influencers - Cole Thompson — Alan Brown | Creative photography and guides

(first published August 15, 2021)

Cole Thompson works strictly in black and white and is a photographer who has influenced my work over a number of years.

Cole’s works are richly toned and highly interesting. Many of these come with unique stories that he is willing to share along with his telling ‘before and after’ (eye vs vision series) offerings.

Cole is very open about how he transitioned from being a photographer who tried to mimic the style of others (namely Anel Adams) to becoming an artist in his own right, through an act of what he terms ‘photographic celibacy.’

About the Artist

Captured from Cole’s website

Even at this [14 years old] early age I found myself drawn to a particular style of image, one that would literally cause a physical reaction in me. They were dark images created by Adams, Weston, Bullock and others. I knew that I was destined to create such images.

My art has appeared in many exhibitions, publications and has received numerous awards. And yet my resume does not list those accomplishments, why?

In the past I’ve considered those accolades as the evidence of my success, but I now think differently. My success is no longer measured by the length of my resume, but rather by how I feel about the art that I create. While I do enjoy exhibiting, seeing my work published and meeting people who appreciate my art, this is an extra benefit of creating, but not success itself.

Source of inspiration

What I really like about Cole is his passion for the art, not being driven by money - having his work hung in appreciative homes is just reward. And whilst I may not agree 100% with everything Cole says I am in general agreement with the bulk of his underlying philosophies.

Cole is keen to stress that the only opinion that matters is that of the artist themselves, something critical to allow an artist to develop their own style. This is something I strive to promote myself - otherwise, following the advice of others we will end up with a body of work that reflect their style and harm our own progression. This echoes his advice that we should be cautious advising others (for a similar reason) or be overly influenced by the comments made by critics (check out Cole’s comical take on this - It’s Worthless )

Whether you appreciate the work of Cole is somewhat irrelevant to this discussion, it is his words and openness that is of value to the community.