Retired CEO Turns to 'Organic Macro Photography' to Make a Difference Amid Wife's Flower Garden

Retired CEO Turns to 'Organic Macro Photography' to Make a Difference Amid Wife's Flower Garden

LAFAYETTE, Colo., Aug. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- After 20 years of building a successful investor relations firm, 51-year-old Carl Thompson went in search of his next adventure. He got as far as his wife's flower garden.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050825/LATH007 )

That was where Thompson took a digital camera and through a macro lens encountered a whole new world of flowers and insects, magnified many times so they can be seen at what Thompson calls "bee-level."

What was a new hobby has morphed into www.carlthompsonphotos.com. Note cards featuring his photos are now in various coffee shops, salons, florists and other stores near his Lafayette, Colorado, home. Plus, in juried art competition, Thompson's photographs were shown recently at the Vail Arts Festival.

In addition to selling matted and framed limited edition photographs, Thompson's goal is to also sell his work through coffee table books and calendars.

A portion of the proceeds will go toward ovarian cancer research, a disease that claimed the life of his wife's mother four years ago.

"I'm trying to inspire others to think of retirement not as a 'period' in the last sentence of their life, but as a dash followed by an exclamation mark. I want people to think of retirement not as a noun, but as a very active verb!" Thompson says.

Not knowing what exactly his own retirement would look like, Thompson picked up his wife Shirley's digital camera and started taking pictures of her large backyard perennial flower garden.

"It opened up a new world in our garden. The detail, texture and vibrant colors were totally new and exciting. It was like seeing close-up pictures of Mars for the first time," Thompson says.

The camera became his paint brush, and the flowers his color palette. The curve on a rose petal, the wings of a bee in the morning light or a dew- covered lily suddenly was a work of art.

While Thompson has no formal training in photography, he is no stranger to the art world. Growing up in Miami, he began painting at age nine as a protégé of Rosalie Hazen, a prominent professional artist who lived across the street, along with taking fine art classes.

A year later, Thompson's artwork was winning awards and he was selling paintings at local art fairs like the Coconut Grove Arts Festival, along with several one-man shows.

Today, Thompson calls his digital work "organic macro photography" because he does not do any studio work or computer alterations, only uses natural light, does not use a tripod and there is no unethical treatment of plants or animals while photographing them.

The result is a "you-are-in-the-garden" experience. His photographs feature the 2,000 perennials and 300 rose bushes from his wife's garden, which sprawls across nearly two acres at the Thompson home.

"I spent the first half of my life making a living," Thompson notes. "Now I want to spend the rest of my life making a difference."

Contact: Carl Thompson (720-771-5813) or fleejoseph@aol.com

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050825/LATH007
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Carl Thompson Photography

CONTACT: Carl Thompson of Carl Thompson Photography, +1-720-771-5813, or
fleejoseph@aol.com

Web site: http://www.carlthompsonphotos.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, go to www.carlthompsonphotos.com where high resolution photos can be provided.

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