It all started when…

Educated as an engineer from the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and as a saxophonist at City College of New York, Jonathan Cole specializes in photo-realistic renderings, photography, aerial video or photos, virtual tours, and virual staging for architectural and civil engineering applications. He creates compelling imagery that captures the essence of any project.  With over 10 years of production experience as a 3D artist, Jonathan worked as a senior visualization artist at HDR, Inc., a multi-national architectural / civil engineering firm, in their New York City office.  Jonathan's renderings and photography were crucial to winning many of HDR's project pursuit awards, most notable was the use of his work in winning the Tappan Zee Bridge design-build project, with a scope of $3.9 billion.  His iconic bridge aesthetic night rendering (seen here) was featured during New York Governor Cuomo's "State of the State" address in 2013.  He has created HD content for various sectors of the architectural and civil engineering visualization industry, from residential interiors, to retail stores (Coach International) to large civil and architectural design-build projects (Museum of the Moving Image, NYC). In 2015 Jonathan moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains and started JC3D, Inc., later to become Smokey Mountain Imagery.

Jonathan will bring a balance between visual imagination and practicality to your project, allowing your clients and prospects to directly experience your ideas and designs through renderings of unbuilt projects, or accurate and beautiful photography. Form and function are married seamlessly to breathtaking visual sensations that compel and inspire your clients and buyers. Jonathan will bring your project into reality or capture it by collaborating with you and cultivating your vision. 

Creating visual solutions for interior designers, architects & developers, real estate agents, builders & product designers, structural engineers, lighting retailers, industrial designers and landscape architects. Jonathan is continually inspired to learn, create, explore and develop the ideas and possibilities that communicate anyones vision. He invites you to go deeper into this web folio to see his residential, commercial civil engineering photography, renderings and animations.

Services offered: Real estate photography, aerial drone photography, virual tours, virtual staging, 3D modeling, rendering, animation.

See that project or real property captured in a timeless image or video, or see it prior to construction with photo-realistic accuracy before you even break ground... Jonathan can help you showcase and manifest your vision.

In addition to his visual media work, Jonathan also plays saxophone professionally. While at City College, he studied with John Pattituchi, Mike Holober and Scott Reeves among others. Jonathan also spent time in Philadelphia playing in the nationally acclaimed jazz fusion hip-hop musical group Fathead (1995 - 2002). Fathead shared stages with Maceo Parker, The Roots, Weezer, Parliament, George Clinton, Karl Denson, Galactic, and many other internationally acclaimed touring artists. While in Philadelphia, Jonathan studied jazz theory with the late “The Maestro” Denis Sandole (1913 - 2000), who inspired the revolutionary theoretical concepts of saxophonists John Coltrane, Michael Brecker, Rob Brown, and Bobby Zankel; pianists Matthew Shipp and Sumi Tonooka; guitarists Jim Hall, and Pat Martino, and many other musicians such as Rufus Harley, Bob deVos and Frank Gerrard.

Currently, Jonathan tours with Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band, Dirty Logic, and Electro Lust. He also works or plays with many of the bands in the Asheville area including JointKiller Brass Band, The Fritz, The Business, Emerald Empire Band and two Chase brother's franchises; James Brown Dance Party, and A Family Affair. Jonathan is also peripherally involved with The Big Ol' Nasty Getdown, a collective of over 60 musicians from around the world featuring members of: Earth, Wind & Fire, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Sly & The Family Stone, Living Colour, Taylor Dayne, Derek Trucks Band, James Brown Band, Fishbone, John Mayer Band, Yo Mamas Big Fat Booty Band, Trulio Disgracias, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, The Meters, Galactic, Dumpstaphunk, Blackalicious, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Kool and the Gang, Mudvayne, Bill Wither’s Band, Sexual Chocolate Band, & Karl Denson's Tiny Universe.

You can see/hear Jonathan play every Monday night with the JLloyd Mashup at One World West in West Asheville. When he’s not shooting or editing photography, you can hear him practicing in his house in downtown Asheville.