Jumping in the Photography Time Machine: 2010

by Skip Cohen

​The fun of Throwback Thursday is all in the memories old images bring back, but sometimes there's a bonus beyond just the look in the rearview mirror. It's the look to the present day as well as anticipating the future.

While the image of Sheila and me clowning around is one I've shared before, it's the relationship with a great buddy I wanted to share this morning, along with a point about portraits of you and the people you love.

Clay and I met around the same time in the late 80s. He'd gone to work as Monte Zucker's assistant, and I had just joined Hasselblad USA as president. That was in 1987, and the friendship and respect for each other continued to grow. We'd catch up at virtually every convention, and Hasselblad was a regular sponsor of programs Monte was doing and later, Clay on his own. 

In 2010 we were living in Ohio. I was doing the Akron Photo Series and bringing in professional photographers several times a year for workshops. All the profit went to Akron Children's Hospital. When one of my favorite shots of Sheila and me was captured, Clay was speaking that night.

So, here we are, thirteen years after that session and thirty-six years after our first meeting. Clay's grown to be one of the industry's most respected portrait artists and educators. When we catch up at a conference, it's as if the last thing we talked about ended with a comma - the conversation just starts wherever we left off.

But here's my second point - when was the last time you updated your own memory-making family portraits? There's that old expression about "shoemaker's children needing shoes." You're a professional photographer or aspiring to be but most of you have forgotten your most important client...YOU!

​All of you have friends and associates in the industry. So take the time to do a portrait session and get to know the front of your camera rather than just the back!

And to Clay - thanks for being such a great buddy. Sheila and I are looking forward to the next conference and catching up. Like so many of your friends, I couldn't be more proud to say, "Yeah, I know Clay Blackmore!"

​Happy Throwback Thursday! 

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