Why Not Let the Camera or Photoshop Create Your B&W Image?
I’ve spoken to a number of people who have assumed that I create my b&w images by putting my camera into monochrome mode or by simply desaturating my color images in Photoshop. That’s not how I create my black and white images, but why not? Why not let the camera or Photoshop do the work… continue reading
A story… Every autumn I go to Bandon, Oregon to photograph Monoliths. I have very specific conditions that I prefer; clear skies with wispy clouds that allow me to use long exposures on the Monoliths. Unfortunately this last October I had not called ahead and made this request with Zeus, the god of clouds, rain, thunder… continue reading
The Toughest Interview I’ve Ever Done – Vision Drawings: Session #1
Wedding Day My friend and photographer John Kosmopoulos recently interviewed me for his new series, Vision Drawings: Session #1 Honestly, it was one of the toughest interviews that I’ve ever done, not because John was tough, but because the questions were difficult for me to answer. At one point I frustratedly told John that I… continue reading
Last weekend my wife and I stopped at a garage sale that was hosted by three very old ladies who were selling some very old things (both the ladies and their items were “vintage”). Amongst their knick knacks I spotted a leather camera bag with a post-it note that said “make offer.” I didn’t need… continue reading
The Story Behind the Image – Iceland No. 30
Iceland No. 30 Why did I include this image in my Iceland portfolio, when I consider it just “average” at best? Because it reminds me of the story behind the image. It was in September of 2013 that I spend two weeks driving around Iceland and it was heaven: I was alone, I had no… continue reading
Grain Silo No. 51 Lenswork Daily featured a 3 minute audio excerpt from my interview with Brook Jensen regarding this image. http://daily.lenswork.com/2014/03/the-art-of-grain-silos-by-cole-thompson.html
I don’t wish to offend anyone, but watermarks drive me crazy! I find them distracting and it ruins the viewing experience for me. I’m not sure which is more offensive, the transparent ones that go completely across the image or the bright white ones in the corner of the image. Imagine if you printed your… continue reading
Words Are Very Unnecessary, They Can Only Do Harm
Ancient Stones No. 23 – Alabama Hills – 2014 In the beginning was the scene, and the scene was good. But not everyone could see the scene, and so man invented photography so that all could enjoy the beauty. And then other men invented the art expert. The experts did not think it was enough… continue reading
The so-called rules of photographic composition are, in my opinion, invalid, irrelevant, immaterial.
Harbinger No. 16 – 2014 Ansel Adams said: “The so-called rules of photographic composition are, in my opinion, invalid, irrelevant, immaterial.” And I’ll go one step further and say that in my opinion these rules are actually harmful because they get in the way of developing creativity and Vision. For years I’ve rebelled against the… continue reading
Today I visited the Manzanar “war relocation center” near Lone Pine, California. It was one of ten camps where the US Government held 110,000 people of Japanese ancestry during World War II. Two thirds of these people were American citizens, many born in this country and yet they were deprived of their liberty and property… continue reading
