Posters that were created for the BSC annual fashion event Runway - A showcase of student fashion design and textile arts. Erin Habes has done an amazing job producing this show year after year for some very talented students, often with the help of top minds in the fashion industry who donate their time to this event for the students. Each production tops the last in scope and ambition. Many of the students involved in the program were actually in studio during this shoot to observe the production of these images – so in addition to the styling/production team and talent it made for a crowded but fun set.

Special thanks to the team at Block Club for the poster design, all the students involved, the whole production team, and Erin Habes and Joseph Incao (Former Senior VP of Prada Retail Operations) for styling these images.

A new interview with me is featured this week on the Emancipated Artist. You can see this and other similar interviews on my Press page

Kyle Makrauer and I recently collaborated on an online feature for Papercut Magazine that delved deeper into Molly Hoeltke’s reclaimed fashion concept label Once Vintage - a design label I have shot with before. I very rarely find myself collaborating with another photographer in such a direct way as I did on this shoot, but Kyle and I wanted to try it as an experiment.

Below is a small gallery of my contribution to the project, you can see the rest of the images including those shot by Kyle on Papercut’s web feature.

The magazine promo that Nubby Twiglet and I recently collaborated on was featured on No Plastic Sleeves this morning – I love the No Plastic Sleeves blog, it is consistently one of the most insightful looks at how photographers are marketing themselves creatively and making cool stuff to share with others.

I have toyed with the idea of giving some of my favorite images from Personal Record a permanent home on the main page of lukecopping.com for some time now. What started as a small experiment of self-documentation has grown into a regular and very popular feature on my blog. Due to my own ongoing fascination with mobile photography as well as the wonderful encouragement that I have received from all of you over the past few months I will definitely be continuing to capture images from my day-to-day adventures – and you can now view a curated and evolving gallery of some of my favorites from the series here - I hope you enjoy! 

I have been in need of a new bio portrait for a long time, but I just never seemed to be able to find the time with how busy I have been over the past few months (or I was just plain avoiding it) Thankfully my friend and long time mentor Rhea Anna came to the rescue when she proposed that we swap portraits, of which she was also in need. Late last week we met up at my studio to finally make it happen.

Me and Rhea both specialize in photographing people, but neither one of us is very used to being on the other side of the lens. Aside from a large collection of very goofy and very surreal lighting tests that Rhea has accumulated of me over the years (she could probably publish a small book of them). I generally tend to make appearances on camera in a strictly iPhone / snaps at the bar / wearing a chicken suit kinda way, so It is a rare day when I can be convinced to sit for a formal portrait but with Rhea on board I knew I was going to be in good hands. I also knew we were going to be in for one hell of a good party!

Prep before the shoot included getting a much-needed haircut, stocking the studio’s fridge, and recruiting my friend – makeup stylist superstar Nicole Barry – to get us ready for the camera. Getting together with Rhea, whether we are working on a project together or just socially, is always a blast, and I knew I was in for a night of great pictures and classy cocktails when she showed up with a bottle of my favorite libation for me as a gift.

Being super cool, rock and roll, jet set photographers – we naturally nerded out hard and got way into shooting. We were just bouncing ideas around on lighting, changing the studio setup around, talking about styling (Rhea even jumped in to fix my hair on few occasions) and enjoying the occasional strong beverages. We got so into taking pictures that we didn’t even realize that one of Rhea’s friends had gotten locked out of the studio for a while! We both ended up with new pictures we love, and a great new story to add to the chronicle of our many years of collaboration.

We will definitely be doing this again.

Stop by Rhea’s blog to see her take on the experience and another set of images.

I’ll be back next week with all new content, but in the meantime I plan on taking the next few days off to celebrate my 30th birthday… see you on the other side!

© Ed Verosky

Recently, Ed Verosky (pictured above) from about-photography.com conducted a very pleasant pod-cast interview with me, that interview is now live and can be heard on the about-photography.com blog. We talked about topics as diverse as my work, Ed and I’s views on content over gear, self curation, defined styles, the importance of the personal element in one’s photography,  and the viewer experience.

Click here to listen to the interview. 

I cannot even begin to say how surprised and honored I was to find out recently that my project from earlier this year – Pigment – had been selected to be one of twenty projects featured in the American Society Of Media Photographers Best of 2011 Collection. ASMP conducted a pretty in-depth interview with me about the project, my work, and what it’s like to be part of a growing community of talented photographers and creatives working in the border city of Buffalo, NY. I am so proud to be featured among many other incredible projects like Jenna Close & John Held’s revolutionary remote control aerial photography, B. Proud’s fantastic series on long-term same-sex couples, and Barbara Kinney’s coverage of women affected by Alzheimer’s.

Thank you to everyone who was a part of the pigment series, and everyone else I have been lucky enough to collaborate with over the years.

Read the full interview with me here.

Last week Aaron Ingrao, Scott Gable, And Myself opened our new workspace, Victory Studios, alongside some of our closest friends, clients, relatives, and other creatives. Even the good folks at Vitamin Water got involved and donated some beverages for the party.  Here are some images from our opening party.

The three photographers of Victory!!! From left to right: Scott Gable, Aaron Ingrao, and Myself.

My assistant Jason’s son Liam, who became the unofficial mascot of the opening.

Local photographer Jerry Seawood has been spending quite a bit of time on the other side of the camera lately, most notably as a key image in my Pigment series.

Clients and friends: Anatomy owner/designer Ali Eagen, and style writer/educator/advocate Erin Habes

Dj Lo Pro took care of the entertainment for the evening.

A better view of the whole space….

….Which we are pretty proud of, considering the space was a disaster zone just a few months before when we began our renovations,

My girlfriend Erin and my assistant’s wife; Tracie

Tracie, Liam, And Jason

The Victory Logo

 Lisa Ellen Cooper and Lindsay DeDario

Scott and his family

 Dj Lo Pro

 As the sun goes down party goers were treated to one of the best views of the city.

Aaron and his father.

Jason Stoos

 Cooling down on the roof.

 As the night went on our photo ideas became more and more ambitious.

There is something wrong with us…

We are quite excited to finally be opening and hosting commercial clients in the new space. Keep your eyes open for upcoming educational and arts events we will be hosting there in the coming months as well.

There is a cool piece in this months issue of PDN (The Heroes and Mentors issue) featuring me called Learning from the Boss featuring several photographers talking about their mentors in the industry (people like Bill Cramer, Jeff Hutchens, and Bruce Weber were featured) I got the rare opportunity in the article to talk about one of my favorite people – my long time mentor, Rhea Anna. Check out the current issue of the magazine to see the full article

Without going too much into the magazine’s content, I just want to say that Rhea has been a wonderful friend and mentor. Working with her reignited my passion for photography after a long period of me thinking I had lost it, and the example she sets has been a huge influence on me and other artists that have worked with her. I have learned more from her about photography, professionalism, and creativity than any other source I can think of, proving that you cannot discount the influence of an amazing mentor.

Thanks Rhea!!

I received a pleasantly unexpected package in the mail over the weekend from Yuri over at Eurostyle Apparel,  a T-shirt company whose catalog and look-books I shot earlier this year. Inside I found three of the wonderful in-store posters that Eurostyle will be using to promote their new line in all of the stores that carry them as well as several fashion expos and events throughout the upcoming year.

Thanks Guys!

I want to photograph something!

Anything!

I’m sitting here sick as a dog. I really should be resting, but with a sleep schedule that is already as tenuous as mine, getting some shut eye seems to be a elusive goal. I have an urge to be out there doing something creative – making some new images and working on a bunch of new video pieces. I’ve been doodling ideas the last two days and trying to get my creative muscles back into full swing after a brief personal hiatus that I took after my father passed away last month. I am itching to start working on some new personal work and redefine my portfolio in the coming weeks. I’ll be laying out my mission plan here on the blog shortly.

Some before shots of our new studio which is in the process of being renovated. More to come as we put some love and sweat into the place

Victory!!

Me

Aaron Ingrao

Scott Gable

Always a nice surprise when an editorial assignment makes the cover. From an interview with Renee Massoomian, a fashion designer specializing in alternative materials, in the 2011 April issue of Auxiliary Magazine

I’m buzzing with excitement for this coming weekend.

Why?

Runway 4.0 is on saturday

What?

as their own website says;

“…Runway events produced by the Fashion Technology Program at Buffalo State College, the Runway event spotlights senior collections from fashion students and students selections. If there is space we add invited alum and instructor collections and work from WNY designers. This event contains 98-99% original one of a kind fashions. All of the work from students, instructors and alum are one of a kind original fashions. It is a very unique and eclectic event.”

When?

Saturday, April 16th, 2011

Where?

Pierce Arrow Building on Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo New York

What Time? 4Pm and 9 PM show [VIP starts at 7PM]

How much for tickets?

4PM show

Students $10

General $20

9PM Show

General $30.00

VIP $100 [includes reception starting at 7PM]

Where are tickets on sale?

Tickets will be on sale starting March 7th, and are available at Wegmans and Rockwell hall. For VIP tickets call 878-6018, starting March 1st.

I love the Runway series of events because it brings touch of fashion to Buffalo, showing those around here that there are passionate creatives locally who are working, studying, and creating in fields that are traditionally considered to belong in big markets like NYC, LA, and Toronto. These talented students love what they do and are working hard to bring their passions into the world.

I will be there, hanging out backstage and at the VIP reception because I am one of the prizes this year!  I love this event so much and am so impressed by these young designers year after year that the winning collection will be photographed by me for the designing student.

Every now and then I go a little stir crazy…. creatively speaking that is. Sometimes it happens when I have been working on a long string of productions that have not afforded me time to work on my personal projects. Sometimes it happens when I feel like I have hit a road block or a stagnant period in the evolution of my photography. I am grateful for every single one of the amazing clients that I have forged relationships with over the years, and I am lucky to work with some amazingly talented individuals – but every now and then I get that itch to make something for myself, to create some work where I am completely in control. Recently my Pigment series was one such personal project that I found extremely fulfilling.

Lately I have been writing prolifically in my little black book of ideas, referred to affectionately as “The book that never leaves my side” by my close friends. This book seems to accompany me wherever I go… bed, work, car…etc. I seem to be constantly jotting down ideas and notions for personal projects in it, and indeed, the past few weeks I have been. To cut a long story short – you can expect to see a rather large influx of new projects coming from me in coming months that exist a little outside the spectrum of my recent commercial and editorial work, as I get ready to move into my new studio space I am very excited to get to make some of these images I suddenly have floating in my head a reality.

After a week of craziness it looks like Luke Copping Photography will be moving into a new studio space in mid April!

I just returned to Buffalo after attending ASMP’s fantastic event, Strictly Business 3, which was held in Philadelphia this past weekend. I drove down there late last week with fellow Buffalo photographers and ASMP members Jim Cavanaugh, Aaron Ingrao, and Clark Dever (who took the portrait of me above at the conference). SB is an event that I recommend that every professional photographer attend regardless of skill level or experience.  On top of all the great stuff that this community of professional photographers shared with each other about the business side of professional photography, we also had a lot of conversations about the nature of creativity, personal work, technology, attitude, mental outlook, and adaptability as artists – topics that I regularly write about on this blog.

I wanted to share a quick rundown of some of the posts on this blog that cover these topics, I got to participate in several in-depth discussions about these entries during the three days I was at the conference. So many of the wonderful artists and business people there have given me great feedback and ideas for new posts that you will be seeing soon.

• 10 Ways to NOT Become a Successful Photographer

• 4 Solutions for 99 Excuses

• 5 Things the Punk Rock Taught Me About Photography, Hard Work, and Everything Else

• Quick Questions With Smart People: Nubby Twiglet

• 5 Fears that Kill Creativity

• 5 Subjects you Dream about Photographing

• Negativity As a Virus And Four Ideas on How to Treat It

• We Are More Than Our Tools

• Attitude Matters

• 5 Analog Items That Can make Your Life More Creative

And stop by the #SB3 Facebook wall as well, you might have to dig a bit, but you can find an amazingly embarrassing video of me singing Journey at a karaoke bar during the conference.

Stop by the blog of Los Angeles based automotive photographer John Early this week to check out a great series of posts in which he asks photographers about the best and worst times in their careers. Some of these are funny moments, some triumphant, and some career defining. I am featured in the first installment and my good friend Rhea Anna is featured in the second.

here is an excerpt from my contribution.

“Suddenly the relationship I was in self-destructed, and one of the things that helped me get through some major changes and upsets was to start taking pictures again. I picked the camera back up and suddenly found that a switch had been flipped. I loved taking pictures again. I had an enormous hunger for it and I was so excited to be able to explore it all over again from the beginning.”

You can check out part one here and part two here