Throwback Thursday With a Twist by Glen Clark

by Skip Cohen

It's a very different Throwback Thursday post this week, but so appropriate.

Glen Clark and I have been friends since we first met close to thirty years ago through another mutual friend, Terry Deglau, then at Kodak. We've worked together on a long list of projects, and he's one of a small group of buddies who's high on the call list when I need a lift. 

He sent me the post below, and I'm ecstatic he's allowed me to share it here. It's Throwback Thursday, and these days none of us have to turn the clock back very far for the fun of old photographs and a walk down Memory Lane. 

During the last five months of downtime, one of the most popular activities for every photographer has been cleaning out our closets. As I look at my own collection of photographs over the years, I'm a perfect candidate for a show on hoarding. I have an attic full of prints, many of them framed that will never see the light of day - but we're out of wall space!

Glen's dealing with a challenge we can all identify with - letting go of the footprints from our journey to make room for new ones. And the reason it's so hard? Jodi Picoult's quote, which I've shared numerous times says it all:

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

by Glen Clark

​I am struggling through a sad reality…

As a photography professional, I've spent the better part of my life believing in and promoting that captured images represent memories, moments and milestones we will cherish during our lives and, in some cases, pass along as family heritage and precious treasures. And as an industry, we've promoted the value of large wall prints and decor items for home, office, and even commercial/business/public spaces. These "works of art" have enhanced our environments. 

My wife and I have accumulated more than our fair share of photographic art pieces and wall prints, each representing moments in our lives we cherish. But, we're now at that stage when we are reducing, cutting back, and "lightening the load." Our cherished print collection has become a burden.

Our children and their children don't want the "Family Heritage" things we've collected (including our works of art). The sad reality is we need to let these things go. We've shared the few items wanted by family and friends.

Before our treasures are tossed, we're copying them, so we at least have digital memories. I'm now creating digital copies (another story in itself), followed by destroying the originals and throwing them in the trash. An hour after we grabbed the photograph above, the prints around me were gone. It was heartbreaking…but at the same time, it was a bit "freeing."
 
What advice would I share with my younger self if I could? Here are a few conclusions:

• Photo images are most valuable for the memories (joy) they inspire and rekindle.
• A small memento image can trigger the same beautiful memories, as effectively, as a large one.
• It's better to have timely access to a few significant images than to be burdened with a bulk of files and prints.
• To help you readily find what you want when you want it, figure out early-on a system of categorizing your images (by date, event, people involved, etc.).

TRUTH – Having one readily available image when wanted is far more valuable than having multiples that need to be searched for to locate.

• It is beneficial to caption meaningful images, especially those that are printed. Including names, dates, places, memories, notes, etc. This will be very valuable down the road. Personal memories can be faulty.
• Be frugal when considering investing in what may seem worthwhile at the time, but could likely end up being frivolous in the long run (such as collecting things). Just because items look good or go together doesn't mean you need to have them all. That's a tough one to figure out, but I know from personal experience that spending $$$ collecting every Peter Pan item I came across didn't keep me from growing older (and now I wish I had all that $$$ instead of the "things" which I now need to off-load).

The one huge takeaway is this… 

Cherish each moment for the beauty, friendship, love, etc. it contains and, if you want, keep a few things to remind you of the good times. However, remember that today is here and now, and therefore more valuable than yesterday and tomorrow is not guaranteed. Live well, enjoy each day, share your love with people, cherish those close to you, and thank God for it all.

Follow Glen on his Facebook page. You'll never be disappointed in what he's sharing!