For Love of B&W: Cole Thompson’s Ethereal Landscapes
Editors note: I discovered Cole Thompson’s beautiful photography and website while wandering the net. Cole is a true artist whose passion for nature photography is very obvious. He does not ‘shoot for the markets’, he just shoots and his imagery is presented in a manner we often don’t see and I am sure you will agree. Many of images would in my opinion, not be as powerful in color as they are in B&W. I had to know more about him and his work so I asked him if he would tell us about himself and his photography.
I am an amateur as measured by the old definition of the word; I am self taught, I create out of love and do not use my art to earn a living. I feel extremely fortunate to create only that which inspires me, without regard to how the markets or critics will receive my work. My only measure of success is how I feel about my art.
I am often asked, why black and white? It may be because I was born into a black and white world. Television, movies and the news were all in black and white. My heroes were in black and white and even the nation was segregated into black and white. Perhaps my images are an extension of the world in which I grew up.
I cannot categorize my work since my subject matter is so varied and diverse. In addition to several traditional landscape and seascape projects, my portfolios have ranged from “The Ghosts of Auschwitz-Birkenau” in which I portray the spirits of the dead who still linger at the death camps, to a distorted architectural series entitled “The Fountainhead.” From a street portrait series entitled “Ukrainians, With Eyes Shut” to unique look at “Ceiling Lamps” which were photographed from directly below. … Continue Reading
