Born in Britain and raised in Australia, Thompson graduated from Sydney University with a degree in English. Soon after, he gravitated towards the visual world developing his aesthetic while hand-painting fabrics and designing clothes for “Ox”, an avant-garde clothing shop, which he established with a small group of friends. Throughout the design and merchandising process Thompson began shooting his own collections, and subsequently fell in love with photography and its narrative potential. He promptly moved on to shooting editorials for local magazines such as Follow Me and Stiletto.

Before long, Thompson made the leap from Sydney to Paris to pursue a career in photography. Expanding fashion stories under the tutelage of Jane Roarty, his editor back in Australia, Thompson became a documenter of lifestyle: art, food, culture. His singular aesthetic drew the attention of Ilse Crawford, who had launched Elle Decoration in the United Kingdom. Collaborating with Crawford introduced Thompson to a new world and he focused on his particular genius with color and set design to create vivid, contemporary interiors photographs. This immersive, highly romantic “lived in” approach was revolutionary for the time.

Seduced by the opportunities abroad, Thompson then found his way to New York, where the collaboration potential and large production budgets provided new experiences and a better fit for Thompson's aesthetic. Growing on his signature style whilst developing a blue chip client base, Thompson brought tactile realism to myriad project including still life, beauty, accessories, interiors, fashion, and travel photography.

Thompson’s lush, idiosyncratic fabrics and textiles are a natural extension of his aesthetic. His debut “Accidental Expressionist” collection – which drew from existing photographs, explored the creative process and the potential of unseen details. Jacquard-loom fabrics and thick tapestries are made in the USA and the collection of has expanded to include pillows, lamps and wallpaper.

Thompson has worked for editorial clients including Vanity Fair, Vogue, Architectural Digest, The Wall Street Journal, British Vogue, W Magazine, House & Garden, Gourmet, Travel + Leisure, and The New York Times Magazine as well as advertising clients including Gucci, American Express, Sony, Grey Goose, Cole Haan, Estee Lauder, and more. His most recent collection, “Falling in Love at the Institute,” showed in Sydney at Dinosaur Designs, where he is a regular contributor. Thompson has also published two books, Interiors (2011), and Working Space (2013).