It’s Fellow Photog Friday! Each Friday, we put aside a few moments to showcase a fellow photographer to our readers. We will learn what brings us together, what makes us different, and be inspired by each other’s images.
Nicole Thompson
Cloud 9 Imagery
Website / Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Blog
Manchester, Tennessee
Equipment List:
Nikon D3000
Nikkor 50mm F/1.8g
Nikkor 55-200mm F/4.0-5.6
5-in-1 Reflector
Software List:
Adobe CS6
PP 10 (on occasion)
Nicole’s love of photography started with her great-grandfather’s extensive collection of National Geographic Magazine. From there, her love of photography grew over the years. It was around 12 years old when she was given her first camera as a birthday gift: a 110mm. “I remember trying to do some trick photography for a 4-H show with that little camera…trying to make it look like someone was doing a hand-stand on the side of a tree.” she laughs.
© 2012 Cloud 9 Imagery
Lifestyle portraiture would most likely fit Nicole’s style of photography. She loves to shoot people in their natural habitat, so to speak! Whether it’s sports, a day at the park, or a one year old smashing their first cake, she tries to put a journalistic or documentary-type feel to her images. “Memories are forever; so capturing that moment is very special to my clients…they just don’t always know it until I do.” she stated, “It could simply be a smile or a glimmer of mischief in their eyes.”
© 2013 Cloud 9 Imagery
As a wife and mother of four young children, she began taking Commercial Digital Photography classes at Nossi College of Art in 2003 and continued courses in both Black & White Photography and Media Production at Middle Tennessee State University. She is still only a Junior, but hopes to finish her degree in Media Production one day. For now, her studies include a variety of online workshops such as Creative LIVE, online videos & tutorials, reading articles & blogs and networking with other photographers.
© 2013 Cloud 9 Imagery
When asked about role models, Nicole listed Robert Frank, Henri Cartier-Bresson and many other famous black & white photographers. She believes that her education in black & white photography, the dark room, and of the many famous photographers has helped her along the way. A more modern-day role model is Bambi Cantrell; her business sense and amazing personality have shown Nicole how to be a better photographer in today’s market.
© 2012 Cloud 9 Imagery
She explains, “It shows that photography, while an art, can also be a very important glimpse into people’s lives. Robert Frank taught me that photography can be taken seriously in so many ways whether it’s political or inspirational, and Henri Cartier-Bresson showed how it can be playful and fun. That’s how I want my images to be; to be able to bring a client’s emotion out of them no matter what it is.”
© 2013 Cloud 9 Imagery
When asked what advice she would give she explained, “The best way in the world to learn, at least for me, is hands-on; so the most important thing you can do is shoot EVERYDAY no matter what it is. The more you shoot; the more you will learn. You will learn how exposure works, how to shoot manual, how to properly use light and shadow to your advantage…simply by shooting as much as possible.”
© 2013 Cloud 9 Imagery
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