![]() by Skip Cohen I rarely know what I want to share in advance when writing Sunday Morning Reflections, but today is very different. Yesterday, Sheila and I attended an event that was new to us, and raised our awareness for an incredible fundraiser. The event was Hockey Heals 22. Every day, 22 veterans commit suicide. Joining the hosting team, the Lighting Warriors together with other hockey teams from the Tampa Bay area are playing 22 hours of continuous hockey, still going on this morning. They're raising awareness and funding to help our nation's veterans fight the invisible war of mental health that combats our country's heroes. The program kicked off with a few short presentations, but the most moving was the introduction of a dozen Gold Star families who have lost a son or daughter to veteran suicide. As each family of a fallen warrior was introduced and came out on the red carpet, I found myself thinking about their sadness. Their pain is unimaginable. I couldn't help but recognize their bravery and dedication to help fight veteran suicide. We were drawn into the emotion of the event as adult hockey players of all ages hit the ice - all of them sharing the quest to raise funding and awareness. Think about it - 22 veterans a day are committing suicide, up from 17.5 per day just three years ago. And veterans have a 57% higher risk of suicide than those who haven't served. They fought for our freedom but lost the battle in the fight for their own mental health! That's over 8,000 soldiers every year who we missed the opportunity to help.
I wanted to share one more sidebar slice of pride. As I've written before, our son is in the military, and today, he is a "full-bird colonel." His presentation was part of the opening ceremony, and while the acoustics in the arena made it tough to hear him, nothing changed the impact of seeing him in action in this community. Here's my point this Sunday morning: We all have our favorite charities and fundraisers we do our best to support. But now and then, a group of people come along to raise our awareness for another important need that's outside the mainstream of big-name fundraising spotlights. Sheila and I couldn't have been more proud to be in the stands at yesterday's Hockey Heals 22 kickoff! Wishing all of you a day ahead filled with love, peace, and appreciation for your family and the people closest to you. There's so much we take for granted, especially our freedom. Every year, usually on Veterans Day, I write something about family and friends who have served in the military. But the truth is, Veterans Day should be all year long! Click here or on any image in today's post to link to the event fund-raiser page and learn how you can help. Happy Sunday...or Monday on the other side of the world.
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Family should be the place where you can be your most complete self. Where you're accepted and appreciated, seen and valued, even in moments of disagreement. It should be your soft place to fall, the place where you're reminded that no matter what happens to you, in the face of your deepest challenges, you are loved. Oprah ![]() by Skip Cohen In the hierarchy of why people hire a professional photographer, brides, babies, and pets are the top three based on studies done years ago by Kodak. I don't believe that's changed at all. Family photography and seniors come in at number four and five. My guess is that the two specialties swap places depending on the time of the year, but that doesn't change the potential to help professional artists grow their businesses. In a post a few weeks back, I wrote about the Power of 3. Marathon Press offers a program that gives photographers a blueprint for marketing to seniors and families. The basic program is in three parts because you can't just hit your target audience one time and expect results. Think about how much mail you throw out every day. Email, which most of us have access to via our phones, rarely survives long enough to even read if it's not a topic that we're interested in. And it's no different with "snail mail." But when we hit the mailbox, and something relevant catches our eye, we read it and log it in as something we might be interested in. In our house, something that's really interested winds up on the bulleting board in my home office or on a magnet near the fridge! Marathon starts with helping you design the campaign, then implement it and follow up. The first mailing is your introduction to your audience. The second, allows families to look at your photography and recognize your studio as their best choice for their portraits. The third mailing is a solid reminder to book your session...NOW! And there's even a fourth mailing option for a "last chance" reminder. Throughout the process, Marathon is driving the bus! Their team becomes your team and keeps the entire campaign on target. Plus, they offer protected exclusivity on a first-come, first-served basis within your zip code. I grabbed a screenshot of one of my favorite designs they offer with the program, but between text, fonts, colors, and layouts, every artist has an opportunity to create a piece that's an attention-grabber and unique. Continuity Marketing: If you're a family photographer or interested in this genre, it's an ideal stepping stone for continuity marketing. Couples get married and start families. Kids grow up to become seniors and eventually brides and grooms and start their own families. Along the way, there are opportunities for everything in portraiture, including headshots, commercial work and pet photography. Remember, relationship building is your best marketing tool. Family photography is all about the relationship you can establish with a family, and in turn, be there for all their imaging needs. Looking to expand and grow your family photography business? All it takes is to click the link below to get started and put the Power of 3 to work for you. Now is the time to begin the process and planning for a strong campaign that will help you expand your business and brand awareness within your community. "Remember, no matter how good your feedback is, you always start all over with the next customer." Shep Hyken by Skip Cohen I found the quote above using Google, searching under Customer Service and shared it on Twitter six years ago. Shep Hyken retweeted my post. It's rare that the author of any quote I share retweets what I write, and here comes one of the amazing attributes of the Internet. I looked up Shep Hyken to find out more about him. Then, I called him to say thanks and learn about his role as a leader in the business community and his focus on Customer Service. He couldn't have been more accessible and immediately took my call. A few months later, Shep joined Chamira Young and me on our podcast, and then I was a guest on his. A year or so later, we stepped out of cyberspace and grabbed breakfast together in St. Louis. That's how the friendship got started. But my respect for him, along with thousands of his fans is about his never-ending focus on customer service. Following him is fun, as he's always sharing concepts that can help build/strengthen so many different aspects of a successful business. "Fun" is one of those words too often lost in business today. It gets buried under the stress of marketing, delivery, and follow-up. But when you're having fun, it becomes a work-hard-play-hard scenario. The more fun you're having the more room there is for your creative juices to flow. Wandering through Shep Hyken's archives yesterday, this post caught my eye. It ties in so well to the role Customer Service plays in building your business. It's a perfect example of photographers who are recognized as "GREAT" in their communities rather than just being good. Being a great photographer, as opposed to just a good one, also opens the door to more fun in building your brand! Years ago, I sat in on a Tim and Beverly Walden presentation. They talked about the fact that they sell the experience, NOT just finished prints. So many of you have worked your entire career to perfect your skill set. You've never slowed down in your quest to capture the ultimate image. That's admirable, but to Shep's point in his post below...your ability to be considered great goes beyond just creating beautiful images. Shep's website is loaded with great material. He needs to be on your radar and is only a click away. The Difference Between Great and Good ![]() by Shep Hyken If you had to have surgery, would you rather go to the most skilled surgeon or the nicest surgeon? I was at a party the other night and someone I met shared his opinion of the difference between a good doctor and a great doctor. A good doctor makes you well. A great doctor makes you well and calls you the next day to see how you’re doing. I thought about that all weekend. My new friend was saying that good is doing what you are expected to do. If you’re a surgeon, you make people well. However, great is the addition of a better customer experience. In the case of the surgeon, it’s skill plus bedside manner. Here’s a “less critical” example. If you go to a restaurant that has the most delicious food, but the service is outright terrible, you wouldn’t refer to that as a great experience. The food could be the best, but if what surrounds it – the experience – is tainted with rude and angry employees, you would be reluctant to go back. So, back to my friend’s example. The doctor’s bedside manner, which included a phone call to check on the patient, is a metaphor for a good customer experience – or in this case, a patient experience. Sweetwater, an online retailer that sells music and audio equipment, is another excellent example of this. I bought a new microphone and mixing board from them last year, and they assigned a salesperson to my account. A week after I received the items, “my” salesperson called me to make sure they were working and confirm that I was happy with my purchase. A good experience would have been talking to a salesperson, ordering the equipment, and having it show up as expected in a day or two. What elevated it to a great experience was the less-than-one-minute phone call I received from “my guy.” Creating a great customer experience doesn’t mean going over the top. Occasionally, you have opportunities to do so, but if your typical experience includes a little something extra, like a phone call to check on a customer, you move beyond just being good. Our customer service research found that the top reason customers are most likely to come back is because employees are helpful and friendly. It is expected that a doctor has skill. If the doctor is also helpful and friendly, another way of saying the doctor has a good bedside manner, then by my friend’s definition, he or she is a great doctor. So, what’s your version of bedside manner? What little something can you add to the experience so that people will refer to you as great? Don’t answer me. Sit down with your team and answer these questions for yourself and your organization. Define your version of what would make you a great doctor, communicate it to your people, train them to deliver on it, and watch your customers’ reactions. They will reward you by saying, “I’ll be back!” Copyright © MMXXII, Shep Hyken – Used with Permission ![]() by Skip Cohen Sunday Morning Reflections are rarely about business. It's my time to jump the tracks and share whatever is on my mind. Nothing heavy this morning, just a fun topic to write about...being a "foodie!" A week and a half ago, I wrote about a good friend's new cookbook on Amazon: Sea of Thieves - The Cookbook by Kayce Baker. We decided on her recipe for Shadow Stormfish (swordfish) for dinner tonight. Sheila and I are diehard foodies, and I picked up all the ingredients yesterday. So first thing this morning, before sitting down to write today's post, I was in the kitchen. I wanted to give the swordfish at least six hours to marinade. While I encourage you to check out Kayce's book, that's not really the focus of today's post. Sheila and I love food, and we also enjoy cooking and time with good friends. Put them all together, and we have a long history filled with laughter and meals that made our tastebuds dance! I won't always remember somebody's name when I see them after a long absence, but I can tell you what we had for dinner and where, regardless of how long ago it might have been. From fast food like Arby's Meat Mountain to incredible sushi in NYC to six-pound lobsters in New Jersey - you name a friend, and I'll tell you what we last ate! And it doesn't matter what meal—breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Yesterday, I was talking with my good buddy Tony Corbell, who had just come back from Yellowstone. The first thing I asked about the trip was whether or not there was a chicken fried steak with sausage gravy on the journey. Not only was there, but Tony told me he made it to an old favorite place all of us had in West Yellowstone! Here's my point: While it's the friendships I cherish the most, food seems to be the mortar that holds all the bricks together! It's the experiences we've all shared over breaking bread that seem to be the foundation for so many memories. It doesn't matter if it's just a couple of us having a meal together or a dozen of us setting records for how much sushi was consumed in one evening—it's all about the memories! It's certainly not a heavy concept this morning - more like one of SNL's Jack Handy's Deep Thoughts. But that doesn't change the fun of a walk down Memory Lane through any of life's food courts! Wishing you a day ahead with memory-making moments that bring together love, laughter, smiles, and your taste buds. It's summertime, and I'll be at the grill with Kayce's Shadow Stormfish recipe later - and I know the stories of our adventures together will be flowing just as much as whatever grog Sheila and I decide goes best with Stormfish! Go for those therapeutic eleven-second hugs I always write about with those people most special in your life. Happy Sunday...or Monday on the other side of the world. ![]() by Skip Cohen It's Throwback Thursday, and I recently came across a file of classics from Bill Hurter's birthday in 2007. Living in the Los Angeles area, you can find virtually anything, especially a Marilyn Monroe lookalike, to sing Happy Birthday! Bill Hurter passed away in June 2015, and so often something comes up that reminds me of him. He was the finest editor in the industry, taking Rangefinder and AfterCapture magazines to record highs. He was also one of the most beloved editors and authors in imaging, and all of us who worked with him had fun. It was a work-hard-play-hard environment. But besides simply missing him, when I found these images, I was blown away remembering how we used to do the magazine - It was all manual. The production office had metal walls, and we would put the magazine together page by page with magnets and a lot of help from Gennie Kiuchi! It could have been done on the computer back then, but it would never have had the quality. By laying it out as a team, we established the flow of the magazine - positioning editorial, advertisers, and sometimes, even setting things up for an upcoming future issue. Here's why I love sharing throwbacks: First, they transport us to another time. They take us back to people, places, and events that most often make us smile. Second, they bring back memories, and when those thoughts include people no longer with us, the look in the rearview mirror is even sweeter. Last but not least, throwbacks remind us of the value of imaging and the industry we're all so passionate about! Where would the world be without photography? And to "Mr. Bill"—buddy, there are no words to describe how much you're missed and how much you continue to be loved and respected by so many people in the industry! Happy Throwback Thursday! Note: I'm not sure who captured these images and the video below that day. But when I talk about the value of "imaging" that includes video. What a kick! by Skip Cohen
If you've followed me for even the shortest time, you know I'm a big fan of great workshops. Your education to keep building your skillset should never slow down. Coming up in June and July are four terrific workshops with two of the industry's most respected educators...Bobbi Lane and Lee Varis. Yes, I'm a little prejudiced because they're two of my best friends - but they became good friends out of respect for all of us working together and my admiration for their style and how they give back to the community. If music were playing in the background right now, it would be Carly Simon singing "Nobody Does It Better." The first program is right around the corner on June 6, but all four are listed below—just click on any one of them to link to Bobbi and Lee's workshop site. All four are in the greater Boston area and are perfect for helping you fine-tune your creativity and raise the bar on your images. by Skip Cohen It's Sunday, and as usual, I rarely write about business. I almost always head in a direction that's more personal. On my last day before what people think of as a milestone birthday, I'm feeling outrageously reflective. Tomorrow makes me officially an "old fart" as I hit seventy-five. I'm struggling a little because, with the exception of creaking for ten minutes when I get up in the morning, I don't feel any different. And according to Sheila, I'm no more mature...LOL. So, I'm sitting here in the midst of a retrospective. Google defines retrospective as: Retrospective means looking back. An art exhibit that cover an artist's entire career is called a retrospective because it looks back at the work the artist has produced over many years. Retro- means back, -spect- means look (think: spectacles), so the word means literally 'a looking back. Photography has existed as some part of me for my entire life, and today's post is about how it got started and one aspect that's never slowed down - capturing memories. My love for photography started with my Dad, who had a small contact printer he had brought home from WWII - just a box with a light bulb, but we'd process prints in the laundry room. Later, he became the Slide King, as every special moment was captured on 35mm slides, later presented in an endless stream of presentations, always including jammed slides. But that's when the fire was lit, and it was enough to get me interested in joining the "Photo Service Club" in high school. That's me, bottom left, back in the days when ears seemed to be a qualifier to being a nerd! The fire that Dad lit a few years later resulted in an entire wall of my room covered in memories. Everything that happened through high school was captured in black and white, printed in the school darkroom, and later tacked to my wall. Because I was never patient enough to follow procedure, I had the biggest collection of under-fixed yellowing prints on the planet. But that never changed the value of the memories. As I look both back, as well as forward to what's yet to come, it's all about stopping time. While I have complete respect and admiration for those of you with the skill set technically - for me, it's about capturing the memory with each click of the shutter - not always the quality of the finished photograph. This is what I like about photographs. They're proof that once, even if just for a heartbeat, everything was perfect. Author Jodi Picoult's quote became my mantra. Again and again, I've succeeded in stopping time and capturing a memory to be stored for savoring in the future. I've used her quote so many times that I've even tried to get her as a guest on a podcast. It's the best quote about photography that I've ever read.
So, here's my point: never slow down your passion for creating and capturing memories. Those photographs from today will become a staple in your future. And no matter how things change in your life, photography helps to keep your memories vivid. Wishing everybody a memory-making day ahead and if you're in the US, a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. Take the time to click the shutter a few times; it doesn't matter if it's on your phone or with a "real" camera. Your skill set is critical for your clients, but it's about being the best photojournalist you can be for yourself and your family. Technology has given us all an incredible gift - whether shooting still images or video, no memory-making moment should escape! Happy Sunday...or Monday if you're on the other side of the world. ![]() by Skip Cohen The true fun of this industry has little to do with photography but the friendships that come out of everyone's love for the craft. It's these friendships that we all cherish the most, and Kayce Baker and Bob Rose are at the top of my list—not just because of our love for imaging but mutual friends, scuba, travel, and FOOD! From Honduras to Mexico to Bonaire, Catalina and even the Disney Aquarium, just to name a few, the three of us, with a circle of additional friends, have repeatedly created memories with one dive trip after another. (Many of you know Kayce from her days at Fuji and Bob from the MAC Group.) We lost touch over the last couple of years until a phone call last week. That's when I learned about Kayce morphing into an author - but not just any author. She's written and created one of the most fun cookbooks I've ever seen...and being foodies, Sheila and I can't wait to try the recipes. If you know anything about Kayce, she never does anything halfway. The Sea of Thieves Cookbook, themed after one of her favorite video games, is now part of a cooking channel series with another cookbook due in October. Click on Godzilla to the right to link to the Amazon page for your pre-order. Besides great, easy-to-follow recipes, the fun of the book is seeing Kayce's creativity. From the photography to the writing to the layouts and many of the props, she's been the driving force, with a small group of amazing contributors helping her along the way. Here's my point: besides being excited to share the creative success of one of my best friends and a photographer so many of you know - we're a relatively small industry. Still, the passion for the craft is endless. That passion comes out in so many different ways. As the author's bio in the book shares, Kayce is a photographer, chef, cookbook author, cat lover, scuba diver, angler, virtual pub owner, content creator, snowboarder, and tequila expert...what a kick! Order your copy of Sea of Thieves the Cookbook - I can promise you won't be disappointed! ![]() by Skip Cohen We're down to the wire for Spring seasonality with graduations and then Father's Day on June 16. Both events offer plenty of opportunities for photographers to work their magic. The Class of 2024: Think about the journey these high school seniors have undertaken, starting with the pandemic. This is your chance to be part of their celebration and immortalize their special moments. From formal portraits to candid shots at graduation, it's a thrilling time...and you have the talent to capture the essence of it all! The Class of 2025: Now is the time to start planning for next year's seniors. Take advantage of Marathon's Power of 3 program to jumpstart your marketing. The beauty of this program is that Marathon is leading the way to make sure you keep everything on schedule! Working together with you on design elements and the message - they keep photographers on track. You won't miss a deadline as you build a three-prong marketing approach targeting seniors. Father's Day: Dad is the perfect recipient for everything from family, children's, maternity, and boudoir portraiture to books and albums that tell a family's story. These are all great gift ideas and a long way from another sweater, summer polo shirt, shop tools, etc. Remember, your target to plant the seed for the idea is with Mom! It might all start with a post that simply says, "Looking for something different for Dad this Father's Day?" It's not rocket science; you're just presenting ideas to help Mom and the kids surprise Dad with something he might not expect and cherish. I'm right back where this post started—you're down to the wire in terms of timing. Procrastination is not a skill set, strategy or a marketing tool—you snooze, you lose! by Skip Cohen It's Sunday morning, and Reflections always takes me miles away from topics like business and marketing. Today, my thoughts regarding what to write about are all over the place...but maybe that's a topic in itself - the challenge of trying to focus. There are moments when there's so much going on around me, I can't focus. Unlike our cameras and phones, I've got no focus confirmation. I'm wandering through my thoughts, filled with appreciation for my life and everything that got me to today. Yet feeling frustrated trying to write a blog post that makes a point. When you dance, your purpose is not to get to some place on the dance floor. It's to enjoy each step along the way. Wayne Dyer A few years back I bought a book called, Age only Matters if you're a Cheese! It's about looking at the positive side of aging. Well, it's thanks to aging that I have this amazing collection of events, people, and places that follow Wayne Dyer's reference to "each step along the way." Being unable to focus on a blog post is an asset, not a liability.
So many of us regularly forget all the things in our lives that make us who we are. We over-focus on the negatives, and in the process, we miss all the good things along the way. The stress of dealing with challenges becomes our predominant point of concentration. Remember, I'm a work in progress, and I haven't always mastered looking at life as a glass half-full rather than on the way to being empty. What I have mastered is an appreciation for everyone who's helped me stay on point...it's Sheila, family and friends we're close to, and two goofy pups, Lucy and Belle. Put all of them together, and it's an award-winning support group that would impress even Dr. Phil. Wishing everybody a terrific day ahead with time to appreciate everyone and everything that's made you who you are. And those people who make up your inner circle because they're the most trusted deserve a few of those eleven-second hugs I've written about for the last 10+ years. Take the time today, even if just for a few minutes, and appreciate all the good things in your life. Life isn't perfect, and none of us are on the same journey - but we're frequently moving too fast and not taking enough time to slow things down and appreciate life. Here's my point: We all have a support team, but forget to follow grandma's best advice, "Count your blessings." by Skip Cohen
It's a perfect post for Throwback Thursday, even though I first shared the image above many years ago in a post about people who think procrastination is an art form! Having spent my entire adult life in the photographic industry, I always try to be sensitive to copyright issues. I first saw the photo above on the Internet at least twenty-five years ago. A few years back, I wanted to share it in a post and decided to research who owned it. Google makes it impossible for anything or anyone to hide for very long. Searching for the copyright, Davidson & Company, out of Atlanta, came up as owning the image. It took a little time to explain to one of their staff, who had no idea what I was talking about. Think about how it sounded answering the phone and hearing, "I'm trying to track down the company that owns the right to the shot of a guy with his head up his butt. Are you the Davidson & Company who owns it?" A few minutes later, I was on the phone with Ken Davidson, and not only did he give me the okay to use it, but he also shared a little of the backstory. The story adds to my appreciation for the journey so many of us have been on in this industry. The image was shot on film and manipulated with conventional retouching. It was created for a commercial client in the late 1980s! Click the banner below to check out more of Davidson & Company's work. You'll see some stunning images. On their About page, you'll see a number of testimonial quotes, all with a few common denominators of "extraordinary service, trust, Customer Service, quality, consistency," and the list goes on and on. They're a company that's stayed on course with their original goal—establish a reputation for being one of the very best! A BIG thanks to Ken for allowing me to use the image, which he described as one of the most ripped-off shots in photography! PS These people are professionals—do not try this at home. Any similarities to today's political personalities are purely coincidental! ![]() by Skip Cohen At least thirty years ago, I had the honor of presenting Bev Walden with a Hasselblad when she won a Kodak Gallery Award. It was a fantastic moment because her work was incredible, and the award was so well deserved. That first meeting became the foundation for a terrific friendship based on my respect for Bev and Tim Walden as artists, marketing experts, and incredibly passionate photographers. They're simply great people...and educators. Bev recently emailed me about two programs they have coming up on June 3 and June 10. Both should be no-brainers, regardless of your specialty. Following the two of them over the years, I've learned so much, especially how they look at a portrait. I remember Tim talking about the final "product." It's not a portrait but a family heirloom to be handed down to future generations. And it's not just the finished quality of the print but the experience! There are two not-so-secret ingredients to Bev and Tim Walden's success and reputation: their passion for the craft and their quest for the ultimate quality every time they click the shutter. From babies to families to seniors, to black-and-white vs. color, each portrait is unique, continuing to build the Walden brand as one of the finest portrait studios in imaging! Check out both of these programs coming up. Click on each program for more information. And nothing beats the value of great education when there's also a discount when you bundle both classes.
by Skip Cohen
It's Marketing Monday, and I'll admit I'm pushing the envelope with the title tied to a Commodores song with Lionel Richie, but here's my point. For any level of recall by consumers, you have to hit them multiple times with any message. While this post is focused on Marathon's Power of 3 programs, pay attention to the concept. It applies to so many different things you're doing to increase top-of-mind awareness with your target audience. For example, here's the Power of 3 mailing for senior photographers to use:
There's also a fourth level available: For only 96¢ per name, you can add another "last chance" card to let seniors know they must call now or they will miss out. Custom design is an additional $65 for this card. The same program is available for family photographers, and it's the same point—first, you plant the seed of awareness and then follow up with getting your target consumer more and more interested. Throughout the process, your audience becomes more aware of your skillset and abilities to help them capture important memories. Marathon does almost all of the work. They'll help with designing your mailing piece, setting the calendar, following up with you to ensure you stay on the agreed-upon timetable, and even help you maintain exclusivity within your zip code range. I can't think of a better topic this time of year to help you increase business and expand your reach. Many times over the years, I've heard photographers complain about doing a mailing and not getting a very good response - but THEY ONLY DID ONE MAILING! With all the noise in our lives, hitting a consumer one time will never get a good response. Now, apply this to other aspects of your business, especially advertising. You have to build a rapport with your target audience; the only way to do that is by being in front of them multiple times. In addition, think of the Power of 3 if, during the mailing period, you were also using your reach in social media with related information of value. For example, a post using Throwback Thursday to show an old family portrait to remind Mom that it's time for a new one - after all, the kids are growing more and more every day! Yes, this is an infomercial for Marathon, but the Power of 3 applies to so many different aspects of marketing your business! ![]() by Skip Cohen It's Reflections, and I never write about business and marketing on Sundays. It's also Mother's Day, which in the last few years seems to be fueled by rose-growers and venues offering a special brunch. Even the Tampa Tarpons, the New York Yankees minor league team, has a Mother's Day event. Just for the fun of it, and I've probably done this at least once in past years, I went searching for the origin of Mother's Day. Here's what I found on Google: The idea started in America when a woman called Anna Jarvis held a small memorial service for her own mother on 12 May 1907. Soon after, most places in America were observing the day and in 1914, the US president made it a national holiday, celebrated on the second Sunday of May. I really wanted to write something different about Mother's Day. I've written about the same thing about my mom for the last ten years. Mother's Day and Father's Day are very different when both parents have passed away; they are not different in the love you feel but in how you appreciate their role in your past. This is when all those old pictures come into play. Memories are priceless, and they're all fueled by photographs and videos. Every image has the ability to send me hurling through time and back to the moment the shutter was clicked. Then the stories roll out, followed by smiles, maybe a few bittersweet tears, and so often laughter. And if I ask Sheila, "Did I tell you about the time that...?" She's too polite to say yes, even though she can lipsync every word I'm about to share. To all of you Moms out there - Happy Mother's Day! And to all of you missing your mother, take the time to dig out a few old photographs. You'll be amazed at how quickly all the memories come back and are so uplifting. I like to think all our missing moms are hanging out together today, watching over us, laughing at the craziness of our lives, filled with pride and most important of all, helping us remember all the special moments. Wishing everybody a terrific day ahead. I hope you can celebrate Mother's Day, savoring each special memory and appreciating all those times your mother said, "You'll understand when you're a parent someday!" And if you're fortunate enough to have your mother with you today - go for one of those eleven-second hugs I always write about - nobody deserves it more than your Mom. Happy Mother's Day! When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. Quora by Skip Cohen One of the biggest challenges in owning a business is recognizing when to unplug and take a break. Sometimes, it's nothing more than an hour or two; other times, you need a few hours, days, or even weeks. Well, this past week, Sheila and I decided to go off the grid as much as possible. We wanted to take a short vacation with the pups, so I googled "Best Pet Resorts in Florida," and a place in New Smyrna Beach came up, (Black Dolphin Inn). It was only 200 miles away and perfect for a three-day break. Off the grid for us meant shutting off our phones and email and renewing focus on our little family—just the four of us. I wanted to change our perspective on how we go through each day. No email, no blogging, no social media, and time to simply appreciate our life together. Well, it worked, but another bonus was being on the east coast of Florida. Living in the Sarasota area, we get spectacular sunsets but never a sunrise. It's a very different perspective. Two mornings ago, I woke up early and headed outside before Sheila and the pups were up. The top photograph shows the sun just starting to come up, and the image below is 5-10 minutes later. The bird was purely an accidental bonus, but what a great way to start the day! I still love incredible sunsets, especially since they last longer. But there's something to be said for that stunning ball of red at 6:30 in the morning! Here's my point today: From time to time, you need to change your perspective. In terms of business, stepping away for a few days was the perfect recharge. We've all become so over-focused on social media and being accessible. Most of us remember a day without cell phones—now, we're NEVER without one. I'm not suggesting that if you're in a consumer-driven business, you should randomly pull the plug and not be available. But you can find ways to still have the coverage you want and take a break when needed. And as far as the change of perspective for a sunrise vs a sunset - it's all dependent on your mindset at the time. Had I been working and not on a mini-vacation, I'm not sure I would have taken the time to even look out the window first thing in the morning. I found a great quote below that makes the point far better than I can: When a photographer can't change a scene, he/she changes the angle and lens to capture the best of that scene. Similarly, when you can't change a situation in your life, change your perspective and mindset to get the best out of that situation. Polymath Wishing everybody a terrific weekend, and for all you moms out there - Happy Mother's Day!
![]() by Skip Cohen If you've followed me for even the shortest amount of time, then you already know I don't support any programs, projects, or conferences I don't believe in. And if it's something I believe in business-wise, then it will always be something to help you build your brand, skillset, or revenue. Marathon's BOGO on Grad Cards: I've written a lot about the senior market, especially since the pandemic. Each graduation class for the last few years has had to endure and still grow through some incredible challenges in their education. That makes each year a time to celebrate far beyond what most of us experienced when we were in high school. Grad cards are a way for you to help them in the celebration and the recognition they so deserve. Adding to the benefit of building a stronger client relationship is a 50% off BOGO on top of your ability to design a unique product for each senior. Just click on the banner to the right, and it'll take you to Marathon's program for Seniors. You can also call them at 1-800-228-0629. ![]() ClickCon Countdown: Since starting up just a few years ago, ClickCon has grown to be one of my favorite shows. It's at the end of July—the perfect time to fine-tune your plans for the Fall. It's also late enough in the year to help you recharge your battery. It's about energy, creativity, sharing, and the list goes on and on. But what I love most is attendees and speakers have time to mix and learn from each other. New ideas are shared every day at ClickCon. Along with the speakers, the exhibitors represent a unique group of companies—again, all dedicated to helping you grow your skill set and thrive—not just survive. The special $149 registration price only runs until the end of this month. Click on the banner and check out the speaker lineup for the entire conference. And it's in Detroit this year, giving so many of you, in the Midwest especially, the opportunity for minimal travel costs! I shared the quote below in another post a week ago. It's perfect for why I believe so strongly in conferences like this. You can't create images that tug at people's heartstrings if your own heart isn't in them. One way to ensure your passion for the craft is always at its best is to avoid trying to "pour from an empty glass!" I hope to catch up with you at ClickCon! You Can't Pour From an Empty Glass
When you feel like you are running on empty, you are. Trust that, and take a step back. Rest. Heal. Collect yourself. Then reconnect. Only after you have refilled yourself will you be ready to dive back in and take over the world. Cyndie Spiegel ![]() by Skip Cohen I'm not sure how many years ago this started, but on Sundays, I began getting away from the topics of business and marketing. It's been at least a decade of rarely missing a Reflections post, and as I've written so many times, I only know what I'm going to write once I sit down at the computer. This morning, as we looked out on the backyard, I spotted the first bloom on the gardenia. We planted it years ago, but it's rarely bloomed with more than a few flowers. Well, this is the first of dozens, and two things struck me. To start, I was kind of amazed. This is the first flower, and as of late yesterday afternoon, there were only buds visible. Second, I had my phone in my pocket and decided to grab a shot. I played with a couple of Apple selections - first "portrait" and then "stage light." The result was the image above. But then I moved to "contour light" and the image below. No manipulation—it was right out of the camera with just a little bit of a crop. Stay with me because today's post isn't about technique or suggesting I'm a "real" photographer. What's on my mind is all about my life in this industry. My love for the craft started in high school, and it's never slowed down. Joining Polaroid in '70, Hasselblad in '87, followed by PhotoAlley, Rangefinder, WPPI, and off on my own in '09, my passion for imaging has never slowed down.
At the risk of sounding like this is a "born again" sermon - if you're not having the time of your life right now, you're doing something wrong. I'm not talking about the challenge and frustration of building your brand/business but the rush when you click the shutter. Even when you don't have a professional camera in your hands, that doesn't limit your ability to capture more memories. Sure, it's just a gardenia, but the fun of stopping to get a grab shot kicked off what I already know is going to be a great day! The images I got this morning represent the joy of a career well-traveled, well-lived, and still going. Along with my love for the craft, technology never slows down and deserves to be continuously embraced, as long as we don't forget to take the time to simply appreciate our ability to capture and create. Wishing everybody a day ahead that's filled with moments of joy. Take the time to have fun. "Fun" is one of those words we lose track of as it gets buried under the stress of business, life, and simply living. When you stop and take the time for a bit of fun, it changes your perspective. All of life's gremlins get put back in the box! Most importantly, today, grab a few shots of life around you. It's all pretty remarkable, and so often, we miss some of the most poignant moments. Hit those eleven-second hugs with the people you love the most—they're the ones to help you remember what's really important and help you stop to smell the roses—or, in my case, a gardenia! Happy Sunday...or Monday on the other side of the world. by Skip Cohen
After almost 15 years of sharing Throwback Thursday shots, I was bound to repeat myself. Today's post is a throwback of a throwback. I know I shared the two photographs above years ago, but it's graduation time, and I'm turning the clock back 50+ years. The back story is about five knuckleheads in their senior year of high school who had fun doing a spoof on cheerleading at one of the last basketball games of the season. That's Terry Q. and me in the first photograph, and in the pyramid, Bill M. and Don S. are on either side of me on the bottom, and Terry and Mike P. are on the top. We've lost touch with Bill, and Mike was way too young when he passed away at 52 over twenty years ago. Thanks to Facebook and a few reunions, Terry, Don, and I have kept in touch. But here's my point - throwbacks are about memories and added value to the craft we're all so passionate about. Different chapters of your life unfold through all those old photographs. Those memories are like seasoning on a great steak - they enhance the appreciation for the friendships and the people who have come and gone in our lives. If you have yet to go searching for your throwbacks, take a few minutes before you get too far into the day. Then, share them on social media or more privately with family and friends. Old pictures are terrific reminders of the importance of photography. Where would the world be without imaging? Happy Throwback Thursday! by Skip Cohen
It's that time of year. If you haven't cleaned up various aspects of your business as we go into the busy season, you'll never get around to it. While some of the things on my list are clean-up projects, others are necessary to help your business run smoother. As a kid, I remember being told I couldn't play with friends until I cleaned up my room. Later, as an adult, one of my dive buddies was told by his wife he couldn't go on a scuba trip until he cleaned his home office! Somebody reminding us to clean something up seems to follow us throughout life! Today, it's my turn to remind you that it's time to clean up different aspects your business. Or maybe it's outside your office or studio, and it's time to make sure your reservations for an upcoming conference are all set. The list goes on and on, but here are some things to think about:
No single post can include everything, but without any hesitation, ALL of you have something you've put off doing to strengthen your business in 2024. Don't let the year start out with a flat tire! In the same way you'd check everything out on your car if you were making a long road trip, do the same with your business. If you get stuck trying to figure something out, you know where to find me, and I'm happy to help. We're all too close to our own businesses; sometimes, it just takes another set of eyes! Looking back won't move you forward. Let the past go. Move on with the grace and wisdom that you've learned from every yesterday. Forgive yourself everything. You can't change what didn't happen or shift what did. Instead, live in the moment and look for all the beautiful possibility that today is filled with.* Cyndie Spiegel by Skip Cohen
It's Sunday, which means I'm going to hang up my marketing/business hat and get more personal. If you've followed me for even the shortest time, you already know this is my day to share whatever's on my mind or in my heart. I've written about a great habit, Sheila, and I got into - reading something inspirational every morning. Not everything we read always hits home, but now and then, there's a gem like yesterday's reading I've shared above. Like many of you, I've wasted too much time looking back. When I read the passage above, I loved the way she talked about what we've learned from every yesterday. Then came forgiving myself. When I look at my regrets, they all revolve around miscommunication, followed by a volley of wasted anger, hurtful responses, and, in the end, nothing I could change. Recognizing that my only option was to move forward, and with Sheila's help, I stopped looking back. There was no more speculation over all the "what-ifs" on things that can't be undone. The result has been remarkable, filled with all the beauty life offers and the recognition that living in the moment was the key to building something more lasting. Wishing you a day filled with beautiful possibilities and time to appreciate everything in your life that got you to today. Even the rough times have contributed to your ability to appreciate the joyful moments in your life. Go for those eleven-second hugs with the people most special in your life - they're a big part of the ingredients that help you keep moving forward. Look in your rearview mirror when you need to; just don't shift to reverse! Happy Sunday...or Monday on the other side of the world. *A Year of Positive Thinking by Cyndie Spiegel |
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