(Floating Leaf)

I have several new images that were taken this month in Northern Colorado. Two of the images were taken under the I-70 freeway in Denver, right next to the Purina dog food factory (there is quite a strong and distinctive smell there!).

At this location the freeway is elevated for about 2 miles and an entirely different world exists below. Here, perpetual darkness reigns and a surreal sub-culture has developed.

I encountered winos, gang members, the homeless, drug addicts and prostitutes; all curious about what I was doing. I have to admit that at times I was a concerned about my safety, but I operated on the theory that if I projected a confident image, they would leave me alone, which they did.

While I was photographing the corroded underside of the structure, a drunk approached to tell me that his father had helped build it in the early 1940's. It's really not hard to believe that this road is 60 years old, its condition is frightening as one of my images will illustrate!

The other images in this group are from several locations including a stained glass factory near Eaton, Colorado. This factory is in the middle of nowhere and has managed to compete with Chinese imports, but just barely. The owners told me that China subsidizes the energy costs so that the imported glass sells for less than what the company spends just on the natural gas to fire the furnace! On top of that they have all of the additional manufacturing, packaging and shipping costs. Fortunately, this little company produces a better stained glass...for now.

I learned many things this month.

(Streetlight Under I-70)

(Three Lawn Chairs)

(Grain Silo Detail No. 37)

For those of you who enjoy metal and appreciate Grain Silos, I have good news; there are several new additions to my Grain Silo portfolio from my new work.

It's been great fun driving the Eastern Plains of Colorado in search of silos. I've driven hundreds of miles on obscure dirt roads, ate at some funky local diners and met some wonderful farm families. I saw a completely different America than the one you see on television or in large cities, these are hard-working, honest and friendly people.

I've compiled all of the Grain Silo images onto a single web page for you to view (these are not yet available to the general public). What I would love for you to do, is look at them and then rank them in the order of your preference. Everyone's tastes are different and so it's very helpful for me to see how these images affect you. I've numbered the images from 1 to 27 for easy reference.

After you've ranked them, please email me at Cole@ColeThompsonPhotography.com

Thank you!

(Clouds)

When people walk into a room and see my 5 foot "Clouds" image, the reaction and ensuing discussion is always the same:

"Wow! Where was that taken?"

"On my third attempt to climb Mount Everest"

"Really?"

No! It was taken out by the cement plant in Laporte!"

This always produces a good laugh and is a great ice breaker. But one time I had a man turn to me and say: "I'm a meteorologist and that was NOT taken in Nepal!" I was busted!

So, what's the "real" story behind this image? Sometimes people think, including photographers, that great images come from extensive planning, great hardship and long waits. While that sometimes produces a great image, I'm usually just lucky enough to stumble onto something great and I take the time to photograph it. Here's how I came to create "Clouds;"

My family and I had been in the car for 3 straight days as we drove home from San Francisco at the end of a 3 week vacation. We were tired; tired of hotels, tired of restaurant food and tired of driving. The kids were even tired of watching movies!

We were two miles from home and everyone was stirring, excited about getting out of the car and seeing the animals. In mere minutes we would be home!

But then I saw it, an enormous thunderhead, the largest I had ever seen in my life!

My first thought was; "I have to stop."
My second thought was; "The family will kill me!"
My third thought was; "You made a promise that you'd never pass by an opportunity again."

So I told my family that I was stopping for a photograph, and while they were screaming at me I quickly set up my equipment and took the shot. Because the cloud was so large (the above mentioned meteorologist said it was about 20 miles wide) I took a photograph of the left side, the center and the right side.

When I got home and looked at the images , I knew I had something special, but I also knew that a lot of hard work would have to go into it before it was perfect (see one of the original images below). First I "stitched" the three images together to make the large panoramic image you see above. Then I had to convert the image to black & white and bring out the power and fury of the cloud. I did this by "dodging and burning" the details in the cloud with a graphics tablet. It's a bit like painting on the photograph to bring out the highlights and darken the shadows to improve the contrast.

My goal was to make the photograph have the same visual impact as I felt standing there that day. Unfortunately the small image above does not do it justice, you really need to see the five foot version and and then say to me "Wow! Where was that taken?"

(one of the three original Cloud Images)

(Inside the Silo)

Here's where my work and I have been recently:

(The Angel Gabriel)

Between now and Christmas, take 40% off on all of my "Signature Series" Images (signed and archivally matted):

16X20 - Regular price was $250, Now $150
20X24 - Regular price was $350, Now $210

For stocking stuffers you might consider:

Classic Images in b&w, 28 page booklet, only $9.95
Giclee Posters of any Cole Thompson image, only $39

To place an order, simply email Cole at Cole@ColeThompsonPhotography.com

To ensure a Christmas delivery, please order early!



P.S. I am selling my Canon EF 70-300 IS USM lens that I purchased 1/6/2006. It's in perfect condition, mechanically and optically (I upgraded to the 100-400 L lens). If you're interested, email or call me!