Get to Know Us

 

John Thompson

Following his love for photography John opened Rapid Photos in 1982 in Charlottesville, Va. Rapid Photos started as a one hour photo processor but soon adopted digital imaging. Scanning people’s photos was one of the very first digital services offered. Like one hour processing it was a wonderful source for his customers’ as well as John’s satisfaction. “Nothing felt better than to see full smiles and sometimes tears of joy when a customer saw what we had done for them.”

John started using Photoshop in the early 90’s and has attended numerous seminars on this constantly evolving subject. He joined the Independent Photo Imagers Assoc. in 1996 where he learned to create his first web page. In 2002 John joined the Nation Association of Photoshop Professionals and through it attended Photoshop courses often several times a year.

Digital imaging has constantly grown both in complexity and in popularity since those early years. With the evolution of the digital camera Photoshop not only is the main software for graphic artists but it is also integrally linked with today’s photography and photographic printing. John’s background with photo processing, Photoshop and his continued interest in photography have merged into a wealth of experience in a complex digital world.

In the past few years John has branched out into using Publishing layout software (InDesign) and web creation software (Dreamweaver). The end result has been that John has a wealth of experience to understand and handle most digital issues. You benefit from his experience and his love for what he does.

 

 

Ginger Coffey Thompson

My experience with photography started with my long time search for a medium that I could enjoy and could possibly reflect my creativity. Several years ago, I went on a two month solo trip to New Zealand taking along a new camera and the instruction book. Each day I experimented with new settings on my camera and took lots of pictures on my hikes. What I noticed was that there was such a dramatic difference in the quality of pictures from the start of my trip to the end. Of course, it certainly helped to be able to practice my photography in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. After that trip I was hooked on photography.

At Rapid Photos, I’m responsible for the Marketing and management of the daily operations. Previously, I’ve worked as a Mental Health Counselor and also as a Contract Administrator for an environmental agency. With Rapid Photos, I get the opportunity to use my experience from both careers; my 20 years of business experience blended with the people skills from my Counseling profession. I love working with people and helping them take away the best possible pictures.