Hanging out with "Dr T," Mina and Platypod friends at WPPI in February

Trust me on this suggestion - take the time to look at some of the images you captured back in the days when we only referenced Corona when ordering a beer. Those days will come back, and for me, it put a smile on my face to look back at friends I caught up to at WPPI. There was no such thing as social distancing. 

And here's my point - we're ALL in this together. We're an industry of people who have always worked together and watched each other's backs. We'll never look back on these days and laugh, but we will look back and share the pride that we came through it together.

​Stay safe and healthy - Happy Throwback Thursday!

by Skip Cohen

​We're all in the same boat right now with time on our hands, and at least for me, Throwback Thursday has therapeutic value. I'm a big fan of always looking forward and not spending too much time looking in my rearview mirror, but in these days of uncertainty, a look back can be heartwarming. 

My best guess is this image is from the late 70s. It's Jon Wolbarst and me during my Polaroid days as Regional Services Manager in Chicago. Jon was a Vice-President at Polaroid and had responsibility for Customer Service. He was the conscience of Polaroid, always fighting for the consumer. Regardless of the issues, he fought hard to keep Polaroid at the forefront of providing the very best service.

Those first SX-70 cameras were said to be 300% defective. Fortunately for Polaroid, there was no Internet, and Consumer Services could put out fires relatively quickly and keep them local. When I look at this photograph, I can't help but think back to how much so many of us learned, thanks to Jon's inspiration and direction.

Jon Wolbarst passed away in 1986 and was retiring when we presented him with this plaque. Jon loved to sail, and the plaque, complete with a starboard light read, "A guiding light by any other name would be Jon Wolbarst."

But here's the extra fun of this throwbacks:
​

• There was no such thing as casual dress in business back then. My closet was all three-piece suits.
• Catch the width of my tie.
• Jon was one of the kindest, most focused people I've ever met. Getting quality time with him on that visit to the midwest will always be a highlight of those years of my career.
• Last but not least, looking back to the good old days used to be exclusive to being an old fart. Today, so many of us are looking at the good old days as 90 days ago!

And that brings me full circle to the challenges you're facing now. You've got time on your hands, and if you've got a blog, now is the time to build a stash of posts. Use Throwback Thursday to remind your readers of the importance of photographs. Even with the virus and social distancing, there are still opportunities for outdoor portraits, expanded engagement sessions, landscape/wildlife photography, fine art and more. Use your blog to help "Mom," with ideas related to imaging, all promoted thanks to your expertise.

Take the time today and even if you don't share them in a blog - take that walk down Memory Lane. It'll make you smile and there's no such thing as too many smiles right now!

by Skip Cohen
 
I shared this image five years ago, but even though it's Throwback Thursday, I'm not sharing it to look back. It's meant to be a tribute to all of you who are teaching photography and video on the public and private school level.

How I got into photography as a career I've always thought of as more of an accident than anything intentional - I needed a job. But then I look back over the years, and there's so much I learned about the craft, thanks to two teachers, Roger Stanley above and Dave Burris. Stanley had the photography club in high school, and Burris had the yearbook, where a few of my photos were first published.

Yesterday I had a great conversation with Tom Alvarez, a photography teacher in Northport, just south of us. I'm going down there in a few weeks to talk about photography to his class of high school students. We had a fun conversation, and while his kids are pretty much learning the craft via their phones, it doesn't change the importance of the seeds he's planting about capturing memories, creativity, and expression.

Today's post is a kick to share; as I go back to the days of my uni-brow, snap-on tie and zero body fat with little muscle mass (it was called skinny back then and not an asset). However, this post is really a giant THANKS to every teacher out there. You guys are the unsung heroes who routinely inspire and help orchestrate so many kids in directions most of them never thought about. And who knows, you might have a future Ansel Adams or 

THANK you!

So, who were the teachers who inspired your early days in photography?

by Skip Cohen
 
It's Throwback Thursday, and last week was one of those perfect visits with an old buddy, Jerry Costanzo. Here in Florida on a family vacation, he and Sharon snuck in a couple of days at our house. And, as often happens with old friends, we started talking about how we met. 

The friendship goes back to my Hasselblad days and a 30x60 Duratrans lightbox. We needed an image to demonstrate just how big you could blow up a Hasselblad frame in the Photo East booth in 1992. The shot above was at PPA (now IUSA) in 1993.
​
My good buddy, Terry Deglau, told me he had just the image and a friend, Jerry Costanzo, to help us out. (That's Jerry in the middle shaking hands with Terry.) The best part of this was that we could show people a copy of the original. The picture above and the one in the booth were approximately a 1/2 inch square cropped from the original. 

The original was captured with a Hasselblad 503CW, the 250mm Carl Zeiss Sonnar lens on Kodak Portra, color negative film.

Like so many friends we all have in the industry, the relationship kicked off with a photograph! Here we are still loving photography, sharing stories, and having a great time. Technology has changed everything but not anyone's love for imaging or how special an almost thirty-year friendship can be!

I love sharing old images and stories like this in the SCU blog, but that's because, as photographers, you're my audience. For your blog, use throwback images to share how fast the family's growing, changes in styles, events from the past - anything to remind "Mom" it's time for a new family portrait!

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

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!

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!

It's the first Throwback Thursday of the new year, and as I searched through my stash, I decided to make it a "daily double." Back in July, I wrote about Hasselblad and NASA and shared one of the holiday cards the team at the factory in Sweden made for all of us to use. 

Well, thanks to my good buddy Jim Morton, the holiday cards live on! He sent me his stash earlier in the year, and considering it's just after the holidays, these are perfect for today. And as usual, there are behind the scenes stories for both.

I think the card above was for the holidays in 1988. I joined Hasselblad as president in July of 1987, and the backorder on the 2000 FCW was pretty substantial. It had been on backorder for over a year, announced before the factory had adequate time for delivery. There was even one price increase on the product, again, before it had ever been delivered.

So, when the holiday card came out featuring the camera, I refused to use it. In fact, in one Board meeting, I remember my sarcasm reaching a peak and asking if it was true that "Hasselblad in English meant backorder?" My comments weren't received well, but they did make a point.

​The gold 500CM was introduced in 1987 and in celebration of Hasseblad's 30th anniversary. Over the next twelve years, I was with the company; there would be at least three more gold cameras. Each time they represented another anniversary. While the 500CM was in celebration of the 30th anniversary, the 503CX in gold was in celebration of the 50th and came ten years later.

I remember questioning how we jumped twenty years in just ten. The answer was the gold 500CM was celebrating Hasselblad as a camera company, but the 50th was in recognition of the company's start as a business entity and a trading company.

Each time a new gold camera came out, the factory would push the US company to take more of them. We represented 1/3 of Hasselblad's worldwide business, but the gold cameras were getting harder and harder to sell. So, they changed the camera models, and then the color of the leather with limited editions of one in dark navy and another in burgundy.

Each anniversary edition was stunning, but by the time we got to the fourth one, they were no longer as unique as they were in the very beginning. Plus, as a company, they represented a huge hit on the value of our inventory. However, there's still nothing that beats the sound of a Hasselblad and having it in gold, for some, makes it even sweeter!

Happy Throwback Thursday!

Take the time today to take your own look in the rearview mirror. Then share it with your readers. For most of you, "Mom" is your target audience. Use throwback images to remind her how much her family is changing, the kids are growing and time isn't slowing down. It might be after the holidays, but it's the perfect time to update that family portrait!

by Skip Cohen

The fun of Throwback Thursday is often in the hunt! You never know what you're going to find, and what you do find, brings back incredible memories. Searching for old Rangefinder Magazine covers I found the one the right.

The year is 1993, and WPPI was in Nashville. I was president of Hasselblad at the time, but very involved in WPPI.  It would be eight years later I'd join Rangefinder/WPPI. Many of us would come in for the WPPI convention a few days early, and help the team with setup, print display, putting together the welcome bags - you name it we did it. The show was a labor of love and a reunion of some of the most passionate companies and artists in imaging.

That year I got an invitation to have my daughter on the cover of the magazine. She was the subject in a Don Blair portrait, taken at a plantation just outside town. Right after Don captured the images he wanted for the magazine, he did a series of bridal portraits of Clay Blackmore and his soon-to-be bride, Lilia. They even held their wedding at WPPI!

And that brings me to the second reason for searching for throwback images - the memories they bring back. Those were pretty amazing years for WPPI and the industry in general. The WPPI show was only around 2500 people, but the spirit of the show was unbeatable.

We were a film-driven industry. Digital cameras weren't really on the scene professionally for a few more years. The biggest excitement was over auto-focus. I remember Calumet protesting Nikon's announcement they were discontinuing the manufacturing of manual focus lenses. And the memories - all from one magazine cover, just keep coming! 

Wishing everybody a terrific Throwback Thursday and one loaded with great memories. Use your own throwback images on your blog - it's the perfect marketing tool to help remind Mom how quickly the kids are growing up and life is changing.

by Skip Cohen

​It's Throwback Thursday, and while a big part of this post is from the SCU archives, it's so relevant to helping many of you raise the bar on the quality of your images, especially with tall grooms and short brides. It's a great lesson in posing and all thanks to Don Blair.

I've written a lot about him over the years, almost always about something I learned during our incredible friendship. "Big Daddy" pretty much became the older brother I never had. 

He believed in the "rules" of photography, but he broke them all the time. He was always looking for a different way to take everything he learned and create something new, but he never compromised at the client's expense. 

The two images above are a prime example of Don pushing the edge of the creative envelope. (My apologies for the quality of the scans. They're from a copy of the book we wrote together in the '90s.)

What do you do with a tall groom and a short bride? 

​He was a 6' 4" Algerian boxer, and she was the All-American cheerleader type, at best 5' 1". Just about every photographer at the time would have him hunched over her or put them on some stairs to balance things out. Don sat them down on the floor and created some of my most favorite bridal portraits.

And then, to do a different spin - he sat the groom down and brought the bride in behind him. The bridal portrait becomes so much more pleasing than the usual hunched over groom!

There are no shortcuts to becoming a great photographer. Make it a point to know every aspect of your camera and especially the different focal lengths of your lenses. Stop being a "natural light specialist" and get to know studio lighting. Spend time experimenting with various techniques and learn every rule in photography. Attend every hands-on workshop you can; watch every video, and read every book!

"You've got to learn your instrument. Then, you practice, practice, practice.
And then, when you finally get up there on the bandstand, forget all that and just wail."
Charlie Parker

​I shared the image above at least five years ago, but there's a new chapter as my career as "Embroidery Boy" comes to a close. Here's the backstory and only because it's Throwback Thursday.

My apologies for the fold in the image, but it's a scan out of the 1997 Lands End Corporate Sales Catalog. Left to right, Chuck Gutierrez, Jim Morton, Bob Nunn, Bob Thompson**, Skip Cohen, Peter Power, Mark Mather, and Tony Corbell. 

Hasselblad's ad agency at the time created a campaign with the tagline, "Hot Stuff." We loved the campaign which featured double page spreads with images by some of the greatest artists in professional photography. Chris Rainier, Barbara Bordnick, Michael Grecco, Howard Schatz, Phil Borges, Jonathan Exley, Bambi Cantrell, Jill Enfield, and Lisa Murphey were all part of the series. Plus, the logo design was contemporary, and I had a growing reputation as "Embroidery Boy," putting Hasselblad's logo on just about anything I could find. 

Photo East, now PPE, was coming up, and I wanted to get all of us in logo shirts. Remember, this was twenty-two years ago, and most of us were still working trade shows in suits or sport-jackets. So, I wandered through the Lands End catalog and found polo shirts for all of us.

We sent the artwork to Lands End on a Monday, had the stitched proof by Wednesday morning, approved the order by the end of the day and had our shirts ahead of schedule, in time for the show. The service was incredible, and I sent a letter thanking their president. 

Lands End loved our story so much that a week later, they had a photographer contact us to schedule a shoot at the next convention. We had no idea what they were going to do or how they would feature us, but the exposure was remarkable. Not only was Hasselblad in a few million catalogs, but they tied in the logo on a picture of the shirt in a black and white newspaper campaign that ran nationally. They even tied us into the copy with the ad. 

Well, last week, my favorite Hasselblad shirt was laid to rest and formally condemned by Sheila. Over the years, it became my BBQ shirt, hanging-around-the-house shirt, and my most favorite to simply slip on to relax. Like an old pair of your favorite shoes - it finally died.

It came out of the dryer, and if you've met my wife, then you know there's no shortage of humor. She printed out a shot of a tombstone with the word "Beloved" and added, "Rest in Peace." I get that it's dead and looks like something worn out of a zombie apocalypse movie, but I still haven't thrown it in the trash! LOL

And here's the fun of Throwback Thursday - the image of all of us in the booth that morning for the photograph brings back so many memories. With each memory comes another story. With each story come smiles and even a tear now and then. While we can never go back, the photographs in our lives create a treasure chest of cherished relationships. They're never-ending reminders of the best part of the journey - the friendships made along the way.

​Happy Throwback Thursday!

**And Bob Thompson, next to me in the photograph, is due here tomorrow for a couple of days. You can count on the stories and laughs kicking off the minute he walks in the door!

​My apologies for the quality of the image above, but it's Throwback Thursday. The photo is from the 90s, and was a 62KB file. I've tried to clean it up as best I can. It will never win an award for quality, but the booth certainly will!

Bambi Cantrell and I wrote three books together about wedding photography. The image above was her booth at bridal fairs at the time, which she talked about in one of the books. When so many photographers did the minimum with the usual skirted table and a bunch of albums, Bambi was always making a statement.

What's remarkable is how little effort the whole booth took to create. The panels in the back are just painted hollow wood doors with a little added molding and spotters. The floor they set up in advance on plywood sheets, and the rest is just accessories to be inviting.

Bambi was also one of the first photographers to use image boxes for shows like this. While she had albums to show as well, using the image box allowed more than one person to look at her work and not "hog" an album. Plus, it made a point to the audience about other ways to share images from the wedding. She had those big framed prints on display, albums and the image box - all giving the bride more ideas on things to do with the photographs from the wedding.

But here's the point - if you're going to exhibit at ANY show for ANYTHING - make your booth a statement.  Go the extra step. I still see companies doing the same thing at trade shows today, and it's always the same. A static display with a staff member or two who are "underwhelming."  

Are you looking to make your work stand out and make a great first impression? Don't settle for doing what everyone else is doing!

"It's never crowded along the extra mile!
Wayne Dyer

The two ads above featured two of the industry's most favorite and respected photographers, Ken Whitmire on the left and Al Gilbert on the right. They were featured in full-page ads in Kodak's Fantasy-Reality series featuring VPH and VPS films.

It was a fantastic time in the industry. Film was in its glory; Kodak was a powerhouse, and Terry led the charge. Supported by some of the finest photographers in the world, this ad campaign was just one of the memorable ingredients.

Four years ago, St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA, did an evening event featuring Terry's work. Several of us reconnected for the first time in many years, and that's what I love most about this industry, the history. We all share the same love for imaging and as sappy as it sounds, Terry.

The fun of Throwback Thursday is always in the memories old photographs bring back. In terms of imaging, the longer you've been in the industry, the more changes you've seen, especially during the transition of film to digital. New photographers don't realize how small this industry really is - we've all been to the same rubber-chicken dinners together, watched each other's backs, and often worked for the same companies and on various projects. 

In terms of my buddy Terry, it's like the Kevin Bacon degrees of separation game, only Terry's at the hub. I couldn't be more proud to have been a part of his life and him a piece of mine.

Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote in Ulysses, "I am a part of all that I have met." Well, Terry is a part of so many of us, and as the reverend said in Terry's eulogy, talking about how warm and friendly he was, "Terry never met a stranger!"

Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment,
until it becomes a memory.
Dr. Seuss

by Skip Cohen

I should be embarrassed over my lack of organization of files and images from the past, but for some strange reason, I'm not! Throwback Thursdays, have become one of my favorite posts to share because they're always about memories, and thanks to images I find in my stash. And, so often I'm surprised with what I find. 

These are all from WPPI 2007, and I want to apologize to whoever the photographers were. If these are your images, I'll gladly do a second post and give everyone credit. They were all in a file on a disk I downloaded in 2008 and sent to me as a pdf.

WPPI had grown so much that in 2007, we took over both the Bally's and Paris hotels. These are from three different locations on the properties - two different ballrooms for the trade show and outside, near the moving walkway at Bally's. 

At the junction of the hallways between the two hotels, there was a display dedicated to Monte Zucker, who passed away earlier that year. Sorry, but I don't remember who pulled everything together for the shadow box on the right, but I know Clay Blackmore and Jeff Medford were involved. You'll also notice an "In Memoriam" portrait of Monte in the Canon booth.

Monte's another wonderful memory who comes rolling back with Throwback Thursday. He was instrumental in so many careers of professional photographers. He was also a key to getting WPPI started at a time when most of the industry didn't see a need for another conference. At that time, none of the organizations recognized part-time photographers. WPPI was originally launched as a foundation to help professional photographers who weren't yet full-time. 

Throwback Thursday is about memories, but it's also reinforcement for the career path, so many of us have chosen. Most of the time, I suggest you use throwback images as a marketing tool to remind Mom how fast the kids are growing, etc.  But today, why not take the time to look through your stash of old photographs?

It's a great time to appreciate all the memories, and a good day to take a few minutes to enjoy what's in your rearview mirror!

by Skip Cohen
 
I've shared the backstory on images like this many times before, but if you're new to SCU...

In 2005 Maureen Neises, president of Graphi Studio hit me with an idea - to produce an annual day-in-the-life of WPPI album featuring four different photographers. It was a perfect way to capture different perspectives on the convention each year.

These images were captured by Victor Sizemore, one of four artists telling the WPPI 2007 story. Also joining him that year were Jim Garner, Catherine Hall, and Calvin Hayes.

What I love most about Throwback Thursdays is the journey down Memory Lane each old photograph takes you. Taking a fun look in your rearview mirror now and then is a whole lot of fun. Plus, check out the people in the photographs. I think this was our last year at Paris and Bally's before moving to the MGM Grand.

Throwback photographs are also a great marketing tool, especially for those of you who are children and family portrait artists. A blog post sharing old images is a perfect way to remind Mom how fast the kids are growing up, and her family is changing! And, obviously how it's time for a new family portrait!

Happy Throwback Thursday!

​Losing one of the industry's biggest champions, Terry Deglau, a week ago makes this is a perfect throwback image to share today. That's Terry on the left, Monte Zucker at the podium and Clay Blackmore on the right. 

The fun of Throwback Thursday is about the memories each old photograph brings back. There's a lot I think about when I look at this photograph.

• This is probably around the time I first met Terry. He had just started working for Kodak. It's where our friendship kicked off.
• I was with Hasselblad at the time, and that "kid" next to Monte had only been working with him a short time. This is where my friendship with Clay kicked off too. 
• While we may have lost Monte many years ago, his influence on portraiture is alive and well!
• Notice the logo behind Terry - WPI started as a wedding photographers association and the second "P" hadn't been added yet.
• A few months back, I found one of my early badges for WPI, and it sits on a bookshelf with other memorabilia from industry events. Little did I know how influential this show, along with all the friendships, would become over the years ahead.

Repeatedly over the years, I've written about the importance of attending every possible conference and workshop you can work into your schedule. We're an industry built on relationship building. With every program, you attend, your network and in turn, friendships will grow. And, if you're as lucky as I've been, those friendships NEVER stop growing!

Happy Throwback Thursday!

​It's Throwback Thursday and so often turning back the clock for a few minutes brings back great memories taking you down so many different paths.

For example, here's everything that comes to mind with today's post:

• I've got it because my buddy, Justin Marantz, sent me a text last weekend with the piece above, "Look what I found!" He was cleaning out a drawer. Throwbacks keep us in touch because it was great to catch up to him, even in a quick text message.
• The event itself was terrific. Pictage did several of them, and in 2008 they did one in New Orleans, which is where Sheila and I hung out with some "new guy," Roberto Valenzuela, and Gustavo Fernandez for an evening. That night remains one of the most laughs per minute evenings we've ever shared! 
• I saved you the pain of reading my entire bio, but it took me back to a lot of things I've forgotten about. What's interesting is how much the industry has changed in the last twelve years!
• Then there's Pictage, who introduced us to some of the best marketing people in the industry. This is where so many of us met Jeff Jochum and Rocky Bowles...the PUGs (Pictage User Groups) were all over the country, and it was a time where education combined with strong marketing was helping a lot of people raise the bar on so many different aspects of business.
• Last but not least, I got a kick out of the headshots I used. Molly, the Wonder Dog, was just starting to take over my heart! She was just a year old. And, I wore double-breasted suits every day except "Casual Fridays." Today I'm ecstatic - I own more bathing suits and shorts than I ever did suits or ties!

All those memories from just a page about a Pictage program! 

Whether you share it in social media or not, take the time like I do every Thursday and go search for a spot in your past that brings out memories. Pictage put together some terrific events over the years and brought so many of us into each other's lives. 

So, how many of you were at the Pictage Partner Conferences?

​Last week when I "struck gold" on a box of disks, little did I know what was waiting for me as I explored dozens more old files. Since it's Throwback Thursday, I went searching this morning for a peek into the past and once again hit a classic.

I wrote about this last year but didn't realize I had a full disk of images thanks to Marissa Feliciano of Felici Photography in San Diego. She did an outstanding job of capturing the event. Here's the backstory:

Some people come into your life who, after a very short amount of time, you can't remember when they weren't around. Meet Carey Schumacher a pretty remarkable children and family photographer from San Diego. In 2008, for some unknown reason, we started talking trash about who could grill the best steak. 

One thing led to another, and before I knew it, I was hooked on the challenge. Well, *poof* welcome to the 2008 BBQ Smackdown! Carey never does anything halfway and turned it into a mini-fundraiser for NILMDTS, complete with all the features of a major competitive event!

We're an industry of people who believe in that old line about work hard, play hard - and we definitely believe in having fun. 

Living on the east coast versus California, I don't see Carey very often these days, but as soon as the time difference is on my side this morning, I'm going to call her. That's the fun of my network and should be part of yours too. 

So, who is there you haven't talked to in a long time? Who's been a great friend you've lost touch with? Don't email, don't text - but pick up the phone and take the time to catch up. It's all part of the fun of taking a walk down Memory Lane.

And in terms of the BBQ Smackdown, after years of therapy, I've accepted the judges' decision that Carey won. However, just like a member of Hollywood's elite, I still have my acceptance speech ready to go and hope for a rematch. We just can't figure out where we'd find an unbiased panel of judges! LOL

Here's my point with Throwback Thursday photographs, they can bring back such great memories. Carey went all out to capture the fun of being in this industry, great friendships and even the two pups, "Big" Molly and "Little" Molly got into the act!

A BIG thanks to Marissa for sending me all these great images, and to Carey, the judges, and attendees - What a kick!

by Skip Cohen

Sometimes the magic of Throwback Thursday comes in the hunt! A month ago, I stumbled across a box in storage, and it was packed to the top with disks, most of them not marked. Every couple of weeks, I take it down off the shelf and pull 4-6 disks to review. Well, this morning I hit the motherlode! 

The year is 2005, and it's WPPI. It was always too busy during the show to kick back and have a few drinks with friends. Plus, with so much going on I couldn't risk a hangover in the morning...but on the last night, all bets were off!

For some reason, no matter where the show was held, that last night was ALWAYS at Red Square the vodka bar at Mandalay Bay. For an absurd amount, when you bought a bottle, you could have a drink in the walk-in cooler toasting whatever made you smile, while wearing Russian attire and joined by a bust of Stalin covered in mock bird crap! 

Throwback Thursday photographs ALWAYS have a story - In honor of everyone's good friend Julianne Kost, we picked a bottle of vodka called "Tall Blonde." We paid $350 for it, and 6-8 of us went into the cooler to make a toast. A week later, my buddy Bob Rose, in the white hat in the back, saw it in the liquor concession at Rochester Airport for $14!

Whether you share your throwbacks on your blog, or enjoy privacy on your trip down Memory Lane, make it a habit on Thursdays to search for old photographs. You'll never be disappointed with their ability to throw you into the time-machine.

What you'll find is a fun change from the usual work you need to get done. You'll also be reminded of the importance of photography and capturing memories. Even a couple of blurry grab-shots serve a purpose in the fun of looking back at those priceless moments in our lives.

​And, to whoever gave me a disk marked "Red Square" in the spring of 2005 - thank you!