by Skip Cohen

​One cure for the pandemic blues is a trip down Memory Lane. Going off in search of old photographs always makes me smile. And these days you don't have to turn the clock back very far to get to the good old days.

It's 2009 at PPE and my first convention after leaving RF Publishing and WPPI. That's me, Tony Corbell and Nick Vedros in the always popular Vedros superhero pose. It was a great convention, and Sheila's first really big introduction to the industry.

But the best part was being in NYC with nothing to do but play tourist. We walked the show, caught up to so many good friends, and then snuck out to see New York. Think about all the conventions you've ever been to - rarely is there time just to enjoy the sights. 

Times Square at night, the top of the Empire State Building, walking Fifth Avenue, a carriage ride through Central Park - you name it, we were tourists! We had a blast because it was my first time in New York for several days with minimal business to do.

Take the time to take your own trip down Memory Lane. Look for those moments that make you smile, and then be as patient as you can - memory-making days aren't over, just buried under today's stress in dealing with the new norm.

Happy Throwback Thursday!

by Skip Cohen
 
I shared this on my wife's birthday a few years ago, but our tenth wedding anniversary is coming up on Monday. And it's Throwback Thursday, so it's the right time to wish my honey Happy Anniversary a few days early.

This is the third grade at Clyde C. Hadden Elementary in Ohio. We went all through grade school, junior high, and high school together but were never friends. She was a cheerleader, and I was a nerd - just didn't travel in the same circles. The friendship kicked off at our 40th high school reunion.

Surprisingly, at least one notable event made history, besides being right on top of Don Shula's hometown. When JFK ran for election, Painesville, Ohio, was a stop on the tour. He spoke from the restaurant's rooftop next door, and we were all gathered outside the school to watch and listen.

And if by some dumb chance of luck you recognize anybody besides the two of us, let me know. We've got a few faces in there neither of us can remember.

As always, take a look in your rearview mirror at least once a week. It helps cut a little of the insanity we're feeling with the pandemic. It's no fun being hunkered down, but now and then a trip down Memory Lane makes a difference.

And to my bride...Happy Anniversary! There's nobody I'd rather be stuck in a pandemic with. There's no boredom in this house. 

Happy Throwback Thursday, everybody!

PS Feel free to share any shot of you age twelve or younger! Come on, gang, let's have some laughs with your old school pics. Besides, most of you know where they are, having found them while cleaning a closet during all this downtime. 

​by Skip Cohen

It's Throwback Thursday, and I'm covering a lot of ground and years, all built on a foundation of humor. So, from Portland to Sedona and 1978 to 2005, Mark Twain's quote above couldn't be more appropriate!

In 1978 Mike Ryerson captured the image on the right. It's a shot of Bud Clark, who later became mayor of Portland, Oregon. "By 1984, the year Clark was elected mayor, Ryerson had sold more than 250,000 posters,[2] with profits supporting The Northwest Neighbor.[3]" (From Wikipedia) It remains one of my favorite posters/photographs.

The concept came back in 2005 when Bob Coates went to work photographing a calendar featuring Sedona artists. The image above was the cover shot for the Sedona "Naked Calendar." And the composite below is proof of Bob's ability to walk the talk!

​Whether you share throwback images on your blog, or enjoy them for yourself, take the time to hunt down some memory-makers. None of us can change the challenges created by the pandemic, but a fun look in your rearview mirror just might be the perfect way to start the day.

And as far as a sense of humor being a blessing, so is having buddies like Bob!

Intro by Skip Cohen
 
It's Throwback Thursday, and I usually turn back the clock exclusively to old images or videos. But this morning, wandering through my archives, I found one of my favorite guest posts from my good buddy, Scott Bourne. I've shared it a couple of times over the last few years.

Scott and I go back a lot of years to my Hasselblad days, later to helping me launch Skip's Summer School, then writing a book together and a never-ending stream of projects and new ideas year after year.

In 2012, while at Summer School, Bobbi Lane did her best to get the two of us to be serious for a portrait session. She was successful, but only for a minimal time!

The post below is so relevant today. Life is very different for this year's graduates than it was when Scott first wrote this. However, as much as things change, to his point, the importance of relationship-building NEVER varies.

Most people see the challenges created by the pandemic as a liability, but for this year's graduates, I see opportunities. So many things in our lives have changed, giving this year's grads the ability to indeed be pioneers in virtually every field.

While business may have slowed down over the last few months in photography, we're all part of an industry that itself has never slowed down. More than ever before, your greatest marketing tool is relationship building! 

If you believe business is built on relationships, make building them your business.
Scott Stratten

 

by Skip Cohen
 
I know I'm not alone in taking long walks down Memory Lane lately. As the world goes mad, my "panic room" escape to safety has become old videos and archived images. It's the one place I can go to simply appreciate great memories. Now and then, all of us need to clear our heads and unplug from the news.

So, this morning I took a scroll through YouTube and found this short video of my Dad and me from six years ago. I might have even shared it a few years back for a previous Throwback Thursday, but who cares?

Remember the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge? Ironically, one of the most popular fund-raisers in history was all done wrong - but it didn't matter.

​I teared up a little watching this. My Dad passed away a little over a year after this video, but the laughs we had that day live on forever.  Even though I know Dad's watching over us, it doesn't change how much I miss him. And nothing changes how grateful I am to have been Ralph Cohen's son. 

​I know I've abused this quote by Jodi Picoult so many times before, but it's the only one that fits:

Here's my advice for this Throwback Thursday: Whether you share your throwbacks or not, take the time for your own benefit and find a point to look back on. Find a moment in the past that makes you smile and your heart soar! 

​​Happy Throwback Thursday!

Jerry Ghionis is one of the finest educators in our industry. Check out his educational programs with a click on the banner below. 

by Skip Cohen

It's Throwback Thursday, and as I wandered through my files this morning, I realized I had never shared the image above from my buddy "Three Buffet Brian." Brian was in Japan in 2011, just after the Tsunami hit. He shared the backstory below. Click on the image to view in the SCU Lightbox. It's a pretty remarkable shot. 

Visit his website to see more of Brian's work.

by Brian David Casey
​
I photographed a wedding in the state of Washington in 2010 and the groom emailed me months later asking if I would be interested in photographing for him in Japan. It would be for a couple of private schools and an English language program. I said yes because it would be my first international photo shoot and it was in a country I really enjoyed visiting when I was younger.

Little did I know that there would be one of the biggest earthquakes and tsunamis ever to hit Japan just weeks before I would leave on my photo shoot. The Sendai airport I was flying into was on YouTube just weeks before. I left with a video showing the ground at the airport underwater from the tsunami. I was amazed at how quickly they were able to get some things going again. Although a number of restaurants were still shutdown around Sendai when I arrived, I was still able to do all the photography they needed.

When the weekend came, I had friends take me to the tsunami sites to witness the aftermath. One place we visited that really stands out to me was Kesennuma. It was one of the hardest hit towns (see photo above with the large ship in it) I had witnessed. 

What surprised me in my observations of the tsunami aftermath was the height the water had reached at its peak. Some areas had a run-up height of over 100 feet. Also, it was unreal to see some homes untouched while their neighbor across the street had their home swept away.

I have another assignment in Sendai in May. What may prevent me from going this time is not another tsunami but rather the coronavirus. 

I hope I get to return to such an amazing country that has the best hospitality, incredible food, friendly people, beautiful scenery, and a land full of new beginnings. 

​But that's only one part of today's throwback. Brian and I met when he attended Skip's Summer School in 2009, or 2010. When I left Rangefinder/WPPI in 2009 we did an intense summer program each year in Las Vegas and later in Chicago through 2013.

Brian was the first person I'd ever met to eat three meals one day at all three of the hotel's buffets. He's also one of those people we all hate, because of minimal body fat and his ability to eat just about anything. Well, the nickname "Three Buffet Brian" caught on.

​But the nickname wasn't the only thing that caught on. Social media has given us the ability to stay in touch, and over the years, the friendship also caught on.

Before the pandemic, Brian and his wife, Fawn, were here in Florida a few months ago. We went out for breakfast, which seemed like such an easy natural thing to do. Now, it feels like it was years ago. Life has changed so much because of the coronavirus.

And that's a part of what makes Throwback Thursdays so special for me. Photographs help me stay focused on the importance of great friendship and photography's contribution to the world. It's also like the light at the end of a long tunnel with a never-ending dream of this nightmare ending and life getting back to some level of normalcy.

We'll get through this together!

Wishing everybody a terrific Throwback Thursday - take the time and turn the clock back to a memory that makes you smile!

by Skip Cohen
 
It's Throwback Thursday, and once again, I chose not to dig back very far. I ran across this collage in a folder of PowerPoint slides. At the end of most presentations/workshops, I always comment about the best thing about this industry: The friendships that come out of everyone's love for the craft. This would typically be my last slide.

Looking at each of these photographs, I realized what I miss most: the freedom of being able to hug a friend. 

I've shared Jody Picoult's quote so many times in other posts, but no other statement fits better at this time in history. It's our photographs and videos that capture those ordinary moments from the past that now have become iconic!

But while life is different for all of us today, nothing can change the love and respect I have for everyone above. And, as sappy as it sounds, it's the journey we're all still on together that makes each day unique, even when there's so much we used to take for granted!

Social distancing? We didn't need no stinkin' social distancing!*

Happy Throwback Thursday!

*If you don't get the reference, ask somebody over fifty.

by Skip Cohen

These days, Wayne Dyer's quote above has never been more accurate, and today's Throwback Thursday post is all about each step along the way. 

The fun of throwback images for me has always been the hunt. Stepping into the time machine, I go back to memory makers and moments out of the past that make me smile. These days I don't have to turn the clock back very far. These images are all from 2015 and 2016 conventions and meetings.

We've been hunkered down for seven weeks, and while I'm catching up to friends via the phone, email, and Facebook, what I'm craving is contact and a crowd or two. I miss bumping into people, literally! In fact, I'm working on my program descriptions today for ClickCon in August, and praying things keep going in a positive direction with the pandemic because we all need a good conference to recharge our batteries!

For today's throwbacks, I went back and had fun with a mini-album of grab shots from conventions. Click on any image to view in the SCU light box - you just might find yourself in the aisle or a vendor's booth. But whether you were there or not, appreciate a look in your rearview mirror.

I write a lot about always looking forward, but these days, we all need to look back now and then to appreciate the importance of staying safe, healthy, and yes, optimistic. We'll get through this, bring back pieces of the good old days, and what a party it's going to be! ​

by Skip Cohen

​With everything that's changed in our lives, the lines between great images, memories, and classic skill sets are all blurred. Technically it's Throwback Thursday, and the fun of the day is typically looking back at a moment in the past captured in a photograph. Well, I'm combining a little of everything this morning.

The image above is thanks to the outrageous passion of Erik Kuna.  

It's a 9-minute long exposure streak of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launching across the sky and the booster turning back and landing on earth. It was taken from an abandon launchpad from the '60s at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, with a Lego Star Wars Millennium Falcon in the Foreground, since Elon Musk actually named the Falcon rocket after this iconic Sci-Fi Spacecraft. 

Erik captured it with his camera set up on a Platypod Max, but that's not where the story about the image ends.

Here's where the "throwback" comes in...

For so many of us, the fun of a throwback image only requires turning back the clock a few weeks!

Erik shared the image on The Grid last month. I was a guest on that show and arrived much later than usual because I was stuck in traffic. (There's a throwback all its own - traffic!)

I remember joking that it might be our last time all seated together for awhile. Even then, we didn't really understand the full impact of the "social-Tsunami" headed our way.

The image of the three of us is actually my last photograph taken while being with other people outside my home/office. Right now, it seems like it was so long ago.

But there is a brighter side to all of this, or maybe it's better described as an enduring side. Social distancing makes it tough to spend direct time with friends now, but it doesn't stop the support available or the willingness of so many people, like Erick and Scott to help us through the challenges.

Start with all the support you'll find at KelbyOne, including ongoing articles and great online educational programs. Then, tune in The Grid and catch up on past episodes. Follow Scott Kelby's blog for more good solid content.

Last but certainly not least - check out Erik's website. It's jam-packed with incredible images. And while some of you will think they're a long way from your specialty of weddings, portraits, etc. they're right in line with the passion so many of you share for having a camera in your hands!  I love the way Erik describes his passion for space:

​by Skip Cohen

Throwback Thursdays in the past have been one of my favorite days of the week. I love the way old photographs transport me, even if for just a few minutes, to something in the past - a place, a moment in time or friends I've missed seeing over the years.

But I have to admit it's tougher to share this morning than ever before. Last night Sheila and I broke one of the rules in our home - we watched the news. We hadn't completely put our heads in the sand, just stayed away from the politicians and controversy over the pandemic. We're following all the guidelines and have self-quarantined for a month. 

What hit me hardest and kept me up most of the night was a story on the news, not about the virus, but the effect of the virus on unemployment and lines of people trying to get food for their families. Then came the forecast of the number of people who are likely to lose the fight against Covid-19.  

The world is a mess right now, and while there's little any of us can do, there's a lot we can do. It seems so trite to suggest we need not to lose faith. And honestly, I'm having a hard time walking the talk. 

I've shared this before, which Sheila has framed in our bedroom:

So, sharing that quote from the Bible, and thinking about what it means, I went off in search of a Throwback.

It's nothing special - just a plain old ordinary Saturday night in Florida in 2013. We drove out to Anna Maria Island here in Sarasota, and sat by the water. I only had my iPhone with me, but here's what I got out of this ho-hum ordinary image.

I remember the waiter being frustrated with us because we spread out dinner to keep the table until sunset. We stretched it out for over two hours.

This one image took me back to a time that was so much simpler and safe. It was therapeutic and tempered the depression I was feeling with some much-needed ingredients - faith that the world, when this is over, will get back to something even better than it was, and a time when we'll all stop taking so much in our lives for granted.

My suggestion for all of you on this Throwback Thursday, or any other day for that matter, is to take the time to find a moment in your memory banks to savor. Use your images to stay focused on the goal of normalcy. Cherish those people in your life you love most and stay the course on keeping safe.

We'll get back to those days or something closer than what we're dealing with now. 

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!