I was so excited for this package to come in the mail – I can get a bit nerdy about little things, but when I am working on new marketing and promo ideas it escalates to RPG level epic +1 nerdiness. A little while ago, in an edition of Required Reading, I posted about the The Inkorporated and the unique return letter press inspired return address stamps they were creating. They took on a custom commission for me to create not just a return stamp, but also stamps of some of my brand imagery, that will be used in the packaging of my recent magazine promo. 

I am always looking to change things up and add different elements to my marketing mix to keep things fresh – partly to move away from the too many generic e-blasts / too many generic postcards burnout that a lot of photographers get stuck in, and partly because I just love making cool things and sharing them with others. To kick of 2012 right I wanted to share a project that I have been crafting with the help of the phenomenally talented Nubby Twiglet (Who I have worked with on my identity and branding projects for a couple of years now. I never cease to be impressed with how well her design and layout work complements my photography), a 58 page magazine that collects some of my personal favorite  images and series. I have used the MagCloud service in the past in my work with Auxiliary Magazine and always been impressed with their quality, which has just gotten better and better over the years, so they were the clear choice for me when it came time for me to print the small runs needed for my publication.

I grew up obsessed with reading whatever DIY music, art, and literary zines I could track down at local record stores in Buffalo and Toronto and made my own hand bound photo-digests for years – and I think that services like MagCloud keep that spirit of self-publishing alive in a new tech and design savvy iteration. There is something pleasurable about holding a magazine or book in your hands, turning those pages, and finding something new on every page that never gets old. I was so excited to create a vehicle  for my artwork that was in the same vein as those zines and underground art rags that I loved so much when I was in my teens.

Update: You can read about designer Nubby Twiglet’s take on the project here.

This will be going out to a pretty targeted list of recipients (and some long time dream clients of mine), but you can still check out the design with the digital edition available below.

I have a lot of plans this year to keep making cool stuff and finding new ways to share my work and I promise that I will keep you all posted as I finish putting them together.

Update 2: Thank you all so much for the wonderful response to this project. I had not initially planned on doing this but I have received so many requests from people that want to get their hands on a copy (far beyond even the small print runs I produced for my promotional needs) that I have made the MagCloud version public. If you are one of those people that wanted to get your hands on a copy you can now do so.

Luke Copping – Best of 2011

My new print promos, designed by Nubby Twiglet, were featured on her site earlier this week. Check out the write-up to get some insight on a photographer’s promo from the designer’s side.

For 2011, me and graphic designer Nubby Twiglet decided to revamp my business cards for a more upscale presentation. For years I had used cards with images on them to promote myself, but I found that by the time I had given away a stack of cards that I had grown a little tired of presenting the same image over and over. Similarly, I also found that the image on the cards was not always appropriate to all the different types of customers I deal with. The decision was made to create a card with no image, one with a a bit of mystery that would push recipients to my site to see my work, rather than having them make a snap judgement based on one image. Nubby had been suggesting for some time that I consider a blind embossed card with a much thicker stock, and I was quickly hooked on the idea ultimately Nubby presented me with a design using my logo as a pattern of blind embossed elements that immediately caught my eye. I had the final cards produced by Taste of Ink and am very happy with both the quality and overall impressive feel of the cards.

You can also stop by her blog to Nubby’s take on the design.

Earlier today, designer Nubby Twiglet featured the new 2011 promo cards she designed for me on her site and talked more about the visual identity she has helped me build over the last few years for my photography business.

“Luke was one of my first-ever photography clients and even after the 100+ jobs I’ve worked on since then, Luke’s identity remains as one of my favorites. The simplicity lends itself to seamlessly morphing between his more corporate and edgier campaigns” ~ Nubby Twiglet

You can read the whole article here.

Horrible Jingles – Luke Copping Photography by horriblejingles.com

It is an interesting exercise to have to tell your story in the format of a search, and in only a few lines. Play around with Search Stories for a while, its a great small stage catalyst to make yourself think long and hard about what kind of story you want to tell on a bigger stage with your work.

Two final takes from a recent beauty assignment I shot in Western New York with Marie Vaccarello. Projects like this are pure pleasure for me. I have worked with Marie since I returned to photography as a career. Marie and me started out around the same time and have been regular collaborators since then, our talents and skills growing with the other’s to create better and better images. These are two of my favorite images I have of Marie, and the shoot was one of those wonderful projects where all the elements just fell into place.  A small crew, consisting of just myself and the styling team came together to capture Marie for these print campaigns, the warm and pink background was chosen to bring Marie’s striking and unique features center stage, as was the makeup designed by the wonderful Andrea Losseco and striking hair by Heather Ptasnick. After a summer spent shooting a great deal of outdoor productions, it was so nice to work with a professional that I am also lucky to call my friend, to create this series of simple, timeless, and elegant images.

The horriblelogos.com version of the Luke Copping Photography logo