About Glenn

Glenn Thompson
BioMarch 2017
Professional Background

Glenn Thompson is a geologist who grew up on the east coast of the United States and had a great love of fishing, diving, and adventure. He got his PhD in Hydrogeology in 1977 and took his first professional job in 1977 as an assistant professor of hydrogeology at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He left the University of Arizona in 1984 to start his own environmental consulting company called Tracer Research Corporation. Eighteen years later, in 2002, he sold his companyto Praxair Inc, and 4 years after the sale, at age 60, he retired from his former professional life to begin a new life in which he had more time to devote to photography and other hobbies.
Beginning photography

As a graduate student, Glenn first became interested in photography as a means of capturing the exciting moments of his cave exploring adventures. While in his master’s program at Memphis State University he took to exploring underwater caves. His first camera was a “Kodak Instamatic” carried underwater in a mayonnaise jar. In 1972 he convinced the the US Forest Service to pay him to explore, map, and photographa one-mile stretch of water-filled cave in the Blanchard Springs Cavern System in Mountain View, Arkansas. For that they provided him a Nikonos underwater camera. Those underwater photos he took are still on display in the Visitor Information Center at the Cavern Entrance. In the 40 plus years since that time, there have been no other photos taken in the underwater portion of Blanchard Springs because the Forest Service has considered the area too dangerous to re enter.
Present Photography

In 1995 Glenn married Martha, a Mexican woman he met ata marina in San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico where she worked.Martha is an artist passionate about nature and wildlife, and during the last 10 years, most of Glenn’s photography has been planned largely to bring attention to endangered species, especially fish in the Gulf of California, as well as some trout species of the Western United States. Glenn also has a love of ‘people photography’ and frequently takes family photos and shoots special events such as quinseañerasfor his family and friends in Mexico.

Gulf of California Gallery
The Gulf of California gallery is a sampling of the images that Glenn has produced during the last 10 years. Glenn has owned a boat docked in the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez) for approximately 30 years, and for this reason he has dedicated his diving activities almost exclusively to this ocean. During this time he has witnessed profound changes in the marine life and wants to use his photography to bring attention to the many species that have become seriously endangered during this time.
In addition to the conservation theme that Glenn wishes to promote with his photography, the images in this gallery, may serve as reference for others wishing to identify species or verify their occurrence in the Gulf of California. Glenn welcomes contact with, and the opportunity to cooperate with others that may share his interests in the Gulf.