8 minute read
Scott Thompson
THEmakers
creative awareness | arts & culture | makers’ movement
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Scott Thompson
CAPTURING TAHOE’S BEAUTY FROM BEHIND THE LENS
BY KAYLA ANDERSON | PHOTOS BY SCOTT THOMPSON
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Scott Thompson at work Wildflowers at Paradise Lake Thunderbird Lighthouse at Sunset Old Highway 40 at Night
I’m looking at a print of a picture taken of Old Highway 40 above Donner Lake. The curvature of the icy Rainbow Bridge spans beneath a slowly rising sun, creeping its way over the Sierra Nevada. Between the bridge and the sunrise, a pool of puffy clouds obscures the view of the lake. The combination of the sunburst and inversion on this frigid winter morning is stunning and I wonder who got up at an ungodly hour to capture this shot, who is the person behind the lens. The person who took “Donner Lake Sunrise 36” is Scott Thompson of Scott Shots Photography. His love of taking photos began when his grandfather gave him an Olympus OM-1 camera that he used for a black-and-white photography class in college. He loved the course so much that he ended up changing his major from veterinary services to something more in line with photography. Thompson bounced from Humboldt State University to San Diego Mesa College — where he took the photography class — before getting a job at a prominent camera store in North Hollywood called Valley Photo Service. It was during his time at the store when he believes he got his real education in photography, meeting professionals, developing film for celebrities and absorbing everything he could about the photography industry.
“I definitely learned a lot from working there,” Thompson says. In the late 1990s, he started Scott Shots Photography and continued honing his skills, shooting odd jobs. His sister lived in South Lake Tahoe and he spent a winter living with her and working at Heavenly Mountain Resort as a sharpshooter photographer for the season. Then he went back to Los Angeles and a lot happened in his life within a short timeframe. “I got married, had a kid and decided to move the family back up to Tahoe,” he says. Thompson continued going to his favorite places to capture landscapes, turning them into prints, including them in books — with 20 of them ending up as covers of Tahoe Weekly — and even starting to make NFTs (non-fungible tokens) out of them. When asked what he likes to shoot the most, Thompson says, “Definitely Tahoe area landscapes, Donner Lake and wildflowers. The fall colors are amazing to shoot up here, as well as big-view landscape photos of Tahoe and all of the little lakes in the back country.” Sunrise and sunset are his favorite times to capture Tahoe and Truckee landscapes. Thompson has taken aerial photos of Emerald Bay while hanging his camera out of a seaplane and says his most memorable experiences of taking pictures usually happen whenever he’s out on a boat or on a kayak with his dog Quill. He enjoys being close to nature, alpine lakes, dark night skies and shooting Rainbow Bridge on Old 40 above Donner Lake, which makes up some of his best-selling prints. “It’s one of my favorite areas to shoot; living in Truckee I go there often,” says Thompson, who has more than 1,000 photos in his collection. His most recent cover for Tahoe Weekly features the photo he shot for the April 6 edition taken at Sand Harbor. “I had a photography friend in town and was playing tour guide with him. I took him out one evening, and there was this beautiful sunset and lightning storm — and I found this great scene,” he says of the juniper tree in front of an alpenglow backdrop. “One of my favorite things to do is pack up my dog and drive 5 minutes to be at an amazing lake and enjoy nature. It’s so nice to have options,” he says. Scott Shots fine-art prints are available to view or buy at Lift Truckee and The Pub at Donner Lake, Art Obsessions and The Village at Rancharrah in Reno, Nev., and The Genoa Gallery in Genoa, Nev. | scottshotsphoto.com n
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Trails & Vistas TRAILS & VISTAS ART HIKES RETURN
This year, Trails & Vistas will offer two opportunities to enjoy the annual art hikes featuring art, music, poetry and dance.
On July 16 and 17, take the Wildflower Art Hike at Webber Lake/Lacey Meadow, which is a 50-minute drive from Truckee. The easy, 3-mile roundtrip hike offers five art performances amid wildflowers and many species of birds.
The Signature Autumn Art Hike is on Sept. 10 and 11 at a new trail near Mount Rose; a complimentary shuttle ride from Incline Village, Nev., will bring guests to the trailhead. Amid golden meadows and mountain peaks eight performance and art installations will be featured along a 1.3-mile, easy hiking loop. Tickets are on sale. | trailsandvistas.org
Alpenglow Sports COMMUNITY BOOK INITIATIVE RETURNS
benefit nonprofit Tahoe City Friends of the Library.
The event highlights 20 books chosen in collaboration with 10 respected community members, admired for their mountain, community, environmental and/or social leanings. The theme for the event is resilience and all titles feature stories of extreme resilience and hopefully will elicit inspiration, conversation and connection in our region.
On May 26, Alpenglow Sports will host the culminating event of the book initiative: a presentation by Lauren DeLaunay Miller, the editor of “Valley of Giants: Stories from Women at the Heart of Yosemite Climbing.” The presentation is free and open to the public. Beverage sales from the event will also benefit Tahoe City Friends of the Library.
Books are available for purchase both at the store and online. | alpenglowsports.com
VOTE FOR NEW SCULPTURE
Clean Up The Lake and the Tahoe Fund with support from Tahoe Blue Vodka have commissioned artists to create a sculpture using some of the recovered items from its trash removal efforts from Lake Tahoe.
“Surfaced,” a permanent art installation, will be featured at the new Tahoe South Events Center to educate visitors trash impacts. The public is invited to vote on the endangered animal form the sculpture will take: a Sierra Nevada Red Fox, Lahontan Cutthroat Trout or Bald Eagle holding a Lahontan Cutthroat Trout. Votes may be cast online until May 20.
The sculpture will be made by internationally recognized artists Joel Dean Stockdill and Yustina Salnikova by Building 180. One of their best-known sculptures is “Ethyl,” an 82-foot life-size whale made from 5,000 pounds of hand recycled trash. The Events Center is scheduled to open in early 2023. | Vote tahoesouth.com
Le’a Gleason
NEW ED FOR NORTH TAHOE ARTS
In April, North Tahoe Arts named Le’a Gleason as its new executive director. Gleason has a background in marketing and nonprofit work and is passionate about living in and helping to support a vibrant community. She enjoys art, music and performing and holds a degree in performing arts. Gleason is set to help the organization roll out its summer programs, release a new logo and open the King’s Beach Art Center in June. A meet and greet at the Kings Beach center will be held on May 15 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. | www.northtahoearts.com
NEW WILDLIFE BOOK RELEASED
Lori Howell Thompson has released her new book, “Living in Harmony with the Wilderness in Lake Tahoe,” about how humans can coexist with wildlife.
The book is available online and at Cabin Fever in South Lake Tahoe. A percentage of proceeds will benefit the Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care. | htinawritersmind.com
Piper J Gallery PIPER J GALLERY OPENS
Piper Monika Johnson has relocated her gallery – Piper J Gallery – to Truckee. The new gallery is located at 10153 W. River Street.
There will be a Grand Opening Celebration on May 14 from 3 to 6 p.m. with refreshments and the chance to meet local artists. | piperjgallery.com
the arts
“Press Play” exhibit
Sierra Nevada University | Incline Village | May 11-May 20 | (775) 831-1314, sierranevada.edu
The Visionary Art of Cathy McClelland - Art Exhibit
For Goodness Sake | Truckee | May 11-31 12 p.m. | goodnesssake.org
Vote on Sculpture Design
virtual | South Lake Tahoe | May 11-20 | tahoesouth.com
Awakening Your Creativity
For Goodness Sake | Truckee | May 12 10-11 a.m. | goodnesssake.org
Gallery Spring Show
Tahoe Arts League | South Lake Tahoe | May 12-June 26 11 a.m.-4 p.m. | talart.org
Grand Opening Reception
Piper J Gallery | Truckee | May 14 3-6 p.m. | piperjgallery.com
Public Tour
Truckee Roundhouse | Truckee | May 14-Nov. 26 1-1:45 p.m. | truckeeroundhouse.org
“JUST BOOKS” Book Club (TR)
Truckee Library | Truckee | May 17-June 21 1-2 p.m. | (530) 582-7846, madelynhelling.evanced.info
