The Ghosts of Auschwitz and Birkenau

Through Stumbled  Upon, I found a photographer named Cole Thompson. His pictures are all in black and white, and I was immediately impressed and had to see more. As I clicked through his portfolios, I became more and more taken by his photos, thinking that he might be my new favorite photographer. As soon as I saw it I knew I would be blogging about Cole Thompson. Then I found something of his that mesmerized me even more than the rest of his pictures combined: his portfolio accurately titled "The Ghosts of Auschwitz and Birkenau".

On a purely technical level, I was curious about how he was able to get the photographs to look the way they did. The ghosts looked just llike that - ghosts. I would almost have been willing to believe that no photoshop was involved. I found a post he had but under his you tube video of the portfolio (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPB9_jz9znQ) where he explains how the photographs were taken, "These are long exposures of the visitors at the camps, who stood in proxy for those who lived and died there." Photoshop was obviously involved as well, but the technique makes the photographs even more chilling.

And that is what I thought the photographs were, chilling, moving, and in the cases of some even a little nauseating. It is horrifying to think about what went on in that place, and the photos capture it perfectly.

The Ghosts of Auschwitz Portfolio:
http://www.colethompsonphotography.com/Ghosts.htm
Cole Thomoson Homepage:
http://www.colethompsonphotography.com/