Photographer Cole Thompson likes tall buildings. He likes them so much he traveled to more than 15 cities around the United States taking pictures, even at the risk of being detained for suspicious behavior.
Photographing provides some real challenges since 9/11, Thompson said. A lot of security guards and police think youre somehow breaking the law when youre photographing a tall building.
While shooting photos for his new series, titled The Fountainhead, he was accosted many times by well-meaning people who thought he was up to no good. In Omaha, a security guard detained Thompson and tried to confiscate his camera. He said he actually had to call the police himself to get out of the situation and get his camera back.
The internationally known black-and-white photographer will present his images at an opening show from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, July 23, at Sideshow Emporium and Gallery, 411 Central, Dolores.
The Fountainhead series is based on the classic book of the same name. The book, written by Ayn Rand, is about an individualistic young architect who chooses to struggle in obscurity rather than compromise his artistic and personal vision.
Its about libertarianism the freedom to make ones own choices, Thompson said.
The architectural photos in the series are severely distorted and were created after Thompson was inspired by a reflection off a minivans curved back window while stuck in traffic in downtown San Diego.
The back window was tinted and acted like a mirror, he said. I was seeing buildings distorted in its reflection and thought: I love that look. How can I recreate it?
Thompson couldnt find enough tinted minivan windows to photograph off of, so he used a ferrotype plate that was used in darkrooms many years ago to produce a glossy image on a print. He bent the highly polished metal plate and used it to take photographs of buildings reflections.
He made specific trips just to photograph buildings in Little Rock, Ark.; Akron, Ohio; Portland, Ore.; Oklahoma City and Salt Lake City, among others. He also took photos in Denver because it was close to his home in Laporte, Colo.
He decided not to shoot in New York, Los Angeles or San Francisco because they are so crowded with people, but he might hit those cities in the future.
Thompsons favorite place to take photos of buildings was Dallas, where he spent 10 hours one day walking every street in the city.
It was a clean city. It was a nice city, he said. I was never accosted by anyone. It was just a pleasant experience.
Thompsons passion for photography began at age 14. He confessed that for the next 10 years there was nothing in his life except photography. He also dreamed of becoming an architect and loves The Fountainhead series because it combines his two loves. At age 17, Thompson decided he wasnt going to mix money and art. For the past 25 years, hes managed private vocational colleges that train young adults for medical professions.
He still pursues photography as a passion on the side. After 30 years in and out of a darkroom, he loves digital cameras because they allow him to do things he never could have done in the old days.
He uses Canon cameras, but believes all cameras are just tools to bring the shot into compliance with his vision.
I dont get too hung up on equipment, he said. To me, the equipment is of secondary importance to your vision and how you see things and how you think about things.
Thompson is looking for his next project and waiting for an idea to touch and motivate him. He noted he usually just wanders around taking photos and when something strikes him and he becomes passionate about it, he knows its the right project.
The Fountainhead will be Thompsons fourth show at Sideshow Emporium and Gallery.
On the net: www.colethompsonphotography.com.
Reach Paula Bostrom at paulab@cortezjournal.com.