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Dear Cole,
This
is the Angel Gabriel. I met him on the
Newport Beach pier as he was eating French Fries
out of a trash can. He was homeless and
hungry. I asked him if he would help me with
a photograph and in return, I would buy him
lunch.
The
pier was very crowded and I wanted to take a 30
second exposure so that everyone would disappear
except Gabriel. We tried a few shots and
then Gabriel wanted to hold his bible. The
image worked and the only people you can see
besides Gabriel are those "ghosts" who lingered
long enough for the camera.
Gabriel
and I then went into a restaurant to share a meal;
he ordered steak with mushrooms and onions.
When it came, he ate it with his hands. I
discovered he was Romanian and so am I, so we
talked about Romania. He was simple, kind
and a pleasure to talk with.
I
asked Gabriel how I might contact him, in case I
sold some of the photographs and
wanted
to share the money with him. He said I
should give the money to someone who could really
use it; that he had everything that he
needed.
Then
the Angel Gabriel walked away, content and
carrying his only two possessions: a Bible and a
bed roll.
May
20th, 2006
~
The
Thanksgiving and Christmas season is a great time
to slow down and reflect on those things that are
important to us. And it's a time to
give.
Liberty
Mutual has run a series of commercials that really
touched me. They are very short and
power powerful and are
centered around the "pay it forward"
concept.
I
hope you'll watch them.
~
If
you're planning on giving a beautiful gift this
season, I have a few items that may be
appropriate. Please see more below.
Have a
wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas. Cole
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Fluid
Water
(Fluid
Water No. 45 - 2010)
I'm
teaching a workshop on "Vision" at The Center for Fine Art
Photography and one day before class we went
out to create images together. We walked
along the Poudre River and this is a new image
that I particularly liked. My fascination
with long exposures began with water and I think
I'll be working once again on my " Fluid Water"
series. |
Why
Photographs Work
Why
Photographs Work, by George
Barr"52 Great Images, What Makes
Them Special, Who Made The, and Why
Every
photographer, from amateur to pro, can learn by
studying the "greats". In Why Photographs Work,
author/photographer George Barr analyzes 52
striking images by some of the world's top
photographers. Accompanying Barr's analysis of
each image is an explanation by the photographer
describing the making of the image, including not
only the how, but also the why. Also included is a
brief technical description of the equipment used
in making each image.
With guidance from
Barr, we learn to decipher that certain intangible
"something" that makes an image go beyond the
ordinary. As we gain an understanding of and
appreciation for the elements that make an image
truly great, we are bound to improve our own
images as well.
Included
are images by: Charles Cramer, Bruce Barnbaum,
Harald Mante, Dan Burkholder, Nick Brandt, Hans
Strand, Roman Loranc, Huntington Witherill, Susan
Burnstine, Ryuijie, Beth Moon, Phil Borges, Shaun
O'Boyle, David Ward, Michael Levin, Michael
Reichmann, Michael Kenna, Cole Thompson, George
Jerkovich, Bengt Ekelberg, Sandra Davis, Brian
Kosoff, Joe Lipka, Gordon Lewis, Lawrence
Chrismas, Craig Richards, and many more.
Available
through Amazon.com
|
(Auschwitz
No. 14 - 2008) George Barr's
Analysis of Auschwitz No. 14:
How do you
photograph a place of evil, a place where
millions died? A simple record of the facility
hardly conveys the history of the place. Images
of starving inmates liberated near the end of
World War II were certainly effective and
helped places like this become memorials to those
who suffered and those who died, yet here we
are in a different century, a different
millennium, and even grandparents remember
little if anything of the horrors. What an
effective way then, to photograph the ghosts of
the people who were shipped to camps like this
by the trainload.
One hardly needs the
image title to know that this is not a good place.
Even the ghosts are not required to know that
this is some sort of prison, and that with
an unprotected electric fence, human life is
not important to the keepers. However, we do
have the title, and the ghosts remind us of the
millions who never left, who died for little
more than jealousy, fear, and ignorance.
It
isn't entirely clear how Cole was able to record
the ghost figures, but it has been remarkably
effective. I feel that if I could focus just a bit
better, I'd be able to see individuals, but I
can't quite focus, and this reinforces the sense
of loss, of waste. Even the foreground has
telltale signs of prisoners, faded to almost
nothing as we put the past out of mind. The
black sky and dark buildings are
ominous-the guard tower a symbol of evil,
holding back the mass of
people.
Photographs like this make us
uncomfortable. In one way they are far
removed from the pristine landscapes by
photographers like Ansel Adams, yet those
images too had a message-"This place is worth
preserving"-and whether the goal is to cause
you to remember, to feel guilty, or to make you
sad, the message is still stronger when the
usual tools of good photographs and composition
prevail. Of course, Ansel also photographed
politically sensitive subjects, photographing
interned Japanese Americans at
Manzanar.
The ghosts are all the more
effective the simple uncluttered ground they stand
on, the fence and electric insulators shown
against the dark background in a menacing way, and
the guard tower with its simple black background.
The overall image is dark, stark, and somber, yet
the ghosts show light-perhaps symbolizing guilt
and innocence, evil and good. The tonalities of
the ghosts are very effective, almost pretty, and
that thought makes us even more uncomfortable,
knowing that it is a totally inappropriate thought
in viewing an image like this.
More
often than not, a strong design and an uncluttered
image will be more effective in getting one's
message across. This is a powerful and disturbing
image in which technique has been used, not as
an end in itself, but simply as a tool. A very
effective
tool.
|
Print
Drawing Winner
Tom and
Sammy The winner of this month's
drawing is Tom Aellis from Freehold, NJ.
I'll be sending Tom a matted print of " Fluid Water No. 3." Tom
is an amazing man, hard stricken with MS and
raising his amazing son Jared. Despite all
of Tom's challenges, he always maintains a great
and positive attitude. He's been an
inspiration to me. |
Five
Christmas Gift Ideas
Idea Number
1: Poster
What
better way is there to say "I love black and
white!" then by hanging great images on your
wall? Posters are available for any of the
several hundred images on my website.
The posters are 16X20, delivered in a tube
and postage is included in the US.
Price:
$39
|
Idea Number
2: A Small
Print
Looking at a
wonderful print on screen is nice...but nothing
like holding an original in your hands! Give
the gift of a real print to a friend or loved
one.
These "Small Prints" are 6X9 on
an 8-1/2 X 11 fine art paper. Archivally
printed, they are a simply gorgeous choice that
must be held to be appreciated. Choose any
of the several hundred images on my
website.
Price:
$65
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Idea Number 3:
Monolith FolioThe Monolith folio is a collection
of eight prints that you select from my Monolith
portfolio and which I individually print. If
an image is worth a thousand words, then viewing
this folio is is like a reading a book of eight
thousand words, with each image portraying a
different chapter in the story of the monoliths of
the Oregon Coast. The images are archivally
printed on 8-1/2 X 11 art paper and enclosed in a
tasteful folio case.
Price:
$200 |
Idea Number 4: 8X12
Matted Print
An
original print, signed, tastefully matted and
framed is the ultimate gift for the lover of black
and white photography. These 8X12 prints are
matted to 16X20, numbered (open edition) and then
signed. Choose from any of the images from
my website.
Price:
$250
|
Idea Number 5: 10X15
Matted PrintA larger
print breaths life into the images. At 10X15
and then matted to 20X24, these prints are
impressive. Price:
$400 |
How
to Order
(Primordial
Soup - Oregon Coast -
2008)
Ordering is
simple and personal. Find the image you have
fallen in love with on my website and then
email me at Cole@ColeThompsonPhotography.com
or call me at 970-218-9649. I take
the calls and I print the orders. Very
simple, very
personal.
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The
Fountainhead
(The
Fountainhead No. 80 - Columbus,
OH)
Here are four new
images in The Fountainhead series, two from
Columbus and two from Akron, OH.
View the entire Fountainhead
portfolio.
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(The
Fountainhead No. 81 - Columbus,
OH)
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(The
Fountainhead No. 82 - Akron,
OH)
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(The
Fountainhead No. 83 - Akron, OH)
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About
Cole Thompson Photography
(Windmills Against
Clouds - 2006)
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