Love the life you have while you create the life of your dreams.
Don't think you have to choose one over the other.
​Hal Elrod

by Skip Cohen

I rarely know what I want to write about when I sit down at the computer on Sunday mornings, which is the fun part of Sunday Morning Reflections for me.

Last night, Sheila and I attended a military dinner honoring veterans from a unique special operations event that took place in Europe during WWII. The special guest was 99-year old Mae Krier. Mae was one of the "Rosie the Riveters." She's remarkable and anything but a frail little old lady! She clearly represents a person with a purpose; focused and appreciative of life and everyone around her.

One of the dreams she's been chasing is a memorial in D.C. honoring the women who came into the workforce and helped save America during WWII. At 17, she went to work at Boeing in 1943, helping to build B-17 and B-29 bombers.  On April 10, 2024, Mae was given the Congressional Gold Medal on behalf of all the women who supported the war effort.

But this morning's post isn't just about Mae Krier. This is one of those mornings where several different thoughts are bouncing around in my head and all converging at the same time.

First, while the event last night focused on Europe in WWII, Mae Krier's efforts brought support to both the European and Pacific theaters. Today is December 7, Pearl Harbor Day. The bombing of Pearl Harbor brought my Dad and his generation into the war. My Dad flew B-17s and would have loved hanging out with "Rosie," not to mention so many young members of the military currently serving who were there last night.

Second, Raya Kenney had a vision of a memorial to honor the women of the home front workforce during WWII. She was in fifth grade when she first wrote to Mae. With a lot of help, that dream is scheduled for congressional review this month. There's no doubt in my mind that they'll succeed in the support they need for a memorial in D.C.

Last but not least is the quote, author Lou Mitchell, shared for yesterday's motivational reading. He went on to write:

Loving your current life doesn't mean settling; it means appreciating what you have as you strive for more. By embracing gratitude for the present, you can find your journey toward your dreams with positivity and purpose. Balancing gratitude and ambition allows you to enjoy each step of your journey, creating a fulfilling and harmonious life.

That quote fits "Rosie the Riveter" and so many of the people I admire most, both historically and contemporarily. None of us have to give up our dreams, just appreciate the journey, even when our path changes. You know how to hold focus with a camera in your hands. It's no different for your dreams and the vision for your life each day and into the future.

Wishing everybody a day ahead that keeps you focused on your dreams and the "village" it takes for each vision to become reality. We can't achieve our goals entirely on our own - it takes the support and love of those special people around us, both family and friends. And they all deserve those eleven-second therapeutic hugs I always write about.

Happy Sunday...or Monday if you're on the other side of the world.

by Skip Cohen

​It's hard to believe it's been over sixteen years since I started blogging. It's Throwback Thursday, and it's fun to go back to one of my earlier posts, especially when it's a post about somebody EVERY photographer should know about. Last week, I mentioned Mary Ellen Mark in one of my posts. Digging around my archives, I came across the video interview with Mary Ellen Mark from Profoto's Icon Series many years ago. It's a video EVERY photographer should be required to watch.

​I met Mary Ellen in 1987, back in my Hasselblad days, and even had the honor of presenting her with "Photographer of the Year" at a PMDA dinner in the 90s. Sadly, she passed away ten years ago, but her spirit, love for imaging, and influence are still very much alive.

In a podcast I did with her around 2010, I asked her to explain why she has students shut off their LCD screens during her workshops. She talks about this in the video below: When we look at the screen and think we've got the shot, we let go of the scene, when in reality, there might still be more to happen. How do we know we captured the decisive moment if we've accepted what we already have? 

For example, many wedding photographers might see a scene: Grandma giving her granddaughter, the bride, a kiss on the cheek. The photographer sees the shot, clicks the shutter, might do a quick "chimp," and then moves on. But the best image might still be coming, and the tear rolling down Grandma's cheek was missed. But had the artist stayed focused on the scene for just a few more seconds, the photograph would have been incredible!

I'm careful not to confuse excellence with perfection.
Excellence I can reach for, perfection is God's business.
Michael J. Fox

by Skip Cohen

​​It's Wednesday, Hump Day, and if you think about it, there really is no middle of the workweek any longer. The expression started in the 50s when Saturday was a coast day, and no businesses were open on Sunday. Turning back the clock to when this old fart was a kid, NOTHING was open on Sundays - no gas, no banks (there were no ATMs), not even a supermarket was open. Today, especially this time of year, retailers run 7 days a week, and the Internet never closes!

If you're a wedding and event photographer working Friday - Sunday, there is no "coasting" into the weekend. You might not be shooting during the week, but that's when you do all your "prep" work for previous orders. Capturing memories is no easy task, and it requires your constant attention to keep the momentum for your creative genes going all the time.

In 2009, I decided to see if I could walk the talk and be an entrepreneur like so many of you whom I admire. I started my own business. It was one of the best things I've ever done. Like so many people who make significant changes in their lives, I made the usual post-change comment: "I wish I had done it years ago!"

Change doesn't come easy for most of us, and big changes are always slow, depending on the risk involved. In business, especially, there's a lot to consider. But one of my greatest lessons leading up to my career change was to stop chasing perfection! I wanted my business survival to be guaranteed, and although I thought about it for years, I always convinced myself that the timing wasn't right!

One of my favorite quotes, thanks to Zig Ziglar, is: "If you wait for all the lights to turn green, you'll never get started on your journey!"

The challenge so many of us have is finally taking that leap of faith to make a change. Whether it's big or small, we procrastinate too much throughout the process. We're looking for perfection - exactly the right change with perfect timing.

There's my point - stop chasing perfection, but don't slow down on continuing to set high goals. Whether it's running your business, working with clients, raising the bar on your skill set, or simply recognizing what it takes to make you smile every day, all you can do is your best.

​And if something is slowing you down, then just like a garden, it might be time to do a little pruning!

If I can see the world through my client's eyes,
 then I can cell my client what my client buys!
Ed Foreman

by Skip Cohen

I've written about Ed Foreman in the past and shared the quote above. It goes a lot deeper than just putting yourself in their shoes.  You've got to literally work to see things the way your clients do, and that includes their perception of you. It's all about building trust. It's about listening more than talking. It's about putting your mind's eye into high gear and visualizing how they want their images to look, and why they've come to you in the first place. You've got to sense their concerns together with their expectations and create products unique to them and express their personality, lifestyle, and passion.

It's Marketing Monday, but it's also December 1st, and at this point in 2025, if you haven't ramped up your marketing efforts, there's not much for me to write about that hasn't already been shared in previous posts. But here's a topic we haven't talked about... AI and the fear some photographers seem to have that they'll be replaced, or they think it's going to be the answer to everything they need to run a successful business.

The fear of technology is nothing new...I was a kid when some photographers feared color entering the black-and-white-dominated craft. Photography was going to hell because B&W was threatened. Well, those photographers had families and their kids were grew up to be the generation that felt imaging was going to hell when digital arrived.

Does anybody remember Calumet being one of the largest retailers in photography in the late 80s? When Nikon announced the discontinuation of manual focus lenses, Calumet dropped the line and published the Nikon logo in a red circle with a bar across it. Within a year or less, the protest was over, and Nikon was back in their lineup!

Digital manipulation came next, along with an incredible uplift in what could be captured digitally. Cameras are incredible today, and so are our phones. Right now, most of us have phones that are capable of cinema-quality capture! 

Now we've got AI at the door, and I'm picking up on people thinking it's going to be the cure to everything, including their procrastination when it comes to building brand awareness through great customer service.

Photography is word of mouth business... It's also a tactile product - people still like to hold special images in their hands rather than on their phones and computers. Animation is another incredible asset, allowing us to bring still images to life. But nothing changes the important role the artist still plays.

Recently, I was interviewed by a leading AI company for a presentation they're doing. In summary, I said:

The truth is, combining AI with many of the old standards gives a business owner the perfect tools to expand reach and build more brand awareness. What I hate is the way so many businesses act like AI is the cure-all for their incompetence... all the old-school concepts of building relationships, integrity, trust, and exceeding client expectations are always in play.

AI will not replace relationship building and the personal touch. In fact, in a world of social media, email, and text messaging, your ability to actually reach out and touch your customers is more valued than ever! Your number one marketing tool is relationship building - so stop worrying about being replaced by AI or thinking that AI is the magic elixir to fix a failing business. It's time to start seeing the world through your clients' eyes!

...just my two cents.

Don't believe everything you read on the Internet.
Abraham Lincoln

by Skip Cohen

​This is the third time I've started today's Sunday Morning Reflections. I didn't have a topic to write about. The world is a mess, and out of chaos come more opinionated people who share both positive and negative news, but at least half the time, it's fake. We rarely see anything truly earth-shaking that we actually believe to be true. From using Snopes to Google searches for repeats of the same stories, it's the only way we're able to get at the truth... and even that's subject to challenge.

We do, however, watch the weather and travel reports, since Mother Nature is never without integrity! And it's obvious, we've finally pissed her off. Our hometown in Ohio is covered in snow with hazardous driving conditions, yet here in Sarasota, the only danger on the road is the nonstop old farts driving at 11 mph with their left-turn signal on!

There are so many of you traveling today. The government shutdown and its impact on the FAA and air traffic control now pale in comparison to weather challenges and Boeing's recall to update the software on thousands of jets. As Roseanne Roseanadana used to say, "It's always something!"

Despite this being the weekend from Hell for travel, there is a certain wonderful peace this time of year. But to appreciate it, you have to shut off all the negative noise in your life and stop listening to all the negators out there. It's not easy to do...you have to think of yourself as living in a snow globe!

The reality is, tomorrow is December 1.  If each of us stop a few times a day, turn down the volume outside the snow globe, and count our blessings, it just might make a difference for everyone. A few times over this past Thanksgiving, I've talked about being grateful...well, it's something we all need to do more often. We need to be thankful that thorns have roses, rather than lamenting that roses have thorns.

And there it is - today's point. I'm tired of all the Chicken Littles out there constantly in need of telling me the sky is falling. Yes, it's true, it really is... but life is not a dress rehearsal, and the only one we've got. I'm not suggesting you stick your head in the sand (or elsewhere)...just take the time you need to slow down worrying about what you can't control. Stop being the neighborhood alarmist and live the best life you possibly can with whatever you've got to work with.

Wishing everybody a terrific day ahead. If you're traveling, do your best to be patient. The reality is you're going to make it home eventually, and years from now you'll be able to tell your kids or grandkids about travel in 2025 and what brought you to the decision to stay home next year! And about those eleven-second hugs - everyone needs one, so give them out to anybody you think is in need!

Happy Sunday... or Monday... and stay safe, warm, and patient.

"Slug day" can refer to a day of low energy or routine disruption...
Google AI

by Skip Cohen

It may be Black Friday to most of the country, but for us, it's the perfect slug day. It's taken years for us to perfect and develop a planned routine of simply not planning and taking time to do just about nothing. We've made it into a science, and it starts with "Spa Radio" from Pandora playing throughout the house, and with a chilly morning in Florida, the fireplace has its first taste of winter going right now.

Sheila and I will do our usual breakfast, spend some time with the pups, and then it's open season on anything that doesn't require deep thought or maximum energy. We might do a little light Internet shopping for holiday gifts, maybe watch a movie, and most important of all, just appreciate the post-Thanksgiving Day mood that finished yesterday with Sheila's pumpkin roll.

Okay, you've got the picture, but here's the most essential part of a successful slug day - recognizing you need a break. It's not about being overworked, but about being overloaded with whatever issues get in the way of making our hearts soar. And as sappy and hokey as that sounds, think about it for a minute.

Every day, we should start out fresh, with renewed energy and optimism. But life doesn't work that way, and it's tough to keep your head clear. I have a hard time compartmentalizing a variety of issues. Just like the "monkey on your back," when you've procrastinated too long on doing a specific project, it's hard for me to get away from whatever is causing more stress.

So, Sheila introduced me to the concept of "Slug Day."  After all these years together, I've finally mastered the technique. I know if your business is exclusive to the retail world, it's impossible to make today a slug day, but that doesn't mean you can't plan one for the near future. You need that respite to keep your creative juices flowing!

Wishing everybody a day and weekend ahead with time to kick back and appreciate everything and everyone in your life. Hopefully, you can enjoy the holiday weekend with a clear head and the energy to put all the challenges in your life aside for a day and recharge, smiling more and bitching less.

​Happy Friday... and if you're headed home by car or plane after Thanksgiving, stay safe, be patient, and take your time.

Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It's not something you learn in school.
But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything.
Muhammad Ali

by Skip Cohen

It's not only Hump Day, but the day before Thanksgiving. There was also a beautiful sunrise this morning.  Combined with the season, I was already in an intro and retrospective mood when I ran across the quote above in Lou Mitchell's book, Positive Thinking...One Day at a Time. 

While I'm grateful for the incredible friendships I have all year long, this time of year I tend to think about them far more often and with greater intensity. There's that old line, "It takes a village." My village over the years has been blessed with some incredible people and, in turn, great friendships.

Here's the bottom line to today's short post...I'm so grateful for the friendships I've made in my life and especially over almost 56 years in this industry. Whether casual acquaintances or friends I'd donate a kidney to, it makes no difference... each person has contributed to my life today.

I've used this quote by Alfred Lord Tennyson many times in other posts: "I am a part of all that I have met." Everyone I've met over the years has become a part of me. We're all pieces of everyone's life-puzzle. And like a puzzle, some pieces are bigger than others, but they're all necessary for the complete picture of who we are.

Lou Mitchell went on to write:

Friendship is one of life's greatest mysteries, a bond that defies simple explanations. It's not taught in textbooks or classrooms but learned through shared experiences, trust, and mutual respect. Understanding the true meaning of friendship is essential because it forms the foundation of our emotional and social well-being. It teaches us empathy, loyalty, and love.

Wishing everybody a terrific Thanksgiving. If you're traveling, be safe and patient. Take the time to join me and think about all the friends in your life and how they've had an impact. Then, think about how you can remind them of the role they've played in your life.
​
Happy Hump Day...and Thanksgiving too!

Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, ‘
What! You too? I thought I was the only one.
​C.S. Lewis

by Skip Cohen

​The finish line for 2025 is just a few weeks away, but the race for business is still on! However, if you've followed me for even the shortest amount of time, then you know I'm like a dog with a bone - I just don't give up! There's still time for you to make some noise and finish the year knowing you gave it your very best effort.

While there's nothing new for me to share from my past posts, here's a list of solid winners to help you bring the year to a spectacular close:

• Saying Thanks: As the poem goes on, Santa even checks his list twice to see who's been naughty and nice. So, how's your nice list looking? Are there vendors and associates whom you want to make sure you do something a little extra for this year? From delivery drivers who came through for you to florists, wedding planners, vendors, and even other photographers - remember to let them know you appreciate their support.​​
• Time To Mail Your Holiday Cards! There's still time to put your holiday cards together and get them on their way. And remember - no photographer should ever use a store-bought card - USE YOUR OWN IMAGES!
• "Idea Seeds" - use your social media presence, whether through your own blog or via Facebook and Instagram pages, to plant a few ideas for holiday gifts using photography. It's a little late to squeeze in a portrait session, but it's still possible. Plus, for clients you already photographed this year, now's the time to plant the idea seeds for printed work as gifts for people they're closest to. 

​

• Coloring Books: I've written so much about this idea from Steven Gotz in California. He even joined me with a guest post on the topic. The short version is that he took images from past family and even zoo shoots, removed the color, and turned them into line art. They became pages of coloring books that he gave his clients. And the concept works for virtually every specialty, even an adult coloring book for a boudoir client. The point is to create something unique for a client that makes them remember and appreciate you even more.
• Holiday Events in the Community: I know it's a busy time of year, but do your best to make time for some of the non-profit events happening around you. This is the perfect time to be a photojournalist, capturing the stories in your community and sharing them on social media, especially with the event coordinators themselves.

​​

• Email Blasts: There's still time to plant a few more seeds, but unless you jump on it right now, the clock is going to run out. However, there's no such thing as too much exposure, and even if you don't see any impact on your business, you're still reminding people who you are and what services you provide.
• Involvement in Your Community: From Meals on Wheels to Toys for Tots to food banks and hundreds of local charitable events, every organization needs help! Volunteer your services—with or without a camera in your hands—remind your community you're not just another retailer.
• Need New Gear: I'm still a big fan of post-holiday sales, but a lot is happening right now as vendors fight for the last dollars of 2024. If you need specific gear, now's the time to take a quick look and decide whether the last-minute deals best suit your needs.
• Tax Deductions: You have a little over a month left on tax-deductible expenses for your business. Are there investments you need to make before the end of the year?

Black Friday is just three days away, making this week critical for last-minute ideas to impact your business and brand awareness. The finish line for the year is just five weeks away, leaving you with just enough time to still have an impact.

You snooze, you lose...so don't snooze!

by Skip Cohen

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. Back in the "old days," it was truly a time of family and giving thanks. When my kids were in college, it was a time when everybody was home for the holidays. My folks even came up from Florida a few times.

I remember being disappointed the first year my folks decided the travel was just too much for them. I didn't understand how getting on a plane and coming north was such a big deal. Well, today, as I approach the same age they were when they slowed things down over the holidays, I get it! 

This year, with all the chaos over travel following the government shutdown, I know a lot of you are headed out early, especially if you've been forced to drive. So, I'm doing my Thanksgiving post a few days early, but that doesn't change the sentiment of my appreciation and extreme gratefulness at all your support.

Despite all the garbage the government delivers to our doorsteps every day, Mother Nature's wrath with storms around the country, and an economy that's upside down...we still have so much to be thankful for. For example, we're here, now, and healthy enough to be spending time connecting with friends and family through social media. 

For me, social media, especially Facebook, has made the world a tiny place. It's become the glue that holds us together. I'm in touch with so many friends daily... put social media together with my phone and FaceTime, and the world is at my fingertips.

So, as Sheila and I share our list of the things that we're grateful for, besides our love and support for each other, the appreciation goes farther outward, like the ripples from a stone being tossed in a pond. 

• We're grateful for our friends, especially those who have become family.
• We're thankful for our relatively good health..."relatively" is a word we use more and more as we get older. It takes into account the everyday challenges of aging and knowing there are people with more serious health issues than we're dealing with.
• Then there are the two pups in our life, and although they're six years old, the puppy spirit and energy never slow down. Happiness truly is a warm puppy! (Thank you, Charles Schulz) 
• My gratitude extends to all of you, (especially my wife who's become my muse) who have supported my craziness and obsession as I somehow morphed into a writer. You've followed me, watched my back, and so often been an inspiration. I so appreciate your presence in my life.

Just for fun, I typed into Google "things to be thankful for." This is what AI gave me: You can be grateful for a wide range of things, from necessities like a home and clean water to simple joys like a good cup of coffee or a beautiful sunset. Other areas to consider include your health, relationships with family and friends, personal growth and resilience, and the natural world.  

What's funny is that none of us need AI to figure out what makes our hearts soar, puts a smile on our faces, and puts a unique sparkle in our eyes. Thanksgiving for me is a time when the craziness of the world is upstaged by the happiness and appreciation for simply being alive, here, and resilient.

Wishing everybody a day and week ahead that's filled with memory-making moments. Don't forget to capture a few images when you're together with the people you care about the most; in a few years they'll become your favorite throwbacks! And if you can't be together physically with the people you love the most, remember, everyone is still connected emotionally and there in spirit. Go for those eleven-second hugs with the people most important to you that I always write about.

Happy Sunday...and Happy Thanksgiving week!

by Skip Cohen
​
Yesterday I was interviewed by a writer for an excellent company that specializes in AI. They're working on a white paper document with contributors from a variety of different fields. I'm a big fan of AI, but I get frustrated with many of you. Some of you either see AI as the cure-all for everything you're missing, or you go the other way and worry about AI replacing your skills.

Any time I've ever been interviewed, been a podcast guest, etc., there are always things I think about after my initial unrehearsed responses. I've been thinking a lot about my conversation yesterday and my opinions on AI, which at times were more negative than positive.

The truth is, the combination of AI with many of the old standards gives a business owner the perfect tools to expand reach, customer loyalty and build more brand awareness. What I hate is the way so many businesses act like AI will make up for their incompetence in other areas, especially marketing.

As business owners, you still have to build relationships. You still need integrity to build trust, keep your promises, deliver on time, and exceed expectations! In fact, in a world that's driven by text messages and social media, that personal analog touch is even more important. Photography is still a word-of-mouth business, especially when it comes to Customer Service.

And as far as being replaced by AI, you still have to tell the client's story. Whether in an album or an individual print, clients are trusting you to see the world through their eyes. 

Technology never slows down, and you have to keep up with all the trends and ways to grow your skill set, but from my perspective, the demand will continue to be there for artists who listen to their clients. Ed Foreman, a motivational/marketing speaker many years ago, gave me some of the very best advice:

"If I can see the world through my client's eyes, then I can sell my client what my client buys!" It's a great concept, going well beyond the old line of "put yourself in their shoes." You have to understand what people in your target audience love most, what they worry about, and what/who are most important to them.

Years ago, I did a podcast interview with Mary Ellen Mark. She talked about covering the screen on the back of everyone's camera and forcing them to shoot like they were working with film. Why? Because she wanted people to stop "chimping" to see if they got the shot. The reality is, the real emotion in an image might have happened after the photographer moved on! For example, a grandmother hugging her granddaughter, a bride. What if the most powerful shot wasn't the hug, but the tear in Grandma's eyes a minute or two after the hug? If the photographer chimped and moved on, that special moment was missed.

The bottom line, AI is an incredible asset to understand, but don't rule out some very old-school approaches. From direct mail to pounding the pavement in your community, to relationship building and keeping in touch with your clients past, present, and future...the heart of your business is still YOU!

by Skip Cohen

It's my favorite day of the week, Throwback Thursday. While I've shared the challenge of posing tall grooms and short brides in the past, this morning in my hunt for old photographs, the print below came up, followed by a set of 5x5 proofs from the original shoot for the book, "Don Blair's Guide to Lighting and Posing Body Parts."

Talking about 5x5 proofs is a throwback all in itself. So, for those of you who grew up exclusively with digital, everything used to be shot on film. Once developed we'd get a set of printed proofs for the initial viewing. From those proofs, the final images, whether for a stand alone print or an album would be selected.

Here's the backstory:

Don Blair and I wrote a book together in the 90s that covered most of the biggest challenges of portrait photography. From hand-posing to kids with braces, to subjects wearing glasses, masculine and feminine posing, etc. - It covered just about everything, including tall grooms and short brides.

We shot all the images for the book in Las Vegas with local models so that when the book launched a year later at WPPI, we could use the actual models from the book for our program. Body Parts was the opening event for the convention that year.

The two pictures at the top were examples of how people typically pose couples with a height difference - he was 6'4" and she was under 5'. Don wanted to get people to think outside the box! His favorite pose for this kind of combination was to seat them on the floor and create one of his signature bridal portraits.

During the two-hour keynote program, we went through at least a half-dozen challenges from the book. "Big Daddy" was in his glory every step of the way. The final poses scanned from the page in the actual book are to the right.

Besides the fun and importance of bringing back old photographs for a walk down Memory Lane, think about your own skill set and how you've grown as an artist over the years. Next, think about the responsibility you have to your subjects. They're trusting you to meet their expectations and deliver your very best! That's what we wanted when we put the book together: to help portrait artists deliver their very best!

If you haven't taken the time today to wander through your own files and search for throwbacks, don't miss the opportunity. I think you'll be surprised at how much you've grown. You might even find a few throwbacks to help direct you to where you'd like to go next in terms of style and technique.

Happy Throwback Thursday!

by Skip Cohen

It's "Hump Day," and I brought this topic back from the archives because, at this time of year, even though business is ramping up and in full swing through seasonality, it's a time when everyone starts to get a little reflective. We're closing out one year and heading into a new one, and it's a time when so many of us ponder our "why?"

We're looking at everything we do and often wondering if it's time for a change. Is it time to change direction, expand into other areas of expertise, and the BIG question, are we happy in what we're doing? It's an endless process, but a necessity to help avoid complacency and stimulate creativity.

But finding our "why" isn't exclusive to our careers. There's the importance of sharing our "why" with the people we're trying to attract. As photographers, your target audience needs to understand your "why?".  They don't care what awards you've won, what gear you have, or how your grandfather gave you your first camera. They want to know "why?" you love being a photographer and if you can be trusted to capture the kinds of images they want. 

Too many of you write your bios without considering your audience. When it's time to open your heart, you submerge yourself in meaningless factoids about your skills. If they're reading your bio, they're already interested in getting to know you better - don't bury them in your list of print competition awards, gear details, and the history of your business. Tell them why you love imaging. Share why your clients trust you to capture what's in their hearts.

It's the "why" that makes us all more interesting. It's the "why" that makes my story different from yours. It's the "why" that takes millions of stories from people worldwide and gives them color, emotion, and commitment.  

In terms of my "why," I simply love imaging and the business of helping more people understand its importance. Even in my volunteer work in support of the fight against Alzheimer's, imaging plays a special role with the interaction between patients dealing with the disease and the memories old photographs bring back.

Stop worrying about "what" you do and start sharing with people "why" you do it. The "what" comes from your left brain and is a series of cut-and-dry statements; the "why" comes from your right brain and is all about your personality, passion, and emotion. Plus, your "why" is unique, while your "what" is often the same as everybody else's.

Happy Hump Day!

by Skip Cohen

Remember, it's Sunday and Reflections I rarely write about business and marketing. It's sharing whatever is on my mind, and today it's appreciation for the pups in our life!

As I sat down to write this morning, I noticed Lucy over on the love seat in my office. In her usual spot, she was comfortably curled up and content to wait for me to finish my Sunday morning routine. She looked at me for a second, knowing full well that she'd hooked me into coming over for a conversation and to scratch her ears.

​What is it about the way our pups understand us? What is it about their ability to love unconditionally, always knowing when we need a hug?

Some time along life's journey, Sheila and I became a dog family. I'd never had two dogs before, and when we lost Molly the Wonder Dog, I doubted whether or not pups would ever be a part of my life again. Nine months later, Sheila said we should get two dogs, one for each of us. Here we are celebrating six years since Lucy and Belle came into our family...no, they BECAME our family.

Our day starts the same every morning - up at 6:45 am and getting the pups out. Then they get brushed and we do the "Kibble Train." It's something Sheila started, and it makes us laugh every day. The pups are on top of the washer and dryer, and Sheila takes a big handful of kibble and makes a line across in front of them. They sit patiently waiting for the line to be constructed. On the word "Okay," they start in on their own section of kibble with all the focus of Al Pacino doing a line of cocaine in Scarface. Tails wagging and us laughing is the kickoff to every new day.

I've written a lot about dogs over the years, but I continue to be fascinated by their intuition and ability to sense whenever either of us needs a hug. If we're not feeling well, they're there to check on us. If we're frustrated or sad, again, they're by our side. And nothing tops the chart of smile-making moments like asking if they want to go for a ride. Just hearing the word "ride" sends them running to the back door. And God forbid they should hear the word "cookie," and they're instantly waiting by the cabinet where their snacks are kept.

Here's my point this Sunday morning - our dogs make our lives richer. They're emotional gummies filling our hearts with love, even when we're tired and running on empty. They understand us better than we know ourselves, and there's never a moment when they're not there for us.

So, we became dog people. They're with us almost all the time, and while they have their own bed, even the end of the day has its own routine when Sheila tucks them in for the night. And out of all the daily routines has come an incredible bond, making life more fun and filling us with a never-ending barrage of smiles and laughs.

Wishing everybody a day ahead that's filled with time with the people and pets you love. Those eleven-second hugs I always write about aren't exclusive to people. In fact, Lucy and Belle both know the word "hug." Sitting down with them, within seconds of saying it, they're up on their hind legs with both paws reaching for our shoulders. They may not be officially registered as emotional support dogs, but living in a world that's currently upside down, they help us forget the problems and focus on what's most important - the love in our home.

Happy Sunday...or Monday on the other side of the world.

​"I have found that when you are deeply troubled, there are things you get from the silent devoted companionship of a dog that you can get from no other source."
Doris Day

​There is always light if only we're  brave enough to see it, if only we're brave enough to be it.
Author Unknown

by Skip Cohen

Lately, at least a few times a month, I've been writing about Alzheimer's. We all have causes we believe in, and the battle with Alzheimer's, having lost my mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother to the disease, is near and dear to me. 

Tomorrow is the annual Alzheimer's Walk here in Sarasota, and along with thousands of other supporters, Sheila and I will be there, along with the pups. And yesterday, on behalf of the Alzheimer's Association, I addressed the annual legislative delegates for Sarasota County regarding three related programs they're hoping to continue and expand in the community.

From my presentation yesterday:

Many of you have been touched by the realities of Alzheimer's and dementia. Over 580,000 Floridians are living with Alzheimer's disease, including an estimated  20,200 here in Sarasota County, which equates to over 12 percent of our 65 and over population.

Florida has proven to be a leader in dementia care and support. With our aging population, we must maintain this momentum. I am proud to advocate alongside the Alzheimer's Association. With your support, we remain optimistic as we propose our 2026 legislative priorities...

I went on to talk about a public awareness campaign, increased support for caregivers, and the Azheimer's Brain Bus which has traveled to all 67 counties in Florida each year.

While my short presentation was obviously Florida-centric, the number of people with Alzheimer's is global and continues to grow. "In the US, an estimated 7.2 million Americans aged 65 and older have Alzheimer's disease, a number projected to grow significantly by 2060. Alzheimer's is the leading cause of dementia, accounting for 60–80% of all cases, with prevalence increasing with age, especially after 65. The disease also poses a substantial global burden, affecting tens of millions of people and costing the economy trillions of dollars annually."  

Whatever nonprofit is your focus, remember that people like to purchase products from companies they perceive as giving back to the community. Combine the importance of building brand awareness for your business with programs that make your heart soar, and you've got the perfect combination to give back. You're looking for your community to be good to you...so you better make sure you're being good to your community.

In my case, I'm not a working photographer, and at this point in my career, I'm no longer very focused on building my brand. Our involvement is about trying to pay it forward and give back to a community that helped us so much, when my mother was in the heat of battle with Alzheimer's. Starting with the Senior Friendship Center's Caregiver Resource Center, so many people helped us keep our sanity and, in turn, helped my mother throughout her journey.

And if you're interested in participating in the Alzheimer's walks, there are over 600 nationwide. Just click on the banner below.

TGIF everybody - wishing everybody a terrific weekend with time to appreciate those people you love the most!

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This is what I like about photographs. They're proof that once,
even if just for a heartbeat, everything was perfect.
Jodie Picoult ​

by Skip Cohen

For years, I've referred to myself as the low-tech poster child for the industry. In fact, I played off that theme in a post many years ago, demonstrating how easy it was to use X-Rite's ColorMunki to calibrate your monitor.

Here's the short backstory...

A year ago, we lost Sheila's brother Randy after a long fight following a brain aneurysm. Randy was on my mind yesterday because it was Veterans' Day, and I've never known a prouder Marine. We used to accuse him of sleeping in any one of a dozen military baseball hats, his signature attire.

While going through old files in my Shutterfly account, I ran across this still shot of Randy and Sheila from when he visited us ten years ago. I don't remember even seeing it initially. 

Yesterday, scrolling through Facebook, an ad came up for an animation company using AI to animate still photographs. You've all seen them, and I decided it was worth a few minutes to play with the software. The company was alivemoment.com. I didn't do a whole lot of research; I just decided to give it a try at their minimal-cost one-month trial level.

By adding a short piece of royalty-free music from Wondershare Filmora 12, the short clip above was complete.

If you've known or followed me for even the shortest amount of time, you should have figured out that I'm one of the industry's biggest cheerleaders. But while I respect new technology, I'm not an early adopter, and probably one of the last people to change to something new. The concept of animating old photographs is hardly new, but the results of this first personal test drive blew me away.

What I do love and have written about hundreds of times over the years is how photographs capture memories and allow us to relive them, long after the events themselves are long over. But this particular image was so wonderful and over-the-top that I hesitated even to show it to Sheila.

As we both teared up watching it several times, Sheila said, "Oh my God, you brought Randy back to life!"  

Before posting this morning, I wanted to grab one of my favorite group shots from close to 25 years ago at WPPI. It's not quite as effective, but it definitely captured what we were all feeling that night, catching up to Big Daddy...lots of laughs. And with Don Blair and Terry Deglau both having passed away, it's a poignant moment to watch an animated still photograph.

by Skip Cohen

​It's Veteran's Day, and while parts of this post I shared many years ago, it's still great to bring back. 

My Dad was part of the "Greatest Generation," serving in the Army Air Corps in WWII. Like so many veterans, while he saw action in the Pacific, he rarely talked about it. However, there were a few stories he shared over the years.

Dad played the trumpet all through high school and college until he dropped out to serve after Pearl Harbor. That's Dad in one of the Army Air Corps bands above, second from the right in front of the drummer. 

On a hot, humid day in New Guinea in the 1940s, his CO was looking for musicians. Dad's hand to volunteer couldn't have gone up faster, thinking he was about to score some light duty. All those years playing the trumpet were about to pay off! NOT - for the next three days, he was part of a crew moving pianos for Bob Hope and a USO show!

Dad was initially trained as a pilot but wound up with a perforated eardrum. That changed his role, limiting his time in the air. He spent a good part of the war in the tower at the airfield. One story he told me was about his CO near the end of the war. They regularly sent out planes to calibrate the radar. Just as Dad was getting ready to head out and fly with one of the calibration crews, his CO held him back so he could go himself. Dad was pissed that he got out-ranked and had to stay in the tower. Well, the plane never returned!

That one event gave Dad a whole new philosophy on everything from destiny to dealing with disappointment to believing in divine intervention. Growing up, whenever I was disappointed over something big or small, Dad would remind me, "Everything always works out for the better!"

A year before Dad passed away, we joined HonorFlight.org and went to Washington. I remember Dad sitting with a group of veterans who were also on the trip. Dad was based in the Asia Pacific, and they had all been on the European front. Somebody asked Dad if he ever got to meet General MacArthur. I loved his answer, "No, but I brought in his plane a few times!"
​
So, to our son Brian, who's serving now, Uncle Randy who passed away last year, my Dad who left us in 2015, and all my friends and associates who served in Viet Nam or have family in the military now, I'm not only writing the longest run-on sentence I've ever published, but sharing a big heartfelt thank you!

On this Veteran's Day morning, I wish everybody a day of peace—not just inner peace with your life, but the kind our veterans have fought to preserve. Take the time to hug a veteran today and remind them of your appreciation for the sacrifices they made. And, to every parent who joins us with family in the military today - "thank you" is such an understatement.

If you've got a veteran in the family, especially if they're in their 70s or older, check out HonorFlight.org. It's a fantastic group with one goal: to show the appreciation all our veterans deserve and get them to Washington for one more "tour." Just click on the HonorFlight logo below for more information.

There are only two ways to influence human behavior:
You can manipulate it or you can inspire it.
Simon Sinek

Wishing everybody a day ahead with time to appreciate the people most important in your life. Make it a day when you don't let what's happening in the world outside into your bubble. None of us can escape the daily challenges, but just as a caregiver needs respite, make today a time to take a break. Cherish the people you love the most and make those eleven-second hugs a few seconds longer - everyone needs the extra time.

​Happy Sunday...or Monday on the other side of the world!

"If you wait for all the lights to turn green, you'll never get started on your journey!"
​Zig Ziglar

by Skip Cohen

The quote above is one my most favorite. I lucked out in finding an illustration in Adobe stock of all green lights. However, the reality is that catching all lights when they're synced is rare. Now and then you have to stop, but that shouldn't change the direction of your journey or the destination.

As I sat down to write a blog post this morning, the quote above popped into my head.  I started thinking about my kick lately to remind readers that procrastination is NOT a marketing strategy.  Too many of us, me included, want everything to be perfect before we launch a new project. We want to do everything we can to guarantee success.

But sadly, when all the lights aren't green, we never start the journey. We make excuses, rationalize our way into justifying our inactivity. When the window of opportunity closes, we convince ourselves that we made the right decision...at least until regret starts to seep in.

Lucille Ball is quoted as saying, "I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done."

And there's my point: it's not a perfect world, but we all have choices as long as we stay focused on our goals. Some of those choices involve compromise —not necessarily on your dreams, but on the path you choose to get there. 

We're living in bizarre times, absent of very many true leaders. That means there are opportunities for you, as artists and small business owners, to demonstrate leadership, accountability, integrity, and even compromise where appropriate. Don't let the insanity of the times get in the way of continuing to pursue your dreams.

Yes, I know it's easy to write about, and everybody's challenges are different. But that doesn't change the fact that EVERYONE can help change the world, at least in your own community. Capturing memories never goes out of style, and the opportunities for photographers to help tell their subjects' stories should be at the very top of your "to-do" list.

Wishing everybody a terrific weekend ahead!