Cole Weston (January 30, 1919 – April 20, 2003) was photographer

Edward Weston Edward Henry Weston (March 24, 1886 – January 1, 1958) was a 20th-century American photographer. He has been called "one of the most innovative and influential American photographers..." and "one of the masters of 20th century photography." ...

's fourth and youngest son. Although Weston "was born into the tradition of craftsman- produced black-and-white art photography, he was to find his own photographic direction in colour.". Cole Weston's life followed a diverse course that started with theater, later leading him to the Navy, a position photographing for ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...

'', and later photographing portraits, before he moved to

Carmel, California Carmel-by-the-Sea (), often simply called Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and municipal corporation, incorporated on October 31, 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel is known for its n ...

in 1946, at his father's request. In the years that followed, Cole became his father's assistant and trusted companion; and, as Edward's struggle with Parkinson's disease worsened, Cole became the keeper of two careers, his father's and his own. Before his death in 2003, Cole Weston was devoted to keeping both bodies of work flourishing and circulating widely.

Early life

Cole graduated with a degree in theater arts from the

Cornish School Cornish College of the Arts (CCA) is a private art college in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1914. History Cornish College of the Arts was founded in 1914 as the Cornish School of Music, by Nellie Cornish (1876–1956), a teacher of p ...

in Seattle in 1937. Cole served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

as a welder and photographer in Norman, OK.

Assisting Edward Weston and discovering color (1946–1958)

Upon his discharge from the navy, Cole started photographing for ''

'' in Southern California. At the same time, Edward became increasingly crippled by

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

and wrote to Cole asking for his help with the printing of his negatives;Weston, Edward, and Cole Weston. ''Laughing Eyes: A Book of Letters between Edward and Cole Weston, 1923–1946''. Ed. Paulette Weston. Carmel, CA: Carmel Pub., 2000. Print. and so, in 1946, Cole and his wife moved to

Carmel Carmel may refer to: * Carmel (biblical settlement), an ancient Israelite town in Judea * Mount Carmel, a coastal mountain range in Israel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea * Carmelites, a Roman Catholic mendicant religious order Carmel may also ...

to help his ailing father in his darkroom and studio. Cole and his brother

Brett Weston Theodore Brett Weston (December 16, 1911 – January 22, 1993) was an American photographer. Life and work Weston was the second of the four sons of photographer Edward Weston and Flora Chandler. He began taking photographs in 1925, while living ...

printed their father's negatives under his supervision. At the time,

Eastman Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...

sent their new color films Kodachrome and Ektachrome to Edward because they wanted him to "photograph

Point Lobos Point Lobos and the Point Lobos State Natural Reserve is a state park in California. Adjoining Point Lobos is "one of the richest marine habitats in California." The ocean habitat is protected by two marine protected areas, the Point Lobos Sta ...

in color" to which Edward responded: "Well, I don’t know anything about color, but I know Point Lobos better than any man alive". With the leftover film, Cole began experimenting with the new medium and, in 1957, he created his first color prints of the California coastline.

"I’m a color photographer. That’s what I do. Whether you like it or not, that’s what I do. There is nothing wrong with black and white, but I am into color. And I like it!"

The second Forest Theater Guild

In 1971, Cole Weston established the second

Forest Theater The Forest Theater is an historic amphitheater in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Founded in 1910, it is one of the oldest outdoor theaters west of the Rockies. Actor/director Herbert Heron is generally cited as the founder and driving force, an ...

Guild in Carmel, CA and began directing productions on the outdoor stage during spring and summer months. Weston worked with the Forest Theater Guild for 50 years in which he directed more than 30 plays and was involved with the physical construction of the Indoor Forest Theater (a small theater beneath the outdoor stage) "hauling in the concrete and other building materials himself".

Edward Weston's negatives and the Cole Weston Trust

In his will, Edward Weston left his negatives to Cole, who printed them for more than 30 years. On September 30, 2014, a collection of 548 prints from Edward's negatives, printed posthumously by Cole, was auctioned by Sotheby's in New York.

Publications

* 1981 – ''Cole Weston, eighteen photographs'' * 1998 – ''Cole Weston: At Home and Abroad'' * 1991 – ''Cole Weston, fifty years'' * 1995 – ''Not Man Apart: Photographs of the Big Sur Coast'' * 2000 – ''Laughing Eyes: A Book of Letters Between Edward and Cole Weston, 1923–1946''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weston, Cole 20th-century American photographers Color photography 1919 births 2003 deaths Cornish College of the Arts alumni Photographers from California