An Interview with David Thompson by David Cobb

An Interview with David Thompson by David Cobb

 

 

1. Tell us a little about yourself David.

I was born in Las Vegas, and I consider myself an

ordinary guy. Both my parents were in the military and I’m the only child. From Vegas we

then moved to New Mexico. While living in New Mexico I spent quite a bit of time in the

outdoors. I use to hike and ride my bike in the deserts, and also did some camping and

fishing in the nearby mountains. From New Mexico, we moved back to Las Vegas in

1993. I’ve lived in Vegas ever since.

Website: davidthompsonphotography.com

 

2. When and how did you get your start in photography?

I got my start in photography in 2004. My father gave me a Pentax ZX 35mm

film camera. I didn’t know anything about compositions, exposure, or how to use the

basic functions of the camera. After many months of failed attempts to take a decent

picture, and the high costs of film development, I gave up. In 2008, when my son was

born, I got my first digital camera which was a Canon Rebel XTI. I started with just family

pictures at first, and honestly I wasn’t good at that either. During my travels, I

would constantly see these amazing sunsets/sunrises and I wished I could capture what I

was seeing. One day I decided to go online to do some research on landscape

photography. Once I saw all the fantastic images online……..I was hooked! I had to

learn more! From there, that’s where my photography journey began.

 

3. Much of your landscape photography is centered in the America Southwest. What do you love about this area, and what keeps you coming back?

What I love about the Southwest, is all the amazing landscapes here. What

keeps me coming back is the landscapes are constantly changing. The light is never the

same, the atmosphere is always different, there are so many different variables that make

photographing these landscapes interesting.

 

4. You recently travelled to Iceland, tell us how it is similar and different from the

stark landscapes of the desert southwest?

Iceland……the landscape of Iceland is beautiful and unique in its own way.

Iceland is very similar to the deserts of the southwest, particularly the areas around Death

Valley National Park. The landscapes are very similar in terms of their otherworldly/lunar

features. They are also similar with their rugged appearance and treeless vistas. Where

they differ, obviously the climate is different, but in Iceland there is water everywhere.

Waterfalls flowing from every cliff in sight. You will see random tarns amongst

the volcanic landscape. Another feature that was very different from the deserts of the

Southwest, was the contrast in colors. There were so many color variations throughout

the landscapes in Iceland.

5. When you’re not photographing the desert southwest, where do you like to travel and photograph and why?

When I’m not photographing the deserts, I like to photograph anything that is the

complete opposite of the desert. Whether it be the lush canyons of the Columbia River

Gorge, or the shores of the Pacific Ocean along the southern California or Oregon coast,

anything that is different than the desert works for me. I love shooting all landscapes. I’m

not too picky.

 

6. What are your top three personal favorite images and why?

“Hoodoo Magic” ­ With this image, I have seen virga numerous times here in the

desert. But this display of virga was something like I had never seen. On this particular

evening in the Bisti Wilderness area of New Mexico, my buddy Paul and I were just

watching this storm develop for about 45 minutes. The sun eventually broke through the

clouds giving us an amazing display of light. The sun really brought the landscape to life.

 

“Nuclear Dunes” ­ (see top image) The light I witnessed on this evening was in my top three

sunsets I’ve seen in my photography journey. I had gotten off work late that afternoon.

My plan was to drive to Lone Pine, California for sunset on my way to the Eastern Sierras but

there was no way I was gonna make for sunset, so I went with my alternative plan, and hit

the Mesquite Sand Dunes for sunset instead. I remember complaining to myself because

the sky didn’t look like it would have any potential, but I hiked out onto the dunes

anyway. I sat there for a little while contemplating if I should leave or not. As I started

packing up my gear I saw a little glimmer of light creeping through the clouds on the

horizon. I didn’t think much of it, until I saw a little glimpse of pink in the clouds. I turned

back around, and within seconds that sky was ablaze with color. That light lasted a good

hour after sunset. I only saw one other person shooting that evening. Talking

about that image gives me the chills.

“Peeled “­ This small scene is one of my personal favorites. A couple friends and I

stumbled upon this area while exploring a section of the Painted Desert in Arizona. This

section of cracked mud was very interesting to me because of the peeling features of the

mud and the natural gradient in colors. I waited about 25 minutes before sunset for the

sun to get lower to the horizon. The timing couldn’t have been any better. For me, the

mix of golden light and shadows looked incredible on these cracks.

 

7. Explain your nickname D Breezy, and what it means to be D Breezied?

The name D Breezy is a name I came up with some time ago when I initially set

up my account on Flickr. It’s basically D, for David, and Breezy for my easy going

attitude. I’m the type of person that just goes with the flow. For some reason the name

has kinda stuck with me over the years. It’s funny because I never thought that the name

would stick like that. What it means to be D Breezied is when you miss great light due to

daily life, family, or sitting at home instead of being out shooting. I seriously can’t believe that the

term D Breezied is being used on a regular basis now. It started off as a joke years ago.

 

8. What is the most important piece of photo equipment you can’t live without?

The one piece of photograph equipment that I can’t live with out with would have

to be my Really Right Stuff TVC­33 tripod. It took me some years to understand how

important a sturdy tripod is. Once I got the RRS legs, I was thrilled to have legs that I

could use in any type of shooting situation. Probably the best piece of photography

equipment that i’ve purchased.

You can see more of David’s outstanding images at:  davidthompsonphotography.com/