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Michael Hunter Thompson

Photography, Visual / Media

Awards Received

Independent Artist

2021

My work is all about relationships. Due to the nature of planned out staged photography, relationships develop between myself and the figures in the final image. Additionally, a lasting relationship is established with the setting of the photograph, myself, and those who helped capture the image. Finally, and most importantly is the relationship with the viewer. The goal is to catch the viewer's attention and linger long enough to get lost for a moment and have an emotional response. My work, through staging and lighting techniques, is designed to have that moment last as long as possible.

About the Artist

Michael Hunter Thompson is a photographer living in Frostburg, Maryland. He has a BA from Frostburg State University in Graphic Design. Thompson began experimenting with photography in 2011 using layering, texturing, and other manipulation techniques. His style has evolved, now mainly shooting at dusk/nightfall using a more cinematic approach. Thompson’s work has achieved acclaim at the local, state, and national level. His most recent work, Fade To Blue consisted of 40 staged interior and exterior photo shoots of his historical high school which were recently razed. Thompson organized each photo shoot containing multiple generations of alumni and former staff. In all Fade To Blue had 500 volunteers for the images. Later, Thompson interviewed 100 participants about their high school experience. He summarized these interviews and self-published a hardbound keepsake book, which also included the final images called, Fade To Blue: A Tribute to Allegany's Campobello. The book was released at the opening of his Fade To Blue exhibition, which contained large format archival prints and many historical artifacts and mementos from the building, which Thompson collected and saved from the building before it fell. The day was capped off by a large-scale free school reunion that Thompson organized.

Michael Hunter Thompson website View Website

Artist's Statement

I have become very much interested in using staged photography for historic preservation. Setting up people who have a connection with a structure in different scenarios. Letting them have one last experience with that structure before it is gone. A positive way to send off a building and gain new memories before it is physically gone.

Featured Work

Photos

Staged image at a retro motel in Romney, WV called Koolwink
Staged photograph at a public swimming pool (Constitution Park Pool) in Cumberland, MD.
An impromptu staged photograph due to the fantastic conditions (fresh snow & fog). The figures are my daughters, Olivia and Scarlett. We dragged our dead Xmas tree over to my neighbor's backyard (he is out of the country). Set up a quick scenario with our portable fire pit, used cabinet/closet puck lights and let the atmosphere take over the final image.
From my Fade To Blue project, Rita Schoenadel is considered a matriarch of the building. Class of 1950, long-time teacher and cheerleading advisor as well as a substitute late in life. She spent almost 60 years of her life in this building. The photograph captures the her final visit inside the building, a place she considered home. It was razed not long after. Rita passed away in 2022.
This photograph was taken with the intention of being the cover of the project's keepsake book. After a snowstorm, I walked late at night with a backpack containing my camera, tripod, small generator and LED floodlight to the school. Knowing that the school was soon to be gone and hundreds of photographs of the front have been taken since 1926, I wanted my image of the school to unique. The school's colors are blue and white. When I arrived, I centered the tripod as far away as possible under a small tree. I then connected the LED light to the portable generator and changed the light to royal blue. Since it was the dead of night, I set the camera with a very wide aperture, 30 second exposure and delayed the shutter 10 seconds. I pressed the shutter and quickly walked with the generator and light to the left side of the building and turned it on. Once I heard the shutter trigger, I shone the blue light onto the face of the building while walking for 30 seconds towards the right side of the building. The end result is a painting with a blue light image of the building. I am not visible because I was moving the entire 30 seconds (but my footprints remain). By happy accident, the limbs of the small tree are visible reaching out towards the building but not one of them is touching.
This photograph is from my Fade To Blue project. In the image are different generations of homecoming queens (called Miss Camera) of the school. Also I organized different generations of convertible cars for the queens. They are lined up outside the gym as if to depart to the homecoming parade, where they would traditionally wave to the crowd in a convertible car. The school is no longer standing. It was razed in 2022.