  by Skip Cohen
This is going to be a different kind of Throwback Thursday post. I love hunting for old photographs. So this morning, when I went off searching for something to share, I ran across the images here. I might have even shared one of them a few years back. They're from 2012, and while they still make me smile, they also bring back pain and sadness. But that doesn't mean they're not special moments to be cherished. Sheila and I moved to Sarasota in the fall of 2011. I could live anywhere my computer could plug in, and Sheila was able to take early retirement from Akron Children's Hospital. My Dad was caring for my mother, who was fighting Alzheimer's. For the first time in my life, I could be where my folks were, and Sheila was willing to join me. My Mom met Sheila a couple of years before Alzheimer's tightened its grasp. They hit it off immediately, and no matter how much of Mom's memory would be attacked over the next few years, she locked in on Sheila. In later years, she'd tell people she and Sheila had done volunteer work together and known each other since they were kids. The story's accuracy didn't matter - it was the love Sheila felt for Mom and how my mother lit up every time Sheila came into the room. My mother passed away in 2013, but we had almost three years with her before that. And there are no words to describe how precious those memories have become. The images above were from Mom's birthday in February 2012. At some point during dessert, she had a moment of clarity and grew incredibly sad. Sheila hugged her, and Mom said, "What's going to happen to all my things!" Sheila responded with the assurance that we loved her things and would take care of them. Seconds later, Mom was relaxed - the crisis had passed - replaced by one of Mom's favorites, pineapple upside-down cake. But my point isn't so much the memories right now but a suggestion to many of you who are living the same nightmare. Alzheimer's is a horrible disease that robs you of your loved ones as you watch. And while feeling helpless is natural, you don't have to do it alone. My Dad and I joined the Caregiver Support Group here in Sarasota, part of the Senior Friendship Centers. Every Thursday morning, we'd head off to group, and Dad would join in the conversation circle as husbands, wives, and adult children shared their frustration. For my Dad's generation, expressing your innermost feelings and sadness was something you just didn't do. Yet, he opened up, participated, and through the group, learned new ways to cope. So, two suggestions today... First, if you know somebody who's losing a loved one to Alzheimer's, encourage them to get into a support group. One call to a senior center or the Alzheimer's Association, and you'll be on your way to finding them a little help. Second, pick up "The 36-Hour Day." The book was so helpful to me in understanding what was going on and learning how to better cope with Mom's illness. (Click on the thumbnail for more info on Amazon.com) We lost the battle, but those last years gave us moments we still cherish today. And on those days when, as we used to say, the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, my Dad would say, "I'm going to take every moment like this and squeeze all the joy out of it and savor it!" Just because a Throwback Thursday photograph isn't filled with laughter - doesn't mean it isn't chocked full of love.
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 Top row: Skip Cohen, Jen Rozenbaum, Ryan Schembri, Joe McNally, Dawn and Bob Davis. Bottom row: Bob Coates, Zach and Jody Gray, Adam Sherwin, Roberto Valenzuela, Clay Blackmore, Suzette Allen, Michele Celentano "I am a part of all that I have met." Alfred Lord Tennyson by Skip Cohen
There are so many different things I love about Throwback Thursday. While it starts with the fun of the hunt for old images, it finishes with the backstories and memories of so many incredible friendships over the years. In 2009, after resigning from Rangefinder Publishing and WPPI, with help from a whole lot of great friends, I launched Skip's Summer School. It ran for five summers, three in Las Vegas and two outside Chicago. The collage of the 2013 faculty above was created by Resource Magazine, which in 2013 was giving away four scholarships to the program. The challenge of doing a program like this each summer became incredibly labor-intensive. And with so many online programs getting started back then, along with other workshops, 2013 was the program's last year. We then expanded the SCU blog with a stronger online presence, guest posts and podcasts. I consider myself one of the luckiest guys in the industry, with a journey that's never slowed down. All along the way, I've worked with some of the most talented artists in the world. I've grown because of them; their patience, style, and individual contribution to our industry, as well as my life, can't be measured. Have some fun today! Whether you share a throwback in a blog post or not doesn't matter. Find an old photograph that brings back great memories, and then take some time to enjoy the moment. My opening quote, by Alfred Lord Tennyson, above says it all. We're all connected, and everybody we meet becomes a thread in the fabric that makes us who we are! Happy Throwback Thursday!   by Skip Cohen
The fun of Throwback Thursday is mainly in the hunt for old photographs, but it's also how they renew old friendships and keep great memories alive. Today's post is definitely a moment-that-mattered story, but a phone call triggered it, and then I went hunting for a photograph! Meet my "little brother," Michael LeBlanc. Although, in all honesty, while I think we're about the same age, I have no idea at this time who's older. We met at Polaroid years before this picture was taken. We were both in Consumer Services and focused on helping maintain Polaroid's cutting-edge support for its customers. The photograph was taken 35 years ago this week at my going-away party when I left Polaroid to join Hasselblad. I was with the company for 17 1/2 years, and the party they threw for me was itself a "moment that mattered." My Polaroid background came up in a conversation last week with a photographer asking about Platypod products. That got me thinking about old friends from those days, and I still had Michael's cell phone number from ten years ago. An hour of laughs and walking down Memory Lane later, the friendship was back, alive and well - almost as if we left off with a comma when we last spoke. So I went looking through a box of old Polaroid prints until I found this one. A year or so early, I don't remember why, but we were having a drink together in the bar at the Hyatt in Cambridge. The bartender mixed up our drinks, giving him my martini and me his bourbon. When the bartender apologized, he said, "Sorry guys, you look so much alike!" We then explained that we had the same mother but different fathers and were actually brothers. Finally, after half an hour of both of us keeping a straight face, the bartender bought it. About eight years later, I was in Cambridge and went to Mike's office at Polaroid unannounced. He was in a meeting, and I asked his secretary to interrupt, and please tell him his brother was here. She refused and wouldn't accept I was really his brother. I went around her, opened his door, and said, "Hey, little brother!" His response was something like, "Mom's upset you haven't talked to her this week." Well, his secretary hit the panic button. She was so apologetic about not believing me. To this day, I have no idea if Mike ever told her the truth. And that brings me right to my point this Throwback Thursday. Nothing beats old friendships, and the power of imaging makes them that much better. Photographs are like great seasoning and the way it enhances the flavor of a good steak. Those old photographs turn memories into tangible moments from our past and make life richer! Throwback Thursday is an outstanding marketing tool to remind your clients that it's time for a new family portrait. But it's also the perfect vehicle to help you remember why you got into this business in the first place. For me, every old photograph and the stories that go with each one recharge my battery. They simply make me smile. What a kick to love this industry like I do! And to my little brother - looking forward to catching up LIVE later this year!  Bottom row: David Bentley and Terry Deglau - Top row: Monte Zucker, Don Blair, Tibor Horvath, David Ziser, Ed Pierce, Steve Sheanin, and Ernst Wildi. by Skip Cohen I almost missed Throwback Thursday. I knew the general area of where to look for images, but after going through three backup drives, I'd almost given up. Then I struck gold! There are too many of you who didn't know Monte Zucker, but it's thanks to the trails he blazed in the industry that shows like WPPI (WPI when it started) exist today. And the standards he set for classic portraiture is responsible for so many of our greatest portrait artists today. Monte passed away in 2007, but somewhere before a slide show was put together, most likely by Clay Blackmore. Well, I found a bunch of those images in a folder a few minutes ago. While I always write about the fun of the hunt - there's a much greater reason related to searching for throwbacks - it's the pure joy the memories bring back. I know the image above was at WPPI and it was all the "Lifetime Achievement" recipients attending that year. It would have been in the early 90s. The rest below go back a whole lot of years more...if you were there or can share anything about them, feel free to comment. I've used it dozens of times, but Jodi Picoult's quote is still the very best... “This is what I like about photographs. They're proof that once, even if just for a heartbeat, everything was perfect.”       by Skip Cohen As I've written so many times in the past, I've made Throwback Thursday part of my weekly routine. And while there have been a few times when I got too busy and missed sharing an image in a blog post, that doesn't change the way old photographs remind me of the role our industry plays in the world. I'm somewhere around ten or so in this image with Mom on the diving board. When I was a kid, my Dad struggled to manage his own business, and we didn't take any big vacations. However, living in Northeast Ohio, Erie, PA, was just a short drive away. So at least once a summer, we'd head over to Presque Isle, PA, for the weekend. This one trip was pretty special because a college kid name Andy was the lifeguard and taught me how to swim. I laugh about being afraid of the water back then because the ocean, in my adult years, along with scuba-diving became such an important part of my life. But there's so much more to an image like this than just the memories of the event at the time. My folks have long since passed away, but this throwback takes me right back to memories that make me smile.  One memory that it brought back was my Dad's first 35mm camera. My uncle was in the army and had been based in Europe in the early 50s. So, in addition to coming home with a new TR3, he got Dad a "real" camera. Along with Kodak film and a Bell and Howell projector, that camera changed our lives. Dad would shoot more slides every trip, and then weeks later, after swinging by Gray Drug to pick up his slides, we'd all be together laughing over the memories.
The camera was an Agfa with a fixed lens, but it had the best accessory ever invented to that point - a mechanical self-timer. Suddenly Dad could be in the photograph, thanks to any car, table, chair, or fence post close by. He'd hit the timer and then run as we'd all listen for the gears' quiet grinding and the shutter's click. He'd make it most of the time, but now and then, the camera would catch him halfway to posing. Dad's first real camera became my first camera in later years. And in searching for images on the Internet, I couldn't find the exact model, but the shot above is about the same vintage. And that brings me right to my point with today's Throwback Thursday post - whether you share images with family and friends or not, take the time to appreciate your roots in photography. At the same time, recognize the incredible role we all share to help people keep capturing memories! It's a big responsibility, and while the image I'm sharing today is just a grab shot, it doesn't change the value of a quick trip in the time machine. Happy Throwback Thursday!  Image by Gokhan Cukurova (3rd from the left, front row) by Skip Cohen
The fun of Throwback Thursday is always in the hunt, combined with the memories old photographs bring back. In 2009, after a somewhat stormy resignation with Rangefinder Magazine/WPPI, I started Skip's Summer School. It continued through the summer of 2013 and was responsible for some incredible friendships that are alive and well today. The initial concept was based on programming with several speakers each day and everyone attending the same programs. We started out in Las Vegas at the MGM, who because of the recession, pretty much gave us the hotel. Prior to the pandemic, it was one of their slowest summers in history. We used one of their big ballrooms, which was set up with charging stations and WiFi, allowing people to stay in touch with their business and at the same time enjoy a great list of talented speakers. But as time went on, the request for hands-on shooting became more important. The program morphed into a hybrid of hands-on with general sessions for all attendees in the mornings and evenings. At the Chicago conference in 2012, the group above was Michele Celentano's (4th in the front row) hands-on portrait class. Held at the DoubleTree in OakBrook, I look back at it being one of the best in the series. And while I've lost touch with many of the attendees, a lot of them are still active in the Skip's Summer School forum, started by good buddy, Brent Watkins, on Facebook. As things slowly return to a level of normalcy, take advantage of every workshop or conference you can attend. For example, ClickCon is coming up in a couple of weeks in Chicago. Very little beats the surge of energy and creativity that comes with being together with other artists and focused on your growth and education. Meanwhile, whether you like to share images on Throwback Thursday or not, take the time to enjoy the hunt. Find an old photograph and then just stare at it for a little while! Let the memories of the "good old days" do their work to counter the stress we've all lived through over the last few years. Nothing beats hands-on education to build your skillset. But, remember, growth only occurs outside your comfort zone!  by Skip Cohen I recently ran across a small stack of Life Magazines I picked up years ago. The date on the one I was looking at was December 20, 1968, and the real fun was looking at the ads. I went through it page by page, and the ad above was the only real photography ad! Polaroid's budget for print media, must have been severely limited because this was only a 1/4 page B&W ad - while the cigarette and liquor companies all dominated with full-page color ads. I don't know how many of you remember the Swinger, but this was the BIG Swinger and dominated camera sales for a long time, giving Polaroid some of their most profitable years. I remember joining the company in 1970, and they had an employee bonus program for profit-sharing. But, sadly, you had to be employed for approximately 3 1/2 years to be fully vested. By the time my shares were worth anything, the glory days everyone had talked about were long over. But the mystique of what Swinger sales did for everyone's annual earnings became a legend. Even a $2.0/hour employee on the production line, who was fully vested, had a sizable bonus check. That legend kept everyone excited year after year back then. It was similar to the 40-foot putt you once made that kept you in golf! I found one of the original television commercials on YouTube featuring Ali MacGraw. It was a definite classic, and it's true - back then, everybody had a Polaroid! Happy Throwback Thursday!  Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. Marcel Proust  by Skip Cohen It all started with a simple grab shot while visiting Michele Celentano and Paul Neal in January 2010. We were hiking in the mountains behind their house in Arizona. Well, 12 1/2 years, one sappy magnet about friends, and two houses later, our Hanging with Friends wall is almost out of room. As we go out to the garage, the back hall of our home is passed several times every day. It's a testimonial to great friendships and memories. It always makes us smile. But the best part of this is about prints. Nothing special, just 5x7s, framed and put up on the wall - but Sheila and I walk the talk - the memories aren't sitting in our phones, computers, or a shoebox waiting to be shared in an album. Life is simply too short not to appreciate the memories we can make and capture every day. After all, it's what this industry is all about! Happy Throwback Thursday! Angels exist, but sometimes they don't have wings and are called friends!
Anonymous  by Skip Cohen
It's Throwback Thursday, and you never know what I might pull out of my stash. In this case, it's thanks to good buddy Jim Morton, who found this one recently and sent it my way. But the genuine fun of throwbacks is in the smiles they bring back - and no two guys do it better than Clay Blackmore and Calvin Hayes. Our friendship started in my Hasselblad days, when I joined the company in 1987...and they've continued right up to a few minutes ago when I called Clay needing help on when this shot was taken. And Calvin, I just talked to a few weeks ago. The pandemic may have slowed us all down from physically being together, but thanks to social media and the phone - nothing stops the ability to connect. This was at the PPA National Convention before it was called IUSA. It was held in Denver that year, and PPA was financially going through some difficult times.* Fortunately for all of us, they survived and became even stronger in the years to come. Now they're a continual partner in support for so many photographers in the industry. Next year's convention is in Nashville, January 22-24. Just click on the banner to the right for more information. Throwback Thursday memories are like one big vitamin boost for your soul. Okay, so that's a little over the top, but at a time when we're all feeling the stress of the last couple of years and working on getting back to normal, throwback images bring back memories. And most often, those looks in the rearview mirror come with plenty of smiles and always great backstories! So, take the time today and find a few old photographs and videos...and whether you share them or not, savor them and then think about the new memories you're going to make in the future! * UPDATE: Thanks to my pal Claude Jodoin - we got the date - 1994...and along with it a little more color - it was the year Forest Gump was released!  by Skip Cohen
The fun of Throwback Thursday is definitely in the memories old photographs bring back. It's also worth recognizing how tastes and styles change - at the time, I thought that sweater was the best-looking piece of clothing I owned! Here's the short backstory: Don Blair (red hat and sweater) taught a three-part class - indoors, then a live shoot outside in front of the MGM Lions that evening, and finally indoors the next day. So that's Tony Corbell on one end and Terry Deglau on the other. And while both Terry and Don have long since passed away, nothing changes the love I've got for those two, the memories, and the belief they're always around watching out for all their friends in the industry. Don't let Throwback Thursday go by without a few minutes break from whatever you have to do, replaced by something you need to do - find a couple of old photographs. Hopefully, they'll make your heart soar just a little and remind you why you fell in love with photography in the first place. Nothing compares to the friendships we all share in this industry!   Tony, Terry, Me, Don by Skip Cohen
I know I shared this image a long time ago, but that's the fun of Throwback Thursday. Nothing you enjoy really has an expiration date! So, why share it again? First, the fun of throwbacks is often in the hunt. While searching through folders of old images, this one came up and made me smile. Second, while it's bittersweet having lost at least four of the people in the photograph over the last thirteen years, it's a testimonial to the great friendships that are the foundation of this industry. And third, which gets its own paragraph, this was a party to honor our good friend Terry Deglau. Terry passed away 2 1/2 years ago, but there isn't a day that goes by that something doesn't come up reminding me of his influence, friendship, and how we all loved him. For me, he was my "partner in crime" as we went from one adventure to another. From photographing Yosemite while driving around in Ansel Adams' '77 Cadillac to snowmobile trips to snorkeling for manatees here in Florida, we did it. We were two of the four musketeers, with Tony Corbell and Don Blair being the other members of the team. And when the four of us all got together, there was no way of knowing what kind of "trouble" we were about to get into! LOL If you're not on the hunt for throwbacks, you're missing a golden opportunity. It's a way to stay in touch with the pure joy of what brought you into this industry in the first place. Happy Throwback Thursday!  by Skip Cohen
It's Throwback Thursday, and while I know I shared this a long time ago, it now qualifies as a second-generation throwback! LOL Here's the short backstory - it was the opening program at WPPI in 2008. Each artist above was a "young gun," setting the standard for some amazing creativity in imaging and business. While a few have disappeared from the active photography scene over the years, most of the group is still setting the standard for excellence in business, education, and art. My favorite moment was Mike Larson doing his then state-of-the-art risk-taking moment...he'd put his Canon on the self-timer and toss it 12-15 feet in the air, capture an image and catch the camera on the way down. Hopefully, today he's using a drone! Back then, it was a bold and risky move but what a kick to watch. So, how many artists do you recognize in the shot? Wishing everybody a terrific Throwback Thursday and time to go off searching for memory-making moments that make you smile! Note: Photo Credit - I'm pretty sure it was thanks to Kenny Kim  by Skip Cohen Throwback Thursdays are about memories and smiles. You can never go back, but you can take quick fun looks in your rearview mirror and appreciate where you've been. I've shared a lot of posts over the years about Skip's Summer School...it was the start of a completely new journey in 2009, which led to this blog after five incredible years of summer workshops. Recently while cleaning up my stash of downloads, I came across this short video. It simply made me smile. Every summer for five years, Skip's Summer School took place, starting in Las Vegas and later in the Chicago area. It was a time that kicked off some fantastic friendships, and so many of us are still in touch today. If you don't usually go off in search of throwback photographs or videos, just trust me. So often, the hunt is a huge part of the fun because you never know what treasures you're going to find along the way. And if you've got a blog, share those moments from the past. They represent the magic of imaging - stopping time and turning intangible moments into the tangible! It's a perfect marketing tool for reminding your clients that it's time for a new portrait. But there's one more aspect to Throwback Thursday that makes it unique for me - So many of the images and videos I find remind me of the career choice I stumbled into so many years ago. I'm forever grateful for the friendships and experiences that have come my way...and even better, looking forward to many more. Happy Throwback Thursday - check out the number of industry educators and photographers in this 2011 promotional video.  by Skip Cohen For me, the fun of Throwback Thursday starts out with the "hunt." I've missed a couple recently but decided it was time to search out some gems yesterday. This would have been WPPI, I think Paris, and I'm guessing it's probably around 2002 or 2003. (If anybody wants to correct my dates, feel free. At this point there have been so many memory-making shows.) The bottom row is Don Blair's daughter Kathy, Bambi Cantrell, "Bid Daddy" himself, and Gary Blair. The back row is me, Tony Corbell and Terry Deglau. We'd all gone out for dinner and grabbed a shot outside restaurant row. Don was on a scooter back then. Looking at this image brings back so many great memories, and while it's bittersweet having lost both Don and Terry, it doesn't change the place those two will always hold in my heart. Here's one of those priceless backstories that adds to the fun of a throwback: Don needed a scooter to get around, so he made arrangements with the hotel to rent during the show. Early one evening, a bellman came frantically looking for me. He needed to find Don. Unfortunately, they had given him the wrong scooter. Instead of the rental, which was a beater, they'd given him a shiny new black one, fully pimped out - it even had slick-looking side mirrors. The problem was that it was the privately owned scooter of another hotel guest! Well, they eventually found Don, and he'd taken a few tight turns and broken both mirrors along with a fresh collection of scratches. All of us had a hard time keeping a straight face, as we watched the bellman turn pale. I don't remember how the bell staff resolved the problem.  Then, I found this one. There are simply no words to describe what it was like hanging out with these two. Most of the funniest stories I have from the past include Terry, Don, Tony Corbell or all three! We worked hard and played hard and in the process I learned so much from these guys.
If you don't usually search for old photographs on Throwback Thursday, see if you can get in the habit. It's the perfect way to remember the important role imaging plays in everyone's lives, especially your own. Happy Throwback Thursday!  by Skip Cohen Now and then, I run across an image that's far more than just an older photograph. I know I've shared this image a few times over the years, but for me, it represents the epitome of what a great throwback is all about. To start, the image itself is a perfect example of great storytelling, all in one photograph. "Forever Alone" is about Cupid forgetting to keep one arrow for himself. He's at the bar, drowning his sorrows, without a chance at love on Valentine's Day. And to add to the fun of the image, that's the artist himself in the far back left corner! The image was created by an artist who's become a great buddy over the years. It's one of the early images I shared of Jonathan Thorpe's. It was captured eight years ago, just about to the day. Jonathan is no stranger to the SCU blog. He's a Tamron Image Master, and his work has been featured in guest post images, an episode of "Why?" and the Tamron Recipes podcast. The backstory gets even better in this BTS video from 2013: Throwbacks also help us stay in touch. I caught up to Jonathan for a few minutes at IUSA last month. I also called him this morning to determine when the "Forever Alone" was created and make sure it was okay to share. Just the fun of catching up to him was a great way to kick off the day.
Last but not least, Valentine's Day is Monday. So that makes the timing of today's Throwback Thursday post the perfect preview to the holiday. Whether you share Throwback Thursday images or not, take the time to go on the hunt. That's half the fun. It's a reminder of how important photographs are. There are few things more valuable than looking at an old photo and appreciating the memories it brings back. And as a marketing tool, throwbacks are a perfect way to remind your clients it's time to update that family portrait. For most of you, your target audience is "Mom." With the renewed focus on family because of the pandemic, now is the time for you to plant a few seeds of ideas, especially for children and family portraiture. Happy Throwback Thursday! PS Interested in seeing more of Jonathan's work? He needs to be on your radar. Just click on Cupid to visit his website.  Skip Cohen This might seem strange for a Throwback Thursday post, but the pandemic created a time not too much different than the 7:1 comparison to a dog's life. So while I'm only turning back the clock to January 2020, it sure feels like it was a lot longer. As many of you know, one of the hats I wear is CMO for Platypod, a wonderful little "Mom and Pop" company started by Larry Tiefenbrunn. Along with the entire Platypod line, Larry had a vision a few years back to design a very different kind of ball head. So in January 2020, we launched Platyball on Scott Kelby's show, The Grid. The response was incredible, and our Kickstarter program took off with remarkable growth. Here's the original intro video, which has become one of my favorites in the product line. Over 2000 photographers backed the project, despite the challenges with the pandemic landing on our doorstep in the middle of the campaign. The pandemic, product improvements, another Covid lockdown in Taiwan, global shipping challenges - the list goes on and on. The project hit more than its fair share of bumps in the road. But that didn't slow down the company's commitment to deliver an outstanding product. Deliveries finally started in December and are now coming through more regularly as manufacturing continues to ramp up. We anticipate shipping all our backers by the end of March/early April. We recently launched a limited inventory pre-order program just before the IUSA show two weeks ago. The pre-order program will be shipped on a first-come, first-serve basis, with approximitely 60% of the units already reserved. Interested in more information - It's just a click away. There's been a lot of great buzz about the new ball head. We recently shared Moose Peterson's experience with his own test drive. Moose's comment..."Bloody Brilliant!" Whether you usually shoot with a ball head or not, check out both of these short videos so you at least know what the buzz is about. You'll also understand the fun and efficiency of leveling your camera from the top and not worrying about your tripod - not to mention the ease of use with a two-button system versus all the dials and buttons on other ball heads.
But here's the bottom line - the pandemic has changed our lives, and those throwbacks from the last few years have become even more special. And it really has felt like 7:1 in a dog's life! So if you participate in sharing throwbacks, find something that's just 2-4 years old in your life and then try and tell me it doesn't feel like a whole lot longer! Happy Throwback Thursday!  What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that's gone forever, impossible to reproduce. Karl Lagerfeld  by Skip Cohen
In December I wrote a post about offering a Legacy Program for your clients. Well, there's a spinoff of that idea that starts with your own family. Now is the time to get a little help and fill in the blanks. My Mom died of Alzheimer's many years ago, and we lost my Dad over six years ago. With them, the backstories behind so many old photographs disappeared, but I still have the albums. While they're fun to look through, I have no idea who some of the people are or what was going on in their lives at the time. The group shot above is a perfect example. It was captured around 1930, and that's my grandmother, grandfather, and mother in the bottom right corner. I'm pretty sure it was captured somewhere around Painesville Township, Ohio. Unfortunately, beyond my grandparents and my Mom, any piece of the backstory is long gone. The photograph on the right is my Uncle Ben between my great grandparents and probably around the same period. Until around twelve, I had three great-grandparents and three grandparents still living. But again, nobody thought to sit down with an old album and get the stories. Don't get caught shoulding on yourself and thinking, "I should have sat down with my folks (or grandparents, etc.)..." The best part of Throwback Thursday is often the hunt for old images. So, take the time during the "slow season" and put those old photographs in front of family members who know the stories. Every family needs at least one historian. You've got the skills to restore not only the quality of the images but the stories that go with them. Happy Throwback Thursday!   by Skip Cohen It's Throwback Thursday, and because we've all been dealing with the challenges created by Covid, you don't have to go back very far to find something that makes you smile from the "good old days." Dealing with the pandemic over the last two years is like the 7:1 conversion of a dog's life to humans. It feels like it's been so long. So, I thought it would be fun to share images from IUSA and WPPI in 2000. But while the photos are fun for me and those of you who came by the Platypod booth, take the time to dig through some of your own images from those shows or that timeframe. I've shared a few of StoryPeople's daily picks over the last few months. The one on the right hit me as so appropriate. It pretty much captures the anticipation many of us are feeling at being together next week at IUSA. And, if you're headed to IUSA this weekend, stop by booth 617 and say hi. It's time to get back to more of the good old days!   Three knuckleheads doing the Vedros super-hero stance! Me, Tony Corbell and Nick Vedros  Hanging out in Times Square By Skip Cohen The fun of Throwback Thursday is in the hunt for old photographs along with the memories they bring back! And these days, when the "good old days" were really just before the pandemic two years ago, we all need a little lift now and then! In October 2009, Sheila and I headed to PhotoPlus. It was Sheila's first time in NYC, and after so many times in the city for conventions, I'd forgotten just how much fun it could be. We played tourists whenever we weren't at the show. In the hunt for old photographs, I'd almost forgotten the fun of a great convention. No masks, nothing to worry about, just time with friends and a never-ending flow of reminders of what we all love about this industry...the friendships. I'm so looking forward to IUSA next week. With or without masks, nothing will change the joy of being together with old friends and new ones! If you haven't shared anything on social media for Throwback Thursday, take the time to go on the hunt. A look in your rearview mirror should bring back some great memories. Throwback Thursday shots are also a great marketing tool for your business - especially with family portrait clients. Sharing old portraits is a great way to remind them it's time for a new one! Happy Throwback Thursday!
 by Skip Cohen As I've written so many times in the past, the best thing about our industry has nothing to do with photography directly, but the friendships that come out of everyone's love for the craft! That's me, Michele Celentano, Sheila and Paul Neal. Sheila. and I did a couple of days with Michele and Paul at their house in AZ. But the most fun backstory with this shot is that it started our "Friends Wall." This was the first photograph we put up with an inserted quote magnet: Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. Marcel Proust  Well, that first photograph started it all, and today there are eighteen framed photographs on the wall in our back hallway. They're all friends who have been a part of our lives and responsible for enriching the quality of each day that goes by. Whether they were captured on a cell phone or a real camera, they've been printed as photographs. They're not hiding out on a phone or in my computer waiting to see the light of day! And that's what I love about photographs - their ability to turn the intangible into the tangible - so we can laugh, cherish and savor all those great moments! And there's one more great quote on the wall that says it all... Angels exist but sometimes they don't have wings and are called FRIENDS This is my last Throwback Thursday post for 2021, but those aren't the last photographs to be hung on our wall. We're looking forward to 2022, a new year and getting back to time with both old and new friends.
Happy New Year! P.S. And to Paul and Michele - sure do miss you guys! Can't wait to catch up to you sometime in the new year. |
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