Bolten Inc. Interview Translated...

I recently did an interview with a Spanish publication called Bolten Inc.. It's a really nice interview, and unfortunately Google Translation slaughters it so here are my 12(+1) Preguntas Con Megan Thompson in English! (Click HERE for the Spanish version with Pictures.)

12(+1) Preguntas con Megan Thompson
by Rodrigo Rangel

Since photography and Rock met, they decided to stay together forever. And this is a story that specialized photographers must know very well. That is why we concluded that definitely Megan Thompson must have one of the most incredible jobs in the world. She is only 26 and begins to take on the world. Megan is from the small town of Bozeman in the state of Montana but she moved to Los Angeles in 2008 to follow her dreams and continue her career in the photo after graduating from Montana State University with a BA in Photography. A couple of months ago I found a picture of Megan, i had a look on her website and I was really impressed by ability of her to illuminate and guide, it looks so easy, but believe me it is not and if go deeper inside, the truth is that in the rock world in the image, body language and fashion can become very important, even sometimes more than the music itself. Megan's work createing unusual surreal environments, but above all her work is very fresh and it is unlikely that her photos bores you , on the contrary, in my case I became a bit addicted and wanted to see a little bit more.
Megan Thompson has worked with Hello, Astronaut, Saint Motel, Mark Hoppus, Tom Delonge, We The Kings, Astronautalis, The Used, Lorene Drive and many many more, her work has been published in major publishers such as Photo District News, Alternative Press, People and Spin. So she doesn't really needs a c.v. In this interview we had the chance to meet and discover that besides being a brilliant artist, Megan is a great person, with defined values and an incredible ability to see a little further. So without any further here, we leave them 13 questions with Megan Thompson.

1. When at work, Which part of the day inspires you the most?
The part when I wake up and have an inbox of emails waiting for me with new
potential clients. Right after that, would be the part where I find coffee and
become human again for the day.

2. How would you define your work? What are you looking for with it?
I just want to make photographs that the person in them will be remembered
for. I hope that I can make iconic photos that define musicians, actors, and
people in the same way that Sam Jones, and Annie Leibovitz are able to do.

3. Can you define the evolution of your artwork?
I evolved from being a very dark fine art photographer. I thought everything
had to be super moody and disturbing to be "Art". I still am drawn to darker
artwork and I love that style, but I've brightened it up a lot since moving to
LA and working commercially. I love being a commercial photographer, because my
work can be fun and exciting and completely random and it doesn't need to have
a specific reason or be making a statement to be that way.

4. In your art-making, do you experiment or your rather have an specific
method?
I'm pretty specific with my work flow, but every now and then I screw up a
layer or something and have an "ah ha" moment that changes everything. I don't
experiment so much with my paid jobs, but I do in my personal work a lot.

5. Who or what is your biggest inspiration?
I read a lot of messed up books that give me ideas. Chuck Palahniuk's novels
like Chokeand Invisible Monstersare super detailed and well written. I want to
make photographs that are that detailed visually. My sister, Amy Thompson, is a
big inspiration too. She's an amazing letter press printer and binds her own
books. She's the opposite of me artistically; incredibly organized and patient.
When I get frustrated or am over complicating what I'm working on I kind of ask
myself "What would Amy do?". It helps me to take a step back and not make
mistakes.

6. If you could ever meet one artist, living or dead, who would it be?
Salvador Dali. His paintings were always a huge inspiration to me when I was
in school. If I could trade my photo skills for another skill it would be oil
painting. I wish I could do that!

7. What music is exciting and inspiring to you at this point?
I'm really really into LA bands from my neighborhood right now. I love the
music that's right in my backyard. Favorites currently are Saint Motel (they
are going to be the next big thing I know it!), Castledoor, Army Navy, and
Links. All of them are based in Los Angeles.

8. One movie you could recommend...Why?
I think everyone should always revisit the movies they watched as a child.
Especially if you're a child of the 80's like me. Jim Henson creations like
Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal are favorites of mine. Movies like that are
probably why I'm so weird as an adult.

9. Can you tell us one city or place on earth that inspires you... Why?
I'm from Montana and now that I live in Los Angeles, I appreciate where I'm
from a lot more. It's so beautiful there. Bozeman, Montana is really amazing in
the summer, and I would totally spend a month there every year if it was
possible.

10. What is your opinnion about this generation?
I think there's a lack of ambition that came about really recently. My
friends and I are all super hard workers, and eat and sleep our dream jobs to
make them a reality. So many kids are coming out of high school thinking that
you can just go out into the world and being "myspace famous" is enough. They
don't want to work for their dream career, so they just give up on it and
become jaded.

11. What makes you happy and what makes you mad?
I have a top five list of things that make me happy, 1.Songs by Queen; 2.
Songs with clapping as part of the percussion arrangement; 3. New sweatshirts; 4. Huge photography books; 5. Coffee... in any shape or concoction.
I try not to focus on the things that make me mad, but not being able to own a
dog because I live in a place that doesn't allow it is at the top of that list.

12. Do you have any exhibitions soon?
I do! I'll be showing my rock photography on March 13th at the Strange
Gallery on Melrose in Los Angeles. It's a group show of LA rock photographers,
and a big rock and roll concert! Plus there's free alcohol, so it will be a
great time.

13. When is Bolten Inc and Megan Thompson working together?
Good question. When are we?