Web Profiles

Experience, Patience, And Persistence
Those are good traits in any photographer, but are an integral part of Michigan-based Jonathan Thrasher's underlying philosophy. At first glance, he appears to be your typical general photographic practitioner, but beneath the surface of an anything-but-typical website (www.jthrasherphoto.com), you'll find images of quiet beauty that will entrance. My favorite images include one of multicolored boats that Thrasher made in the Philippines and an atypically monochrome Sydney Opera House that knocks my socks off. His People Gallery contains images in three collections, including Portraits, Editorial, and International, all of which exhibit the understated yet involving style that pervades all of Thrasher's work.

In the Weddings Gallery Thrasher continues to amaze with mostly black and white images that combine the best aspects of sensitive photojournalism with an artist's eye. His Sports collection may be skimpy in numbers but includes awesome examples of skateboard photography. While there's lots to admire about the site's design it can be slow to load even with a fast cable broadband connection. Be patient, Thrasher's work is worth the wait.

Snowflake Snapshots
The phrase "no two snowflakes are alike" originated with Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley who also said, "Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes were miracles of beauty; and it seemed a shame that this beauty should not be seen and appreciated by others. Every crystal was a masterpiece of design and no one design was ever repeated. When a snowflake melted, that design was forever lost. Just that much beauty was gone, without leaving any record behind." Born in the rural town of Jericho, Vermont, Bentley was a farmer who attracted the world's attention with his extensive photomicrography of snow crystals (a.k.a. snowflakes). After years of trial and error he adapted a microscope to a bellows camera and became the first person to photograph a single snow crystal in 1885.

During his lifetime, Bentley captured more than 5000 snowflakes, not finding any two alike. His photomicrographs were acquired by colleges and universities and published in Scientific American and National Geographic. Bentley died at the family farmhouse in Jericho on December 23, 1931. Because of his wonderful imagery, he became affectionately known as "Snowflake" Bentley and this website (http://snowflakebentley.com) contains enough inspiration to prove that any photographer--no matter who they are or where they are located--can make a difference in the history of photography.