#TBT - A 1998 Priceless Moment

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

,by Skip Cohen

Years ago, I said I'd stop using the Jodi Picoult quote above, but honestly, I've never found one better. The shot above is a perfect example. The woman on the left was my mother-in-law, and the woman on the right was my mother. Cantrell Portrait Design captured the image at my son's wedding in 1998, and it's priceless!

"Ma," on the left, was fighting bone cancer and was so excited to live long enough to make her grandson's wedding. She passed away two years later, but nothing was going to keep her from the celebration. My mother, on the right, passed away in 2013 after eight years of fighting Alzheimer's. Just like my mother-in-law at the time, the joy at being at her grandson's wedding was immeasurable.

But here's my point - as photographers, you're magicians. You stop time and turn intangible memories into photographs people can hold and cherish forever. That comes with a serious responsibility: always do your very best and capture the moments your clients might miss.

And there's a secondary point - take the time to hunt for those old photographs, wherever they might be stashed. I've made Throwback Thursday my day to wander through my files looking for an image I haven't shared before. I have to admit that after all these years of weekly throwback posts, it's getting harder and harder, but that doesn't change how much joy those old photographs bring.

So, have you gone off on your own hunt today?

​Happy Throwback Thursday!