(Tuscarawas Spillway)

I was only in Ohio for a couple of days and I only had a few hours to work on photography, but I did find two new images. The one above follows my "Fluid Water" theme, it was a taken on a spillway on the Tuscarawas river in Akron, Ohio.

The other image is something new and different. I was in a Fairfield Inn lobby when I saw an interesting ceiling lamp and then found myself laying on the floor looking up at it! (one person tried to help me up and two others attempted to give CPR!).

This lamp fascinated me and so I setup my equipment and spent about 30 minutes shooting on my back. I pretty much took over the lobby, but I didn't ask for permission since I operate under theory that "it's easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission!"

I am intrigued with this ceiling lamp idea and I'm considering a portfolio on the subject. Please take a look at the image and let me know what you think.

Click here to view the Ceiling Lamp image.

(Grain Silo Detail No. 54)

I hit the jackpot with my Grain Silo images this month! I've added 10 new images and they are some of my best yet. These images are more abstract than some of my past silos, they play with both light and shape to create dark and surreal images.

Silos can be plain and monochromatic, so it's a real challenge to see them differently. One very interesting quality of a silo is the way the light interacts with the adjacent silos. Its reflections can create highlights where no sunlight exists. Also, because the silos are round, the light reflects off the silo as a single vertical point that always follows you. It's this unique quality that also creates these incredibly contrasting areas.

Grain Silo Detail No. 65 is an example of these contrasts. This image was taken in full sunlight with the sun behind my back. It almost appears to be a negative image.

Grain Silo Detail No. 51 is another example of how I used the vertical reflection to my advantage. I positioned a telephone in front of the reflection and allowed the pole's shadow to appear in the image.

So even though silos can initially appear quite boring, there are many circumstances in which their hidden qualities can be revealed.

Look at the new images or at the entire Grain Silo Portfolio.

(Chuzenji-ko and String of Pearls)

What do these two images have in common? Despite having completely different looks, they were taken from the exact same spot just minutes apart.

While travelling to Tokyo in 2006, I took a short day trip to the village of Chuzenji-ko, home of Kegon Falls. The 318 foot waterfall has been a traditional place for lovers with no prospect of marriage to commit suicide.

Having gotten off of the bus, I walked up to the edge of Chuzenji-ko Lake and surveyed the scene. It was a very sunny day and somewhere in the distance a forest fire produced a blinding haze. On the water were vacationers in paddle boats and this is the site of the image on the left, "Chuzenji-ko."

I wanted to take a 30 second exposure, leaving the boaters as mere blurs against the rigidity of the pilings. A long exposure is very difficult to achieve in bright sunlight and I had to use all three of my Neutral Density filters so that I could reduce the amount of light to 1/8000th of the original scene (13 f-stops).

The image turned out exactly as I had envisioned it. A bright, almost white image with the black pilings and the blur of the boaters.

Turning to my left, I saw fisherman's floats on the lake just yards from the waterfalls. Here I envisioned a very dark image, again with a long exposure that betrayed the flow of the water. The image on the right is entitled "String of Pearls."

The two images, taken from the same spot and only minutes apart, yield two completely different moods.

The mood and look of an image is often determined more by your vision than by your surroundings.

(When, by Susan Burnstine)

I would like to introduce you to a photographer whose work I admire and who is a personal friend; Susan Burnstine.

Susan is a gifted photographer who creates dream-like visions with hand-made cameras. She has created twenty different cameras and lenses primarily from plastic, vintage camera parts and random household objects.

The effects of her images are created entirely in-camera, rather than with post processing manipulations. These hand-made cameras and lenses are frequently unpredictable and technically challenging.

In spite of the rudimentary equipment, the results continue to challenge and inspire. I find Susan's work stunningly beautiful and recommend her work to you.

View Susan Burnstine's beautiful images.

This is the ad that I'll be running in the February 2008 issue of B&W Magazine. It will be mailed out right after Christmas and on the newsstands shortly thereafter.

The ad will be offering a free sample print from one of fourteen selected images. The prints are approximately 4.5" X 7" and are printed on the same heavyweight, 100% cotton rag that my larger prints are printed on.

So watch for the ad and the details!

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

(Dark Sheep)

There are only about 3 weeks left to purchase one of my prints for 40% off of the regular prices (this offer expires 12/24/2007):

* My 8X12 images, matted to 16X20 are now $150

* My 10X15 images, matted to 20X24 are now $210

* My 16X24 images, numbered and matted to 26X34 are now $345

Order soon and I'll have these to you by Christmas!

To order, simply email me at Cole@ColeThompsonPhotography.com

And please remember that my booklet, "classic images in black & white" is still available for $7.95 plus $2.00 s&h. Read More