On April 1, Happiness Hour marks its sixth anniversary—and our 284th session. What started as a simple way to stay connected during the uncertainty of COVID has grown into something steady, meaningful, and deeply rooted: a Wednesday night ritual of learning, laughing, and making better photographs.
In those early days, the goal was connection. Cameras gave us a reason to gather, but it was the shared experience—the conversations, the curiosity, the sense that we were all figuring things out together—that kept us coming back. Somewhere along the way, that weekly check-in became a commitment. Not just to show up, but to keep growing.
One of the most remarkable parts of this journey has been the voices we’ve welcomed into the room. We’ve heard from photographers who have stood behind the scenes as a President’s official White House photographer, from the artist who documented the world of Michael Jackson, and from a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner whose work has shaped how history is seen and remembered.
But just as meaningful—if not more so—have been the stories shared by members of this very community. Photographers who didn’t set out to teach, but who showed us something anyway: a new way to see light, to approach a subject, or to find meaning in an image. Those are the moments that linger. The ones that quietly shift how we look through the lens.
Happiness Hour has never been about perfection. It’s about paying attention. It’s about trying something new, embracing the occasional “crappy” photo, and discovering that growth often comes from simply staying curious.
Six years in, that spirit hasn’t changed. Every Wednesday night still holds the possibility of learning something unexpected, of seeing something differently, of being inspired by someone else’s way of looking at the world.
So to everyone who has shown up—whether you’ve been here since the beginning or just joined last week—thank you. And to every guest speaker who has so generously shared their time, their work, and their perspective, thank you for helping shape what Happiness Hour has become.
284 sessions later, we’re still gathering. Still learning. Still laughing.
And still making a lot of good photographs.
