Throwback Thursday: Why It's So Important

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

Me, Dunc and Bob Thompson in Spokane just a week before he passed away.

by Skip Cohen

​I know I've often promised I'd never use that quote again, but I lied! The truth is, there isn't another one better suited to the moment. 

It's my favorite day of the week, and today's post is a perfect example of why throwbacks are important. I rarely have any idea what I'm going to share in advance. Most of my posts are written the same day they're published, and throwback themes are no exception. This morning, I went off searching for "buried treasure" and found these shots of my good buddy Duncan MacNab in an old file on Shutterfly.

Photographs bring back memories - Duncan may have "left the building," but not my heart. And while I miss my buddy, it doesn't change the smile on my face looking at the grabshot on his boat from twenty+ years ago. Duncan had a boat on Lake Mead in Las Vegas, and we spent a few hours together on the water. It was a perfect day, and when I spotted this photograph, it brought back so many times we caught up to each other.

We used to laugh about the line, "He who dies with the most toys wins!" Well, Duncan had the most toys of anybody I know. From his stereo system to snowmobiles, to the Harley, his gun collection, dive gear, camera collection, woodworking tools, and even a gas grill on runners for snowmobile trips - if something was missing, none of us could figure out what it was.

But with all those toys, what I remember most is Dunc's heart - it was bigger than life itself, and his focus on people he considered friends never wavered. He had an amazing zest for life. If you were a friend, then you also knew that he always had your back. He was ALWAYS there if you needed help.
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Another good buddy, Bob Thompson, and I visited Duncan a year ago today. For those of you who never knew Duncan, I shared a more in-depth post when he passed away. Here's the link.

Here's my point: Where would we be without imaging? The fun and power of Throwback Thursday is in the memories old photographs and videos bring back. Whether they result in tears or laughter makes no difference. We're all part of a fantastic industry that turns intangible moments into something we can hold and savor.

Happy Throwback Thursday!

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