"Photographic," Hasselblad and 1992

Just like the game show, "Millionaire" I had to phone a friend on this one. Best guess is around '92, and I think we're at PhotoEast, now PPE in New York. Hasselblad was a steady advertiser in Petersen's PHOTOgraphic at the time.

We had just announced the winner of a contest to win a Hasselblad 500 Classic, the tall gentleman in the middle. The two women in the image became two of my very best friends over the years, and we're still in touch. Jackie Augustine, on the left, was the publisher at the time and Kathy Schneider (now Kathy Jello) was the advertising director. This one brings back some great memories.

• I spent a lot of time over the years hanging out with Jackie and Kathy, and we're all still in touch today. This is a perfect example of my favorite aspect of this industry, the friendships that come out of everyone's love for the craft. We could easily script several seasons of a sitcom over our adventures at conventions, industry events, and concerts.
• The booth design was Hasselblad's last booth before going to the 20x30 island version unveiled a year or two later.
• The 500 Classic was part of a marketing battle with Sweden, which we won. It was the first kit configuration which included an 80mm lens, 500CM body, and A-12 magazine. By selling the kit complete, we were able to get the price down to just under $2000.
• And here's a little Hasselblad history tied to the Classic - the original concept behind the "H" series started as a way to compete with 645. We did a one-day meeting in Japan to bring in the Asia Pacific distributor. The whole idea was to bring the cost down to a stronger introductory price. By the time the product was introduced the concept along with the industry had changed a lot and so had the price-tag.
• Last on the list - Everybody wore business attire at any convention. In fact, until somebody introduced "casual Fridays" I wore a suit to work every day! In all honesty, it was a lot easier to get dressed in the morning and just match a shirt and tie than it was to do a little stylin' in casual wear.

I love Throwback Thursday because it forces me to look through my files of old images and take these short trips down Memory Lane. As a photographer, you have a marketing opportunity to share old images that get "Mom" thinking about how fast the kids are growing, and her family is changing. Plus, so many of you struggle with fresh content for your blog.

​So, dig out some of those old images for material. You just might be surprised at your ability to create a few sales when your point hits home with your target audience.