, and Leeza Gibbons, then the anchor on ET, contributed her's back to the fund-raiser. This image was done at PhotoWest. Marc then came back for PhotoEast later that year, and did a second shoot with Carey Lowell of James Bond fame, one of Timothy Dalton's co-stars in "License to Kill." Again, Mark nailed it, and we raised a little more for AIDS research. But the true fun of Throwback Thursday is trying to figure out who's in the picture! I know that's Jim Morton on the far left in the back, Leeza Gibbons in the middle with Marc and Mark Rezzonico, now President of Profoto on Marc's right. William Hunt, then Chairman of the Board, is next to me in the back row behind Marc, and on the far right is Paul Mackler, then show director for the company that used to do the PhotoEast and PhotoWest shows. This shot is from 24 (today 34) years ago, and it's true - time really does fly when you're having a good time! P.S. As I wrote ten years ago, I don't remember the names of other people in the photograph. If you do, let me know and I'll add them to the list.
0 Comments
  by Skip Cohen Twenty-five years ago, Don Blair and I published Body Parts. Published before digital was practical, Don and I, with the help of the other two Musketeers, Tony Corbell, and Terry Deglau, did all the shooting in Vegas with local models. The book was introduced at WPPI, and by using local talent, we could feature the same setups that were in the book at the convention. Printed by Marathon Press, Don and I were in Nebraska for the first press runs...another throwback memory that puts a smile on my face! There is no way to describe the pure joy at seeing your own book come off the production line!  Digital wasn't in the picture yet, but Polaroid was. We laid the storyboards out all around a hotel room, page by page. As we completed each topic, the final Polaroid was taped to the page. Everything we do in publishing today do is all on the computer. Regardless of the increased efficiency, what's missing is the fun of building the finished product! The shot at the top was done in two parts, with the binding down the middle—the book was spiral-bound and designed to fit in your camera bag for easy reference. Everyone in the group shot was either a model or involved in production. One of my favorite images was one of Don's combining hand-posing and showing both rings. Don's understanding and love of lighting were remarkable. Every portrait was consistently stunning—from his lighting to the pose to the expression on each subject, he never compromised. The fun of Throwback Thursday is all in the memories old photographs and videos bring back into focus. Searching for what to share today, I ran across a copy of the book, and it was perfect timing. Don passed away in 2004 on a Sunday. I remember his son Gary telling me he was convinced that Don died that day because his wife Donna (who passed away in 1996) always made roast beef on Sunday and she was waiting for him. The last photo in the book, shown below, is another favorite. Photographed by Bambi Cantrell, it plays off of the body parts theme. If you missed searching for a few throwbacks today, try taking the time. Old photographs bring back memories and remind us of the incredible contribution imaging has made to the world! What a kick!    Tom D and I later became known as the "Nitro Boys" by Skip Cohen In the early '90s, thanks to my good buddy Helmut Horn, I got my certification in Scuba. That introduction to the sport launched a quest of over 300 dives over the next three years and a reminder of a funny tagline I heard about diving..."It's not a hobby but a sickness!" LOL But there's a fun aspect to my love for diving - like the degrees of separation Kevin Bacon game. Helmut Horn introduced me to diving. At the time, he was President of Coastal Hotels, which managed Cheeca Lodge in the Keys. Here's the first connection - Helmut is an incredible artist and Hasselblad shooter. When Hasselblad sold Ansel Adam's Cadillac for charity, Helmut bought it and returned to one of his hotels, the Carmel Highlands Inn, just down the street from Ansel's house, where I picked the car up initially. Helmut introduced me to Tom Danielson, also a Hasselblad underwater shooter. A few years later, Tom and his wife Linda were headed to Bonaire on a trip, and I needed a dive buddy if I wanted to join them. Somebody suggested Bob Rose (now teaching at RIT), who is known by so many of you in the industry, especially from his days with the MAC Group. Well, those two knuckleheads, Tom and Bob, became my most frequent dive buddies. I got my kids certified along the way, and my daughter Jaime came on many of our trips as well. At one point, we were doing so much diving that somebody would go to the DEMA (Dive Equipment Manufacturers Association) show and find another trip for everyone to do, and the "family" started growing—That's Jeff Gunderman, then at Kodak, in the first row on the left, me and Bob Rose. My daughter Jaime is under the Okeanos sign on the boat. These are from a trip to Cocos Island, AKA the Island of Sharks. I describe it as the most fun I never wanted to do again. It was definitely advanced diving with thermoclines and strong currents. In fact, a few weeks later, one of the dive boats lost two divers. But in spite of some hard diving, I got to see a part of the underwater world that only a few people in the world have ever experienced - and thousands of sharks! In 1999, I got a call from Bob Rose inviting me to join him at the IMAX theater to see the newly released "Island of the Sharks" film. To keep it real, we took our scuba masks and snorkels with us to watch the movie! LOL These days, the film is available on YouTube, and I've included it below. Here's the bottom line about Throwback Thursday: Photography allows us to take incredible walks down Memory Lane. Those "walks" are powerful reminders of the importance of imaging in our lives. If you haven't taken the time today to hunt down a few old photographs, trust me and do it now. As I've quoted Jodi Picoult hundreds of times, photographs remind us of a time when everything was perfect, even if just for a heartbeat! Happy Throwback Thursday!    This is what I like about photographs. They're proof that once, even if just for a heartbeat, everything was perfect.* Jodi Picoult by Skip Cohen When Throwback Thursday and Halloween collide, the topic choice is obvious - my Dad's birthday. The poor guy was born on Halloween, and growing up, he rarely had a birthday cake without the doorbell ringing, or his kids headed out the door to trick or treat. What's so ironic is that when I was a kid, Dad was in the wholesale candy and tobacco business. I had a whole warehouse full of candy to choose from...but nothing was as good as what you got to "hunt" for yourself! Dad passed away at 93, nine years ago, but the longer he's gone, the sweeter the memories to cherish have become. Minimal tears, just smiles and appreciation for him being in my life. He was my best buddy, and those last few years, living only six miles away, gave us quality time to be together. We moved to Florida to give him a hand with my mother's Alzheimer's, and it's one of the best things I've ever done. Plus, Sheila was able to get to know both my folks. As tough as Alzheimer's was, there were still so many incredible moments when Mom would come back to us, and we'd often laugh until we cried - one of Dad's traits when something hit him funny. However, it's Halloween, and I went digging through some old photographs. I found a shot of me and my sister on Halloween. I was eight and wanted to be a "spaceman" that year. Searching through another album, I found a shot of Dad (on the left) with his brother at about the same age. The fun of Throwback Thursday is always in the hunt—I never know what I'm going to find.  Gray Drug at the local shopping center carried a full inventory of costumes this time of year. They were $2-$5.00, and according to Reader's Digest, the most popular costumes over the mid-fifties were Davy Crockett, Batman, Frankenstein, and Zorro. I'm not sure why I wanted to be a spaceman!
Happy Throwback Thursday! If you haven't already gone off in search of old photographs, take the time now. All those old photos help remind us of the amazing industry we're a part of. We help the world capture memories and make them tangible. And to my Dad—Happy Birthday! I miss you, Pop, but I've got so many great memories and a lifetime of appreciation for your support, guidance, and never-ending sense of humor—except for that one time when I got Grandpa's new Oldsmobile stuck in the mud in Leroy! LOL, but that's another story and post! * I keep promising not to share this quote again, but I've never found a better one that really hits on the wonder of photography!   by Skip Cohen I wasn't sure what I would share for Throwback Thursday until I opened my email. There was a message from Sara Frances with the artwork on the right. What a kick to be a part of a book project, now with nine different awards. I'm so proud to have been asked by Sara to write Cruisin' With Ansel for her book, Unplugged Voices. It's a stunning book with 125 Tales of Art and Life from Northern New Mexico, the Four Corners, and the West. Click on the banner for more information and order your copy. You won't be disappointed. The story I wrote, which is below, is about one of my most cherished memories, driving Ansel Adams' Cadillac through Yosemite with my good buddy, Terry Deglau. Terry passed away five years ago last month. I don't live in the past, but I miss him a lot, just like so many of you who knew him. The fun of Throwback Thursday comes with those memorable looks in the rearview mirror. It's the way lost friends, with the right memories come back, almost as if they were here right now. While I've shared the story a couple of times over the last fifteen years of blogging, with the book now being one of the most recognized in photography, it deserves another moment in the spotlight. Cruisin' With Ansel There we were, in Yosemite National Park, driving Ansel Adam’s Cadillac. King of Photography in the West, Ansel Adams. I used to joke about my brush with the celebrity world as boiling down to getting into a cab in NYC as Vincent Price was getting out. Over my fifty-two-year history in the photography industry, I consider myself having one of the most amazing careers in the business! "Amazing" is a lofty, even arrogant word, but I don't use it lightly. My definition of success has repeatedly changed over the years and morphed into being defined by the smile on my face each morning. So, when I say “amazing," I mean that it's been about the people I've worked with, the projects, and the passion I'm fortunate to have for this industry that I love dearly. It’s the relationships and the friendships; so many of these people have become like family. I’m turning back the clock to the nineties. I was president of Hasselblad USA from 1987 through 1999. In 1991, I was invited to join the Board of the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson. Ansel was one of its founders. At my very first Board meeting, Richard Avedon turned over his archives. Attending a very upscale reception that first night, and capping the celebration in a little Mexican bar with Avedon, I felt like a rookie ballplayer drafted in the ninth inning to the team that won the World Series. I had done nothing to contribute to the event, but there I was, sharing in the accolades…. But that's another story! At a meeting a few months later, it was announced that Virginia Adams, Ansel's widow, had donated his 1977 Cadillac to the Center to raise money for its visiting scholar fund. The president of the Board, decided to buy it, but the following day came in asking somebody to take it off his hands—his wife wasn't a big fan of his intended purchase. Well, there I was—president of Hasselblad. Victor Hasselblad and Ansel had been good friends, and I had an idea. So, I bought the car with Hasselblad's money, and decided we'd show it at two upcoming major shows: Photo West at Mosconi in San Francisco and then at Photo East in NYC. But I didn't want just to sell it—I wanted to make some noise. I remember being frustrated with so many foreign companies in the industry. At the time, I felt there wasn't enough focus on giving back to the American market. Of course, Hasselblad was Swedish, but it was time for the company to be more active and give back to programs in the U.S. We put the car up for sale, and it became a publicist's dream. We didn't just sell the car, but created a package that included a Hasselblad camera and lens, a case of Kodak film, and a Bogen tripod. The proceeds would go back to Photographers + Friends United Against AIDS. And that’s another story. This incredible group raised over a million dollars with a photography auction pulling in collectors worldwide. Best of all, Kalmar Ad Marketing, then Hasselblad's advertising agency, put together a great ad featuring the Cadillac, the gear, and the short backstory. It ran in virtually every photo magazine at no charge! Remember, this is back when everything was in print, no internet. There was even a cost difference for a color ad versus black and white. Well, we had “cover” advertising positions all over the place. But here's the best part of the story… The best thing about photography has nothing to do with imaging directly but with the friendships that come out of everyone's love for the craft. One of my very dearest friends, Terry Deglau, who was then with Kodak, joined me after Photo West. We'd had the car on display with our booth, and Rod Dresser, Ansel’s last assistant before he passed away, joined us with some of his personal collection of Ansel’s prints. My friendship with Rod, led to selling Ansel’s camera gear to shock-jock, Don Imus, for $100,000, for charity a few years later—but you guessed it…. That’s yet another story. The minute Photo West was over, we hit the road to go to Yosemite, in the Cadillac, of course. There's something mystical about driving Ansel's car in Yosemite, down roads he knew like the back of his hand. The car seemed to sense it was “home.” And all along the way, breaking through the serenity of Yosemite, we'd be playing Ansel's car horn. If I remember right, Ansel had programmed in 85 different songs. I'm told that each was a tribute to somebody he knew or someplace he'd been. Just a few bars, but enough to recognize songs like “Dixie” and “On Wisconsin.” Every time we hit the horn we’d break out laughing, determined to discover ALL of them. It was so magical! I'm convinced that after driving the car for three days in the park, I wrapped up the trip completely understanding Ansel's detailed, esoteric Zone V photo exposure system and development—just because my tush was where his had been for so many years. The car was sold at Photo East to Helmut Horn, then president of Coastal Hotels. The Carmel Highlands Inn was one of its managed properties, and he wanted to bring the Caddie back to its roots, just down the street where Virginia had handed me the keys a year earlier. On the wall in my office is a framed print of Ansel's car with Virginia and me the day I picked it up. There’s even a story with that one—notice the vignette? Jeff Nixon was visiting Virginia and grabbed the shot for us, but I had the wrong lens shade on the camera! I’ve lost track of the car. Last I heard it was back in Yosemite. However, in my desk drawer are Ansel’s original car keys, and the license plate is in a plaque on my wall. And while the industry lost Terry Deglau several years ago, there isn't a day that I don't look at that photograph and cherish my friendship and the adventures Terry and I shared. My Ansel story is just one in a fifty-two-year run. Each story has a common denominator, namely that everybody involved has an unquenchable passion for imaging. Their hearts are all in the game, and it's contagious. People who have touched my heart, watched my back, and supported so many different ideas. I've learned from them, been blessed to be able to help with their projects, and they've helped me in mine. In a recent blog I wrote, ”You can't create images that tug at people's heartstrings if your own heart isn't in it!" Somewhere deep down inside, whether we each recognize it or not, we're all hoping to change the world—no, not the entire globe—just our little piece of it. We all want to leave this world having made a difference in somebody's life, which makes life special for me. There are so many people who have made a difference in mine. This story is mine, but think about your own life and your significance to your friends, associates, and family. Never slow down in your search for excellence. But don't look for perfection. "I'm careful not to confuse excellence with perfection.
Excellence I can reach for, perfection is God's business." –Michael J Fox  I rant, therefore I am. Dennis Miller by Skip Cohen
Last week, the "Rock 'em - Sock 'em" robots at Facebook deleted one of my posts on the grounds that it violated community policy and was deceptive. It was nothing of the sort, but it took me on a flashback trip to 2016 when Facebook shut down my page, claiming my name wasn't really "Skip." Numerous friends helped me protest, including Brent Watkins, who got creative with his "Free Skip" silhouette thumbnail. I even wrote an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg—I have no idea if he ever saw it. After seven years with Facebook, I've recently been shut out because I couldn't confirm my identity, even though I've sent you copies of my driver's license and gun license, copies of unopened mail with my name on it, screenshots of books I've written, speaking engagements, business cards, and even my Google page when you look up my name. My birth announcement above was included in the post. A few hours later, I was reinstated, but with A.I., the robots are back, and instead of getting smarter, they're on an overdose of stupid pills. I reposted it on my F.B. page with just the link and a request for help from my friends. There were lots of empathetic comments. My old buddy Jon Vansteenberg said it best: This happens all the time. I've had it 3 or 4 times. They can't distinguish between simple reportage of quotations, some from profound thought leaders, and complete Waccos. It personifies the invalidity and waste of trying to 'control' peoples' free speech. George Carlins 7 words performance boundaries would be far better and cheaper than spending billions on alienating good faith users... It's ironic, though - the robots were unhappy with my post, but if I had paid to boost it through their paid advertising program, I'm sure it would have passed! We all have a love/hate relationship with Facebook, but if this nonsense continues, F.B. is going to follow the flush with my Tweet stream!  by Skip Cohen
It's my favorite day of the week, and today, it's all thanks to my good buddy Jim Morton. He recently sent me a batch of old images from his archives. They were all captured when we worked together back in our Hasselblad days. That's me, Don Blair, and Hasselblad's leading author and "professor," Ernst Wildi. Ernst passed away in 2023 at 100, and "Big Daddy" Blair in 2004 at 79. Both of them were cut from the same cloth when it came to perfection in their images, passion for the craft, and love for helping photographers raise the bar on their skills. They were both in their mid-sixties when Jim snapped this shot in the Hasselblad booth at Photo East in New York. Besides this image bringing back memories, which is what Throwback Thursday is all about, it occurred to me that Jim's unofficial role at Hasselblad was just as important as his primary responsibility. Jim was our Customer Service and Technical Manager, handled our exhibit at various trade shows, and training, just to name a few of the hats he wore. However, his unofficial role was documenting Hasselblad's activity in the industry. Thanks to Jim's stash of images from all his years with the company, we have so many great memories. Who's your family or company historian? There was no social media back in 1991, and certainly no Throwback Thursday. It's so important to be able to follow a company or your family's history in photos and videos. Thanks to technology, everybody has the ability to document their business and family growth and build archives of images that will become invaluable as time goes by. THANKS, Jim, for every click of the shutter during all those years, not to mention being a great friend to so many of us in the industry. Happy Throwback Thursday!  by Skip Cohen
Ten years ago, I shared this image in a Throwback Thursday post, and I wanted to bring it back for an encore. It's a classic for several different reasons. First, the industry lost Don Blair in 2004, and Terry Deglau passed away in 2019, five years ago next week. That's Tony Corbell, Big Daddy himself (Don Blair), me (who told me that sweater looked good?), and our good pal, Terry Deglau, who used to be with Kodak. Sorry, I have no idea who the models were. Second, the image was captured during a two-part program at a shoot at the MGM, back in the days when they had the giant lion out front on the corner of the hotel. Don did a program that year ('91?) at WPPI, called "Don Blair and Friends," then sponsored by Hasselblad, Kodak, and Art Leather. Don did a live shoot outside with the models that evening. The following day, during a more typical presentation, each member of the workshop got an 8x10 from the shoot. Don, Terry, and Tony talked about the key ingredients, along with lighting and posing, two of Don's favorite topics. Remember, this was in the film days, so it was pretty impressive for people to get an 8x10 image within 24 hours. Just as Don handed out the 8x10s to approximately 200 people, I came down the aisle yelling about making a giant print, at least "5x7". Everybody looked at me as if I was nuts, but behind me, we rolled in a 5x7 folio that Art Leather had built...5 feet x 7 feet. It must have weighed five hundred pounds and was covered in leather. It looked exactly like a 5x7 folio on steroids. Even more impressive was how good the Hasselblad image from the shoot held up - no grain, no pain. Third on the list of reasons this is a classic goes back to the fact that it was all film. We didn't have the joy of instant fulfillment with an immediate presentation/projection, like we do with digital today. Tony, Don, Terry, and I were like the Four Musketeers, involved in one adventure after another. This was just one of the programs we did that involved the creativity that came out when the four of us got together. What are you doing for Throwback Thursday? Here's a point so many of you take for granted: Photographs like this capture unforgettable memories and transport everybody involved to another time and place. Plus, throwbacks remind us of the incredible role photography plays in everyone's lives. Where would the world be without imaging? Use your throwbacks for marketing your business - Sharing your throwbacks once a week on social media is a perfect way to remind your target audience that time doesn't stand still. For example, use your throwbacks to remind "Mom" that it's time for a new family portrait or a local business owner that an updated headshot is in order...and the list goes on and on. Don't underestimate your power as an artist to create incredible images that, years from now, will be a personal time machine for your clients. And remember, every client deserves your very best work! PS And a BIG thanks to Jim Morton, who sent me this photo a few years back. It's thanks to Jim that so many Hasselblad memories were captured over the years at events like WPPI. What a kick!  by Skip Cohen While I know I shared this a while back, the 3-minute video is too much fun not to share again. It was captured and created by Resource Magazine in 2011. Unless you've been locked up in solitary confinement for the last thirteen years, you'll recognize many well-known educators and photographers. The 2011 program was at the Mirage in Las Vegas. The last program was in 2013 in Oakbrook, just outside Chicago. These were such a kick to do, but they were labor intensive, and after five years, we decided not to continue. As many of you have learned, trying to do your own workshops, regardless of how helpful/supportive they might be, takes an incredible amount of work. The fun of Throwback Thursday is in the hunt, followed by the memories that throwbacks bring back. Now, throw in social media, and while the video was created thirteen years ago, so many of us are still in touch.
Whether you share your throwbacks or not isn't as important as taking the time for a short look in your rearview mirror. Looking back reminds you of where you've been and are going now. Most importantly, they reinforce the value of imaging! Where would the world be without our industry? Happy Throwback Thursday!  Stop taking life so seriously and just have fun with everything you're doing! If you're not smiling for most of your day as a photographer then you're doing something wrong!  ​Image copyright Damien Bredberg by Skip Cohen Although I shared this throwback many years ago, we live in a time when people take many things too seriously—which fits the quote above, especially in imaging. It's time to bring back the story of "Scooter Man." This is a throwback that really hits the time machine, taking me back to 2005. I get that you can't please everybody, but the response to this cover was one of the few times I had to deal with screamers in my career. The photographer was Damien Bredberg, and the image won him Editorial Photographer of the Year in Australia in 2004. The fact that his father was the model adds to the fun of the image and backstory. How many of you could talk your parents into that kind of role? I remember joking around with my Dad when the issue was published. He said he was willing, but not on a scooter. He wanted a Harley! The image and story were a definite staff favorite when it came time to decide on the cover for that issue. It made us all laugh and represented an artist with a great skill set and sense of humor. The issue was published. Within a couple of days, I got my first angry call. I don't remember his name, but he was from Arkansas and accused me of publishing porn! He screamed at me to cancel his subscription that his granddaughter saw the issue and was embarrassed. Then he hung up on me. But technology was on my side, and thanks to caller ID, I called him back to get his name and address! I know you should never go head to head with an angry customer, but he'd pushed all my buttons. I was happy to let him go as a reader. A few days later, I received a letter from a woman who also hated the cover. She tore it off the magazine and sent it to me with a note: "May the view from the back of this motorcycle rider be your just reward!" It took us a minute to realize she was referring to the obvious moonshot. The voice of reason is inaudible to irrational people. Mardy Grothe  Image copyright Damien Bredberg I can only imagine the comments we would have gotten if we had shared this second image I found on the Vanishing Point website from a post in 2012. Click on any of the images above for more of the story about "Scooter Man."
 It’s just the most amazing thing to love a dog, isn’t it? It makes our relationships with people seem as boring as a bowl of oatmeal. John Grogan by Skip Cohen It's Throwback Thursday, and as usual, I went off searching for old photographs. I stumbled on those three images in the top left of the collage above, and that took me where I wanted to go - Where would we be without the fur-balls in our lives? This month, just three days apart, Lucy and Belle turned five. If you're like us with your pets, it's hard to remember when they weren't in our lives. Here's the short backstory... I lost Molly the Wonder Dog in February 2019 and was crushed. Anyone who's ever lost a dog or cat knows exactly what I'm talking about. It was around seven months later that Sheila started talking about getting another dog—no, dogs. I'd never had two dogs at once. We brought the "girls" home in November, 2019. A month or so into having them in the family, Sheila and I would look at each other and think, "What made us think at our age we'd have the patience for puppies?" A few months later, we couldn't imagine life without them! They carried us through the boredom and frustration of Covid, making each day a memory-maker. And here we are today, and they own our hearts! So, we've morphed into full-time dog people, and we love it. For those of you who have never had two dogs, go for it in the future. Lucy and Belle joined us at the same time, both four months old. They're "sisters," and they keep each other company all day. They have different personalities: Belle (the little one) is the Alpha, and Lucy is always mellow, even allowing Belle to eat some of her food now and then. Belle's scared to death of thunder and snuggles up next to Lucy when there's a storm. They play together, chase each other, and wrestle over toys and bones. They are definitely two of the most loved pups on the planet, with a pretty extensive vocabulary. Most relevant of all is the role photography has played in all the memories over the last five years. Like a family with a new baby, the files are full of shots of Lucy and Belle. Every image or video has a story that takes us back to that moment when the shutter was clicked. Happy Throwback Thursday! Dogs do speak, but only to those who know how to listen.
Orhan Pamuk Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong. W.R. Purche  Click to view in the SCU Lightbox  by Skip Cohen
I've been working on my keynote presentation for ClickCon. Part ofmy theme is how stories are an enormous part of who we are, and the majority of those stories are documented in each of our vaults of photographs. Since it's Throwback Thursday, I pulled one of my slides from my program. It's a composite covering dozens of stories that make up my life, from a baby to a year ago. Click on the collage and view it in the SCU Lightbox, and you'll find markers from so many different chapters of my life. From WPPI and IUSA to Rangefinder Magazine, dive trips, and time with friends like Don Blair, Bob Thompson, Duncan MacNab, and Tony Corbell - the collage simply makes me smile. While it includes some great friends the industry has lost, nothing changes the fun of a walk down Memory Lane. Take a few minutes to put together your own collage, and you should have a similar experience to mine. I look at all these photographs, and with each one, there's a story about friends, family, and the true miracle of what we've all chosen for a career! Regardless of what you do in imaging, we're all in the business of helping people capture memories. As photographers, you're the magicians who stop time and turn the intangible into tangible moments people can hold for a lifetime. What a kick! Happy Throwback Thursday!  Click to enlarge in the SCU Lightbox by Skip Cohen It's Throwback Thursday, and while I shared some of these images many years ago, there are no rules for when a throwback can be hit again. What started my search was hearing that John Rettie had passed away, and off I went looking for old images. In my search, I stumbled on these images from a Celebration of Life in memory of Bill Hurter at WPPI 2016. John Rettie is on the right in the first grab shot in the collage above. John was an outstanding writer and contributor to Rangefinder Magazine, working closely with Bill Hurter for so many years. He was also a good friend and well-respected photographer and writer in the industry. In a beautiful tribute to John, I pulled a couple of comments Scott Bourne shared yesterday... When you are young, you are often invited to celebrate weddings and new babies. When you grow old - unfortunately, the celebrations are different. We learn to celebrate the lives of those we know who have passed on. Later, Scott wrote: They say you only truly die when people stop saying your name. While I am most likely not very far behind John - as long as I am here, I will remind people that John Rettie was one of the best photographers who ever lived - and he will absolutely be missed. Scott's words are so true. While I hate sharing stories about friends who have passed, it goes with aging. But more important is for those of you who never knew these icons to understand the trail they blazed for all of us. John and Bill's love for the craft and their contribution to our industry as writers, artists, educators, and friends was remarkable. And while it sounds pretty sappy, I like to think the two of them are hanging out together right now and watching over an industry they loved dearly.  Click to enlarge in the SCU Lightbox  by Skip Cohen
I know I shared this almost ten years ago, but there's no expiration date on great memories or friendships. That's me in the middle, flanked by two of my best buddies, Terry Deglau and Don Blair at dinner one night at WPPI 2002. I always start out on Throwback Thursday with a little reflection time. Great memories and friends deserve a look in the rearview mirror! A group of us had dinner together that night at Emeril's at the MGM, and I'm not sure who to thank for this grab shot. It will never win an award for composition, but it sure wins an award for a stellar moment and great memories. Don passed away in September 2004, and Terry in 2019, but the influence both of them had on my life continues to be present. It's bittersweet when you look back on people you've loved, but they're no longer here. Bitter, obviously because of their absence, but sweet because of the memories. And with these two knuckleheads, I've got so many stories, smiles, and laughs. The fourth musketeer was Tony Corbell, and I'm guessing he was the one who grabbed the shot. Every Throwback Thursday I hit you with the same suggestion. Grab a cup of coffee and take a few minutes to go through your old files, shoeboxes, albums - any place you have old images stashed. It's incredible the smiles and even a few tears those images will create. Nothing beats the power of photography to bring back great moments from our past and simply make your heart soar!  "This is what I like about photographs. They're proof that once, even if just for a heartbeat, everything was perfect." Jodi Picoult by Skip Cohen
I know I shared this many years ago, but the fun of Throwback Thursday is based on no image or story having an expiration date! And looking back, I never shared the best memory of the trip above. It was around 1996 in Bonaire. Starting at the top, is Bob Thompson, me, Duncan MacNab, and Tom Danielson at the bottom. In the early 90s, I got my scuba certification, and that was it - I WAS HOOKED. Somebody once told me, "Diving isn't a hobby; it's a sickness!" But the best memories are what Throwback Thursday is all about. During a PPA Advisory Board meeting earlier that year, Mark Roberts, then chairman, told me that due to Boyles Law of Inert Gases, when scuba diving, it was impossible to fart beyond one atmosphere (30 feet down). I have no idea how the topic came up, but I took that as a personal challenge - boys will be boys! But the sidebar to the story is that I started getting calls from people who wanted me to know they had money bet on my skills. People I didn't even know were placing bets on my ability to defy science! Of course, none of us cared to even check on what Boyles Law really stated—a bet was a bet. It was the adult version of the kids on Christmas Story, and I had been triple-dog dared! On this trip to Bonaire, I brought my own personal kit of gas-inducing delectables: beef jerky, pickled Brussel sprouts, and jalapeño stuffed olives. Determined to prove Mark wrong, I started to prepare shortly after breakfast. About an hour before we hit the water, I ate a little of each delight - the countdown had started! I remember feeling inspired: Our depth was around 45ft., and I banged on my tank to get Bob Thompson's attention. My Boyle's Law-defying fart had stepped onto the ocean's stage, but Bob didn't see it...Like a cartoon character with the light bulb above my head, I realized why - I had on a wetsuit. I turned upside down, and the bubbles came out of my ankles. Bob was laughing so hard, I could hear him underwater. While my buoyancy got a little screwed up, looking at our gauges, I was at 37 ft! I had proven Mark Roberts wrong and secured my reputation as a legend of the sea. If you haven't already done so, take the time regularly to pull out old photographs and videos. I know I promised not to use Jodi Picoult's quote so often, but it's the only one that fits! And those poignant looks in your rearview mirror are powerful reminders of what we do as an industry - we help the world capture memories.   by Skip Cohen It's Throwback Thursday, and I recently came across a file of classics from Bill Hurter's birthday in 2007. Living in the Los Angeles area, you can find virtually anything, especially a Marilyn Monroe lookalike, to sing Happy Birthday! Bill Hurter passed away in June 2015, and so often something comes up that reminds me of him. He was the finest editor in the industry, taking Rangefinder and AfterCapture magazines to record highs. He was also one of the most beloved editors and authors in imaging, and all of us who worked with him had fun. It was a work-hard-play-hard environment. But besides simply missing him, when I found these images, I was blown away remembering how we used to do the magazine - It was all manual. The production office had metal walls, and we would put the magazine together page by page with magnets and a lot of help from Gennie Kiuchi! It could have been done on the computer back then, but it would never have had the quality. By laying it out as a team, we established the flow of the magazine - positioning editorial, advertisers, and sometimes, even setting things up for an upcoming future issue. Here's why I love sharing throwbacks: First, they transport us to another time. They take us back to people, places, and events that most often make us smile. Second, they bring back memories, and when those thoughts include people no longer with us, the look in the rearview mirror is even sweeter. Last but not least, throwbacks remind us of the value of imaging and the industry we're all so passionate about! Where would the world be without photography? And to "Mr. Bill"—buddy, there are no words to describe how much you're missed and how much you continue to be loved and respected by so many people in the industry! Happy Throwback Thursday! Note: I'm not sure who captured these images and the video below that day. But when I talk about the value of "imaging" that includes video. What a kick!  by Skip Cohen It's a perfect post for Throwback Thursday, even though I first shared the image above many years ago in a post about people who think procrastination is an art form! Having spent my entire adult life in the photographic industry, I always try to be sensitive to copyright issues. I first saw the photo above on the Internet at least twenty-five years ago. A few years back, I wanted to share it in a post and decided to research who owned it. Google makes it impossible for anything or anyone to hide for very long. Searching for the copyright, Davidson & Company, out of Atlanta, came up as owning the image. It took a little time to explain to one of their staff, who had no idea what I was talking about. Think about how it sounded answering the phone and hearing, "I'm trying to track down the company that owns the right to the shot of a guy with his head up his butt. Are you the Davidson & Company who owns it?" A few minutes later, I was on the phone with Ken Davidson, and not only did he give me the okay to use it, but he also shared a little of the backstory. The story adds to my appreciation for the journey so many of us have been on in this industry. The image was shot on film and manipulated with conventional retouching. It was created for a commercial client in the late 1980s! Click the banner below to check out more of Davidson & Company's work. You'll see some stunning images. On their About page, you'll see a number of testimonial quotes, all with a few common denominators of "extraordinary service, trust, Customer Service, quality, consistency," and the list goes on and on. They're a company that's stayed on course with their original goal—establish a reputation for being one of the very best! A BIG thanks to Ken for allowing me to use the image, which he described as one of the most ripped-off shots in photography! PS These people are professionals—do not try this at home. Any similarities to today's political personalities are purely coincidental!   by Skip Cohen
After almost 15 years of sharing Throwback Thursday shots, I was bound to repeat myself. Today's post is a throwback of a throwback. I know I shared the two photographs above years ago, but it's graduation time, and I'm turning the clock back 50+ years. The back story is about five knuckleheads in their senior year of high school who had fun doing a spoof on cheerleading at one of the last basketball games of the season. That's Terry Q. and me in the first photograph, and in the pyramid, Bill M. and Don S. are on either side of me on the bottom, and Terry and Mike P. are on the top. We've lost touch with Bill, and Mike was way too young when he passed away at 52 over twenty years ago. Thanks to Facebook and a few reunions, Terry, Don, and I have kept in touch. But here's my point - throwbacks are about memories and added value to the craft we're all so passionate about. Different chapters of your life unfold through all those old photographs. Those memories are like seasoning on a great steak - they enhance the appreciation for the friendships and the people who have come and gone in our lives. If you have yet to go searching for your throwbacks, take a few minutes before you get too far into the day. Then, share them on social media or more privately with family and friends. Old pictures are terrific reminders of the importance of photography. Where would the world be without imaging? Happy Throwback Thursday!   by Skip Cohen
It's a 25th-anniversary throwback to 1999 and WPPI. Don Blair and I were the opening act with a packed room. We launched his new book, Don Blair's Guide to Lighting and Posing Body Parts, at the convention, but we had started the project a year earlier. Marathon Press did an incredible job printing the book and after a successful presale, the first copies were delivered the morning after our program, right on time at Don's booth on the trade show floor. The concept was creating a small spiral-bound guide that photographers could keep in their camera bags. It dealt with posing and lighting techniques and solutions for eyeglasses, kids with braces, tall grooms and short brides, hand posing, masculine vs. feminine posing, and the list goes on and on. It addressed at least twenty-five challenges in classic portraiture plus lighting techniques and diagrams. Click on the bride for more techniques shown in an earlier post. But today's post is really about the fun of Throwback Thursday...finding this flyer recently brought back so many great memories. Here's one of them: Don and I had carefully scripted the program for that night. A year earlier, we shot all the images for the book with models from Las Vegas. Tony Corbell and Terry Deglau helped us with all the shooting. So, when we launched the book at WPPI in 1999, we used all the same models from the book. At the appropriate time in the program, Don said, " Hey Skip, let's do some hand-posing!" I sent our bride to the stage, but Don didn't follow the script and instead did the short bride and tall groom segment. She was under five feet tall, and the groom was a 6'5" boxer. I was furious—he broke the script! My microphone was hard-wired into the videographer's setup, and I know he heard me drop the F-bomb and mumble something about Don! Thirty seconds later, I realized what had happened - Don asked for hand-posing, exactly as it was in the script, but I sent him the wrong model - she only had seven fingers, having lost three in an accident as a kid! Not the easiest for hand-posing. From that point on and right up until a week before Don passed away, he never let me forget sending him the wrong model. And every time he brought it up, we'd laugh until we cried! There are no words to describe the pure joy of a throwback when memories like this are brought back like it happened yesterday. There are also no words to describe how much I miss Don and Terry. There's a point in great friendships when your friends become family, and losing them leaves a bitter-sweet hole in your heart. The loss is bitter, but all the memories couldn't be sweeter. If you have yet to search for a few throwback images today, take a few minutes now. There's a reason we all love this industry so much, and for most of us, it's in the people we've met and worked with along the way. Throwbacks are a never-ending reminder of the importance of photographs and capturing every memory you can. Happy Throwback Thursday!  by Skip Cohen It's Throwback Thursday, and I'm surprised at how accurate the expression "time heals all wounds" really is. Five years ago, our vet made me realize how selfish it was to prolong Molly the Wonder Dog's life. She was fighting liver cancer, and serious intervention would have only prolonged her pain without any quality of life. When I shared the images above on a Facebook post, there were close to 300 comments from people who completely understood the hole in my heart that day. Molly had been by my side non-stop for 13 years. I honestly was at a complete loss for how to deal with the sadness. Nine months later, Sheila and I decided to add Lucy and Belle to the family. But here's what amazed me...The two pups have Molly's spirit, especially Lucy. It's almost as if they went to "Molly Class," and she made sure they were tuned into what made us laugh. And their energy as smaller dogs is so much like Molly's, as a pup. I get that those of you who have lost dogs before wholly understand, but it took me a while to realize that being consistent with having a pup or two in the house was a tribute to Molly, not a replacement. All of this seems pretty trite to share today, but the hole in my heart never healed. It just got filled up with more love, this time from two pups. Having two dogs totally expanded and strengthened the bond between all of us. It's non-stop unconditional love all day, every day, and it just keeps getting better. Finding the pics above on Facebook today as an FB Memory, finally made me smile - sure it's a little bittersweet, but I feel so lucky to have had Molly in my life and now be hanging out with Lucy and Belle. Happy Throwback Thursday!  |
Your walk is just a click away
Our Partners
"Why?"Check out "Why?" one of the most popular features on the SCU Blog. It's a very simple concept - one image, one artist and one short sound bite. Each artist shares what makes the image one of their most favorite. We're over 130 artists featured since the project started. Click on the link above and you can scroll through all of the episodes to date.
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
© 2019 Skip Cohen University