Watching CNN this morning, I was reminded why I love our industry. I saw updates on the California fires and interviews of several residents who lost their homes (luckily, they were able to grab the family and their pets). Person after person evoked a common theme. Everything they had was gone--all material things had vaporized. But the first loss they mentioned was their pictures! Many cried as they talked about the images they lost--children growing up, portraits of those who'd passed on, events, and celebrations of life.
A similar thing happened after 9-11: people realized how important it was to keep up with family portraits and photos, freezing time and recording life. Before photography, only a few powerful people had images created of them. Photography changed that. For over 100 years, our industry and its master storytellers have made a mark on the lives of millions. What our members do (and you support and improve with products and services) goes much deeper than we sometimes realize.
Take a moment from your crazy day. Take a deep breath, sit back, and realize that we are all involved in an incredible industry that is well-worth the effort. It's one of the reasons that PPA has been around almost 130 years, and I've been hanging around for 19 of those. Thank you all for all you do in the industry to make it better. And thank you for the support you give PPA, so we can keep protecting and helping the folks who make the magic: photographers.
Scott Hersh
Director of Sales and Strategic Alliances
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