Jerry and Melissa Ghionis - Education in 2010

by Skip Cohen

It's Throwback Thursday, and this morning I was on an "involuntary" walk down Memory Lane. Why, "involuntary?" I had my hard drive die last week on my iMac. Sadly, I hadn't paid attention to my G-Drive, and it also had a problem. The result was losing years of information, but everything before 2013 was all there. The bottom line - ALWAYS check your backup system...I'll also be adding Drobo to the mix over the next week, so this never happens again!

In the process of going through old files, I found these grab-shots of a workshop we did in Ohio, and it took me back to some great events.

​Over the two years, I was living in Akron, from May '09 to October '11, we did workshops with some of the industry's finest educators. Jerry and Melissa Ghionis, Doug Gordon, Bambi Cantrell, Jasmine Star, Clay Blackmore all joined us as part of the Akron Photo Series. 

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A BIG thanks to Brent Watkins for having better archives than I do. He sent me this group shot of all of us.

Over the two years, I was living in Akron, from May '09 to October '11, we did workshops with some of the industry's finest educators. Jerry and Melissa Ghionis, Doug Gordon, Bambi Cantrell, Jasmine Star, Clay Blackmore all joined us as part of the Akron Photo Series. 

Besides excellent education in both classroom and hands-on, all the proceeds from the Akron Photo Series went to Akron Children's Hospital. It was cause-related marketing at its best.

With each event, the series provided some great inspiration, and education for artists in the area. Plus, it was perfect for Sheila and me - Many of the instructors stayed at our house the weekend before or after each event. Great education and time with friends are unbeatable.

This program was with Jerry Ghionis and included both a classroom program the night before and an all-day hands-on shooting event the next day for a smaller group. We did the hands-on event at Sylvart Studios, Brent, and Teri Ann Watkins' business in Barberton, Ohio. The two images in this post were in the parking lot behind the studio. There are two pieces of true wisdom I remember Jerry sharing:
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• As Jerry was demonstrating the image he wanted to capture, people started to shoot over his shoulder. I'm paraphrasing after all these years..."I'd rather you photographed what I'm showing you, so you remember, instead of copying my shot. Learn what I'm doing, so you can create the image on your own, instead of copying my photograph."
• He also talked about learning the craft vs. learning the business. "The way we become photographers is backward. We get our gear and then launch into learning the technique at the same time we're trying to run a business. We should all be a second shooter for two years so we can develop our skill set and style. Then, when we launch our business, we already have the technical skills and can take the time to focus on building and running a successful business."

The longer I have to deal with the challenges of being hunkered down and the pandemic, the more important Throwback Thursday has become. I've often found myself looking through my archived images, and so often a quick glance in my rearview mirror sparks a call to an old friend.

In fact, I just got off the phone with Jerry. For those of you who followed his battle with Covid-19, he's back and feeling great. It was great to catch up to him and just talk about photography, and what's he's up to during downtime. 

​Happy Throwback Thursday!

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