Alice Thompson Photography

It's been five years since my last blog post. Five years. I realize how pitiful that is. Why even bother with a blog if I'm not going to update it, right? Very good question. I started out with good intentions, but...well, you know what they say about good intentions. Part of the delay was due to my procrastination in writing a new blog post. Sometimes writing doesn't come very naturally for me. I struggle with what to write about. Other times an easy topic comes to mind, but my nit-picky nature comes out and it feels like it takes me forever to find the right words. By that point, my interest in the topic has waned and I've moved on to other things. "Squirrel!" Various life events happened during the past few years that resulted in my website and blog being pushed to the back-burner on my priority list. I got married (after waiting 20+ years for it to become legal. YAY for marriage equality!). I changed jobs in 2015 (same organization, different te...

We all live in a world where it's easy to hide behind the relative anonymity of a computer screen and keyboard which, unfortunately, brings out the worst in some people. After reading a troll-ish response to someone in an online photography forum recently, I have a few things to say. I think it's safe to say with 100% certainty, that there is not one professional well-known photographer who at some point didn't start from the beginning. Yes, some people may be born with a more innate talent than others, but they still have to practice their craft. Practice. Fail. Practice. Fail. Practice, practice, practice. One day the technique is perfected, and you begin to see improvement. Work hard to be the best you can be. Whatever your craft or profession. In terms of photography, not one of us picks up a camera one day and becomes a world-famous photographer the next. We all have to start somewhere: asking questions, learning from other photographers, reading books, watching...

This article from Digital Photography School raises a great question: Where do you draw the line on image alteration? There are many gray areas that surround this debate, and it seems fairly subjective for each photographer. Some photographers go crazy with overdone HDR processing (something that personally makes me cringe, but that's a topic for another discussion). Some photographers enhance color saturation. Some photographers crop or clone out distracting details. Obviously, photojournalists are quite different from landscape photographers, and are held to a specific code of ethics  that may not apply to the rest of us. A photojournalist who digitally manipulates a photo of a scene can create an entirely different view of an event they're covering. Some interesting examples and discussion are available here . Cathedral of the Assumption - Louisville, KY (HDR version) While I have occasionally done some overdone HDR for a specific purpose, it's rare that I do t...

I enjoy capturing something in a moment that will never be the same again. The subject may remain, but the way it looks at this particular moment, will never be exactly the same in the future. I've learned over the years that if something catches my attention, make time to take the photo then. Don't wait. I've discovered that an interesting dilapidated building may get torn down. Or access to it may change. Nature may take over, obstructing the view with weeds. An engaging bit of graffiti may be painted over. Graffiti artist - downtown Louisville I take joy in doing something that has been a part of my life since I was a kid. When I was growing up, my parents had a darkroom in the basement. I spent many afternoons hanging out with my dad, talking with him and watching him develop photos. Seeing a photo magically appear on the paper after emerging from its chemical bath fascinated me. I'm very fortunate to have a close relationship with my parents and we still...

I know I've discussed the issue of copyright infringement and stolen photos before , but last week I had a few other instances occur so I thought this would be a good time to discuss it again. Here's what happened last week: I did an online search for my most-often-stolen photo (not the one pictured here) and sure enough: three more instances of the same photo pilfered without my permission. One website was a high school blog. Another site was a college website (their student online newspaper, actually) and the third was a news/entertainment-type site. I sent all three infringers my standard DMCA takedown request letter via email. In the email I explained that I am the copyright owner on the photo, they are committing copyright infringement by using the photo without my written permission and provided links to the photo on my website. Before taking further action, I requested that they either remove the photo immediately or send payment - a very reasonable fee for one-tim...

As I mentioned in my previous post, Carrick and I (accompanied by our dog) rented a cabin in Red River Gorge for Carrick's birthday. We spent several hours hiking on both Friday and Saturday. We were told at the cabin rental office that dogs are not allowed on the trails in the Natural Bridge State Park, so we headed instead to RRG. Rock Bridge Arch trail Our cabin was a short drive up U.S. Highway 715 to the trails. ( Here's a map of the area.) Our first stop was the 1.5-mile Rock Bridge Arch trail , three miles down a well-maintained gravel road (National Forest Road 24). As we neared the arch, we passed a nice creek and waterfall running next to the trail. Of course I spent 10 or 15 minutes taking some photos. Thanks to my new waterproof hiking boots, I was able to walk partway out into the very shallow creek to get the photos I wanted. After completing this loop trail, we got back in the car to find our next destination. We had a great guidebook with us called ...

"Take only photos. Leave only footprints." - Unknown This quote has crossed my mind often this weekend as my partner and I have spent the weekend hiking in the Red River Gorge area in the Daniel Boone National Forest . This is about two hours from home, but it's someplace we've not really explored yet (even though we've lived in Kentucky for 12 years now), so it seemed like a good place to go to celebrate her birthday. Our dog loves to hike with us, so we brought her along too. (Kitty stayed home with the house-sitter). We spent about three hours hiking each of the last two days. I had planned to post several photos yesterday, but discovered I left my card reader at home, so photos and a summary of the trails will have to wait until I get back. I've discovered a few things: Our 9-year-old dog has more energy than I do. What the forest service people refer to as an "easy" hike, is not necessarily easy. Hiking downhill is just as difficult...

Since my high school days (some 26+ years ago), I've collected quotes I find meaningful. Quotes about all sorts of topics. Before the days of smartphones and awesome apps such as Evernote, I used to write the quotes in blank journals. I've filled quite a few of them over the years. Here are a few of my favorites: "When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadquate, I shall be content with silence." - Ansel Adams ***  "The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away." - Pablo Picasso ***  "The limitation in your photography are in yourself." - Ernst Haas ***  "I've learned that people will forget what you said; people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou  *** Do you have a favorite quote that holds a special meaning for you? If so, share it in the comments below.

According to a recent opinion piece in the New York Tiimes , I'm not alone in being a "slave of the internet." "...being told that what you do is of no ($0.00) value to the society you live in is, frankly, demoralizing. Even sort of insulting." No matter what you charge for your art, someone always wants you to give it away for free. I'm not referring to charities or family members, but to businesses with budgets. If I choose to donate my time or some of my work to a charity I support, that's my decision to make. And if a close family member wants a photo, I don't charge (although a request to pay me always follows). No matter who asks for one of my photos, I'm flattered they asked and it makes me happy to know that someone enjoys my work enough to hang it on their wall in their home or office. But when a business expects me to jump at the chance to have my work included in their newsletter/website/magazine/event/whatever in exchange for ...

It happens to all of us. Those moments when we see a scene that would make a perfect photograph, but for various reasons, we pass it by - only to regret later not having taken the shot. Over the years, I've missed many such opportunities, but one particular scene I passed up has stuck with me over the years. My partner and I were on a road trip somewhere in Indiana, if I remember correctly. It was late afternoon/early evening and a thunderstorm was moving in (it wasn't yet raining). We were driving on the interstate, nice farmlands on both sides of the highway. As a photographer, I'm always fascinated by light: how it transforms an otherwise mediocre scene; how it plays with shadows; how it creates or changes the mood. This particular afternoon, I spotted a small farm off in the distance: a weather-beaten barn, a silo and a modest farmhouse all surrounded by beautiful wheat-colored fields. The particular subject matter was nice, but that's not what caught my attentio...

Where does a subject's right to privacy begin? A "peeping Tom" photographer/artist, Arne Svenson, in New York took photos of his unsuspecting neighbors through their windows. The photos (including those of children) are now featured in a gallery exhibit in Manhattan. Needless to say, the subjects are not pleased. According to the photographer, no invasion of privacy took place because the subjects in the photos can't be identified. I call B.S. on that. While faces may not be shown, I would bet that someone who knows some of the people in the photos could easily recognize them. I do agree that if you want your daily activities in your home to remain private, then you should close your curtains or window blinds. However, you should also be allowed to assume that your daily activities won't end up being turned into a gallery exhibit, raking in thousands of dollars for the so-called artist. And as this article  points out, people don't pay huge amounts of money...

I recently read an article on ways to strengthen the message and story of your photographs. "The subject and story of a photograph must be identified quickly by the viewer. If the viewer can't figure out what the subject is... all interest is lost." Telling a story and providing a message with photos isn't a new idea, but it's something I struggle with in my photography. When I look back at a collection of my photos , each photo does tell a story - to me, anyway. I remember exactly where I was when I took the photo. Who I was with, and oftentimes I can remember how I felt when I took the shot ("freezing my butt off!" or "melting in the summer sun" are a couple thoughts that come to mind frequently). But that story or message isn't always evident to other viewers. For example, a couple weeks ago as my partner and I sat on our patio one Sunday morning reading the paper, I grabbed my camera and my 300mm lens and started shooting bir...

When will people learn that just because you find a photo on the internet, doesn't mean it's yours to use as you'd like? On my main website , I've taken steps to (hopefully) make it difficult for someone to steal my photos - I've watermarked my images. I've disabled right-clicking images on my website (and included a popup box saying the image is copyrighted and to contact me for usage rights). I've included a copyright notice at the bottom of every page on my site. Does any of that help prevent theft? Apparently not. While doing a Google image search recently on some of my photos, I discovered a blogger who was using one of my images (with no photo credit given, of course). I recognized the photo immediately. Despite my frustration, I preferred to give the benefit of the doubt and assume the blogger wasn't aware the photo is copyrighted. I decided to email the blogger a politely-worded Cease and Desist letter explaining that I found my copyrighted i...

"The limitations in your photography are in yourself." - Ernst Haas I stumbled upon this quote by Ernst Haas today while reading something online. It struck me that this is exactly how I feel toward my own photography lately. Often on weekends or evenings after work, I'll head out on a photo outing with my DSLR in hand to capture whatever catches my eye. On some of these outings I'm accompanied by my partner or our dog (or both). Other times I'm flying solo. Sometimes I'm in the car. Sometimes on a walk with the dog. For the past year or so, I've not made time for these outings as often as I used to, and when I do go out, I feel like I'm searching for that "perfect photo" moment. A subject catches my eye, I take several photos, but inevitably the photo I capture is never quite as good as the way I had envisioned it. I'm stuck in a creative rut. A humdrum photography routine. Something I need to snap out of. The photo included here is ...

I read an interesting article yesterday on CNN. Russian photographer Vadim Makhorov and a group of his friends apparently disregarded rules that prohibit the public from climbing the Pyramids of Giza - just to get a few photos from the top of the pyramids. Were the photos worth it? I'm not sure. Yes, they were nice, but the idea that the photographers not only ignored safety regulations, but risked defacing one of the great wonders of the world - all for the sake of a photo - pissed me off. Now don't get me wrong. Oftentimes I do photograph a subject with the "It's better to ask forgiveness than permission" mantra. But I'm always respectful of my chosen subject, be it a person on the street, a field of wildflowers or a national monument. Of course Makhorov says he "would like to apologize for this ascension. We didn't want to insult anyone. We were just following the dream." Uh huh. He's not apologizing for doing it. He's apologizin...

"Welcome to my blog." I guess that's what everyone probably says in their first post, right? I've recently redesigned my photography website , but it's been a couple years since I've blogged, so I'm not really sure what to say other than "welcome." A little bit of background: I've dabbled in photography for over 20 years. I mainly specialize in nature and landscape photography, but I shoot various other subjects as they grab my interest. I shoot with a Canon 20D as my main camera. Other cameras I use include a pocket-size Olympus, an iPhone 4S and a ContourGPS HD video camera mounted on my bicycle helmet. I'm not really sure where this blog will go, but I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you'll come back.