Greg Thompson Photography Has Moved!

New Blog!!!

2008-12-14T18:55:00.000-08:00

Thanks for stopping by my blog!

For brand-name consistency I have created a new blog. You can find all my old posts there as well. Please Check it out!

http://gptphotography.blogspot.com/

Thanks!
-Greg

Tehachapi

2008-12-14T05:37:00.001-08:00

Last weekend I drove up to Tehachapi, CA to spend an afternoon driving around, exploring and taking pictures. The weekend before I was driving on CA 58 for the first time ever and was blown away by the natural beauty of land near Tehachapi and the Tejon Ranch. I was on my way to a family session and didn't have time to stop - so I came back a week later.

This area is now officially on my list of favorite places in California. I wish I could go back in time and see what our state looked like before people came and built crap all over the place. Untouched places like this give us a glimpse into the beautiful California we have lost. I can't wait to go back and explore some more.

Here are my favorites from the day. It was raining a bit in the early afternoon which led to some cool lighting, cloud-filled sky's, a few rainbows, and a sweet sunset! I lucked out in choosing to go that day...Enjoy!

McHale Family

2008-12-11T01:45:00.001-08:00

A few weekends ago I had the opportunity to do a family shoot with the McHales. We met at a local park and it was nice to have the fall colors all around. They are a great family and the session went really well!
Here are my favorites from the day:

Kids Playing

2008-12-04T18:54:00.000-08:00

Here are the last few of my favorite pics from the family portraits a few weeks back. I got some great candids of the kid's playing and running around in the park after I had finished taking family photos.

Roldan Family

2008-12-02T18:32:00.000-08:00

Here is the last of the four families I shot two weekends ago. They were by far the most energetic and I was lucky to actually get some shots of them all sitting still and looking at the camera :) . I have known the family for almost a year now and it was great to be able to pay them back a bit for the impact they have had on my life.

I owe a special thanks to Carrie for inviting all the families and organizing the photo shoot for me...Thanks!

Jason and Cori

2008-11-30T21:42:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to shoot Jason and Corie's wedding as the second photographer. It was my first paid wedding after the two I "tagged along" at this fall with Ralph and his assistant Victor. It was just Ralph and I shooting this time so I had a lot more responsibility as well as creative control over what I was shooting. It also meant I took a lot more pictures than the other weddings.

I had a blast at the wedding. Corie and Jason were a fun couple to work with and so were the families/wedding party. It was tough to pick which pictures to put up, but here are a bunch of my favorites from the day.

Quinn Family

2008-11-26T08:45:00.000-08:00

The Quinn family was the third family I did portraits for last weekend. I was definitely getting lucky with these families. It was tough to take bad pictures of them!

Elder Family

2008-11-25T00:33:00.000-08:00

Here are my favorite pictures of the second family of the day. Their kids were also really photogenic and a blast to shoot. I felt like I was taking pictures for a Gap Kids add or something :)

Medina Family

2008-11-24T14:56:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity do family portraits with four great families this weekend. The families were easy to shoot and had some awesome kids. It was fun getting to know them and I am glad with how the pictures turned out.

Here is the first family, the Medina Family. The rest will be coming soon!

Newport Bokeh

2008-11-20T00:26:00.001-08:00

Today I went out right after sunset to the beach for a walk and some pictures. I have taken enough sunset pictures and wanted to capture the colors of the evening sky. I only took my 50mm prime lens and wanted to try something different - not just take my usual pictures. I started playing around with the bokeh of the pier lights and really liked the results.

Pacific State Appraisal

2008-11-17T00:21:00.001-08:00

This weekend I did a shoot for a friend's family company, Pacific State Appraisal (http://www.pacificstateappraisal.com/). They are looking to do some new marketing and needed some pictures of the office and employees. It was the first time I tried shooting something like this, so I definitely learned a lot. It was a fun experience and I'm glad with how the pictures turned out.

Wylan's First Birthday

2008-11-16T22:56:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I was at my friend's son Wylan's 1st birthday party. Wylan is probably the most photogenic kid ever and I got some great shots of him tearing up his cake and making a mess. After the cake he got to work off his sugar rush by playing in the yard with a bunch of his friends.

Here are some of my favorite shots of Wylan and the other kids at the party.

Monterey: Point Lobos

2008-10-27T22:38:00.000-07:00

I was going through old pics on my computer and came across these. They were taken this summer, in August I think. My mom and I went down to Monterey to go for a short hike thorugh Point Lobos State Reserve with my cousins who were visiting from Washington D.C.

Point Lobos has been called: "The Greatest Meeting of Land and Water in the World" - I believe by Robert Louis Stevenson.

It was a bit cloudy that day but still a beautiful place to be!

Let the weddings begin!

2008-10-18T14:46:00.000-07:00

This fall a good friend of mine, Ralph Lyklama (http://relyckphotography.smugmug.com/) gave me the opportunity to shadow him and his assistant at a few weddings. Although I did take pictures, my primary goal was to observe and learn as much as I could about the work-flow etc. It's been a great learning experience and I am excited to continue to work with Ralph in the future! Here are a few of my favorite shots from the two weddings. The first set is from the most recent.

Mammoth Lakes, 2008

2008-10-17T18:07:00.000-07:00

Every year I get the privilege of travelling to one of my favorites places in California - Mammoth Lakes. Each summer I go in late July/early August for a few weeks of training at the Altitude Project a Christian distance running camp (http://www.altitudeproject.com/). Then in the middle of September, our team goes up for one week.

Mammoth Lakes is beautiful and there is plenty to take pictures of as well as surrounding Eastern Sierra areas including Owen's Valley, and Mono Lake.

Here are a few pictures from my travels there this year.

Owen's Valley looking toward Convict Lake.

Owen's Valley by moonlight. One of the most beautiful nights I have seen!:

Robby and Kristina (My first couple shoot!)

2008-10-04T22:28:00.001-07:00

For his birthday, I took my brother and his girlfriend Kris out to Santa Clara Mission Rose Gardens for a couple shoot. I had never done one before and wanted to get some practice. They are a great couple and made taking good pictures easy. It was a beautiful day and a good choice of location. I was really happy with how the pictures turned out and I hope to get the chance to do more shoots like this in the future!

Backpacking the Wind River Mountains, Wyoming

2008-10-03T21:59:00.000-07:00

My Dad and I flew from Virginia to Salt Lake City, Utah where we rented a car and drove up to the Wind River Mountains in Wyoming for an 8-day backpacking adventure. We have been backpacking in the same range since I was a kid and it was a special trip for both of us. As you can see by the pictures it was beautiful in the back country and well worth the long trip to get there!

The Summer Life of a 5 1/2 yr. old

2008-10-03T17:08:00.000-07:00

After Fiji, I got to spend a week and half with my Dad, Stepmom and half sister. She just turned 6 and like most kids, is a blast to be around. It was eye-opening coming straight from Fiji, a 3rd world country where the people have so little, to the American suburbs where the children have more than kids in Fiji could ever dream of. It's scary how easily we forget all we have and how we take for granted the many blessings we have in life.

Here are some of my favorite pics I took of my little sister during the week I was with her. Enjoy!

A.I.A. Track and Field: Fiji 2008

2008-09-29T20:12:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege to return to Fiji again this summer with AIA. It was an amazing trip! Our team of 22 came became extremely close knit. We were on the same page spiritually praying and worshipping as one. The trip had a huge impact on me and it was so cool to see how much God was working in our group and in Fiji all around us!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip...the places we went and the people we reached.

Lebanon Track Club, Ohio

2008-09-29T17:50:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted anything in a while but hopefully I will get caught up soon on all my summer travels!

My summer started with a week in Xenia, Ohio for training camp at A.I.A. headquarters before the international teams were sent out on mission trips. On our last day at training camp we got the opportunity to volunteer at a local youth club track meet. It was so refreshing to watch the kids compete as hard as they could having a blast without worrying about winning or times, etc. They truly exemplified the pure joy of sport that we as athletes so easily forget.

Here are a few of my favorite shots from the day. Enjoy!

Zion

2008-04-07T00:13:00.001-07:00

A few of my friends and I took a trip to Zion National Park over spring break. I was blown away by the natural beauty there and the grand scale on which it was displayed.

Palm Springs Desert Canyons

2008-03-27T00:52:00.000-07:00

My Dad and I took a day to explore/hike around in the canyons near Palm Springs. Here are a few of my favorites from that day...

Quail Hill/Tim Murphy/St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-18T19:06:00.000-07:00

On St. Patrick's Day I took Tim Murphy out to take some pictures at Quail Hill in Irvine. It was a beautiful day and the perfect time of year with all the green and flowers. Tim's outfit also was perfect for both the location and the occasion. Happy St. Patricks Day!

Back Bay

2008-02-27T19:15:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pics taken along Back Bay Rd. in Newport Beach, CA with my new zoom lens. I have been having a blast with it for the last few weeks, and finally took it out for a few hours with the sole intention of taking pictures. Enjoy!

Fall Colors?

2008-02-09T22:58:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately I don't live in the Midwest or east coast so the availability of fall colors is not as big as I would like. I did however find some yellow leaves near Steven's Creek Reservoir in San Jose. The spikes ones were taken near Great Falls in December while visiting my Dad in Virginia. It was too late in the season for fall colors. I just missed it by a few weeks.

San Francisco

2008-02-08T11:32:00.000-08:00

On the night of the full moon/lunar eclipse back in August, I went up to San Francisco to take night shots of the city. I started up in Sausalito (just north of the Golden Gate) where I got some great pictures with the full moon rising above the fog. I spent the rest of the night walking around the city and ended the night at the Bay Bridge.

Mammoth Lakes, CA

2008-02-07T13:30:00.000-08:00

These pictures were taken during my stay at the Altitude Project Christian distance running camp in August 2007. Mammoth lakes is one of my favorite places in California because of its natural beauty and because it is a great location to run. For me it doesn't get much better than that.

Our Cross Country team also goes to Mammoth for a week of pre-season training/team bonding. These next few were taken later in the summer on my second trip to Mammoth.

Yosemite

2008-02-07T12:42:00.000-08:00

During the Altitude Project (based in Mammoth Lakes) we took a day to run and hang out in Yosemite Valley. I found a nice spot on the bank of the river with Halfdome in the background and had some cool lighting at sunset as well.

Washington D.C.

2008-02-05T20:25:00.000-08:00

Before I left Virginia, I took an evening to walk around D.C. and take night pictures. Here are a few of my favorite from that trip.

Seneca Falls, WV

2008-02-05T19:57:00.000-08:00

My Dad and I went on a hike along Seneca Creek to Seneca Falls in July. The entire hike was lined with small waterfalls and the lighting was great. It was my first time I had an entire day to spend focusing on taking pictures and I had a blast!

Fiji

2008-02-04T22:20:00.000-08:00

The beginning: I got my first SLR (the rebel xti) right before my trip to Fiji last summer. I had always loved to take pictures but this is where my passion for photography really began to grow. Here are a few of my favorite shots from that trip...and stay tuned for more!