Rest in peace, my friend, Chip Hooper. Chip was a childhood friend of mine. He was one of my best friends from the time that I was about 7 years old until we were aged 12. My family moved around that time and though we saw and talked to each other occasionally, our lives didn’t intersect enough. I can remember many sleepovers at his parents house in Glen Ellyn – staying up late to watch “Creature Features” and going through his comic books while he often battled, in the way that brothers and sisters do, with his sister Nancy, who was just a little older than us. Mostly, I remember laughing a lot around Chip.

I’m sure many of my swim-related facebook friends will remember him as well and maybe some of my music or photography friends. Chip and I shared a lot of the same hobbies and interests though it’s been about 20 years since we last spoke, which is a shame because I did think of him often. We were on a national record setting medley relay team together in those early years of swimming (I don’t know why, but I remember our

A dear friend has passed and I didn’t even know he was suffering. He is, and always will be, part of my fabric. I am grateful to have known him but in disbelief that he is no longer walking around on this earth. He was the most ALIVE person. Loud, tall, friendly, confident and so very loving. He was well known in the music industry but I only knew him as a talented photographer, devoted father and loyal friend.

I found out that he passed because of his beloved daughter’s post on FB. I haven’t seen him in 10 years. Too long. Much too long. I have been fighting the sobs and tears for a few days and can only imagine what his family must be feeling. I want to hear his voice and his laugh, but all I can do is remember him and honor him with my vivid memories.

In this game of basketball. Parents play a key roll. While some can be too into it and some really just don’t care about their kids (until they get rich) at all, sad to say.

When I first got a chance to talk to Chip Hooper you could tell he really loved his son Max and was extremely supportive.

Chip wasn’t delusional, he felt that his son was the best 3pt shooter in the country. Chip just wanted to find a college that would give him a chance to flourish.

You’ve become this majestic everythingness. This view is now you, and as you were, there you are; forever inspiring and incredibly beautiful. Happy Birthday my friend- It’s been an honor!

1. The first time I met Chip and Max was at the 2006 California State Championship game in Sacramento. At that moment I would have never guessed the connection that will later develop throughout our lives.

2. Our first EBO basketball trip in Las Vegas, Chip challenged me to a one-on-one basketball game. I thought it was a friendly match, before I realized the game was serious, I was already down 7 to 0. Chip ends up winning the game with a bank shot three. Chip then proceeds to take the net down as if he won the NCAA championship. Looking back, Chip’s post footwork wasn’t bad at all.

3. My surprise sweet 16-birthday party! Chip and Max came up to the bay area to attend.  I was completely surprised and excited, for everybody I had loved was in attendance.

4. In 2008, our basketball team went to France for a trip. At the time I had a lot of personal issues on my mind. I was not playing much on the trip, and got seriously depressed. During the trip, Chip came and picked me up one night and took me on drive around

We worked with Chip back in the spring of 1999, when we were producing issue #25 of our fine art photography publication, LensWork. Chip’s portfolio of “Big Sur and The California Coast” had been selected for publication, and although a Big Name in the music industry he was thrilled to have his black-and-white work acknowledged in our not-yet-global publication. When we chose his image for the cover, you’d think he’d won the lottery. He was over the moon. A fun memory…

I knew Chip from my days at BGP. He was always doing business/great friends with my boss, and whenever he’d call we’d talk and joke for 20 minutes before he’d get down to business. We shared the same sarcastic, sometimes evil humor and by the time we were done faux insulting each other, it was almost embarrassing. In the last five years or so, we started talking again – can’t recall exactly how that started but it was such a joy for me. We’d go months with no contact and then talk maybe three times in the same week.  What we had in common was our love of our kids. He was so smart and inquisitive and we both really enjoyed just shooting the breeze. Twenty years ago, I had told him a story about a friend telling me that his ‘comfort zone’ was challenged and Chip never forgot it after all that time. Every time he called he would start with “how’s your comfort zone?”. I miss him so much and always will. Much love to his family and loved ones.

Happy Bitthday Caveman, he let me call him that over the phone, but never in person. In person I never called chip any names.. I’m lying I called him a few expletives that we shared from time to time. He loved a genuine conversation, using foul language hah… I love this man, and I barely love my own father .. Thank you for being there when no one had my back Mr. Hooper. Ashes to Ashes Caveman ?✊?

Chip grew up around the corner from us – he was my brother’s best friend.  As kids, they would camp out in our back yard, make breakfast over the “campfire,” and they messed around with photography together.  My mom and dad even “hired” Chip to take photos for the football program at the high school.  His photography roots run deep, as does his connection to our family.  Chip always made a point to stay in touch with the family over the years, despite the fact that his grade-school buddy was no longer with us – and that has meant so much to us.  He was a good, kind and thoughtful man and we will miss him deeply.  The Matthew family sends their condolences to the entire Hooper family.

I heard the news from Max just a few hours ago, as I was about to board a flight from Phoenix to JFK.

I thought about Chip the whole ride home.

He was a special man.  More special than most people realize, even those who worked closely with him.

When I first met him more than 25 years ago, he impressed me, both as a businessman and as a person.  But then he inspired me – his work struck a chord with me and reawakened a passion for photography that had faded over the decades.

As intense and frenetic as his professional life could be, his photography was all about slowing down, both in technique and representation.

Taking his time with extraordinarily long exposures, and then freezing the world around him with remarkable clarity and precision, Chip truly understood the urgency of stopping to appreciate those special moments and the beauty that surrounds us.  

When 9/11 struck, and freaked the rest of us out, it was Chip who saw the opportunity to set up his camera at the beach, and open the shutter for hours so he could capture the paths of stars moving across the