For the last few weeks I have worked with editor Solomon Nero to create and mix this reel of my still photography work. My mission this year has been to create experiences that exist outside of the standard postcard/e-mail static that so many creative buyers and editors have to sort through daily. I like making and sharing cool things that are a little more fun and personal – like this video and my recently released magazine promo.

If you enjoy this work I would love it if you would share this promo with others  - and you can always see more of the work featured in this video in my main portfolio. 

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.

The genius behind horriblelogos.com has a new sound based creative site called horriblejingles.com, providing terrible music for businesses of all types. For just the cost of helping the composer get drunk, you too can have a horrible jingle of your own. Check out mine below.

Horrible Jingles – Luke Copping Photography by horriblejingles.com

Google Search Stories… I cannot decide if I love or hate you. Though I will admit that you do have several catchy music options that amused me as I played around with this neat little story telling format.

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 hateful logo designing bastard over at horriblelogos.com has his wonderfully awful rendition of the Luke Copping Photography logo up on his site and I love it! In all seriousness, I thankfully have the wonderful Nubby Twiglet taking care of my design needs. Before her fantastic efforts, this was how bad most of my self designed logos looked. All creatives need to remember how you represent yourself and your work can make a big impression, this is just a quick little bit of visual identity fun for you.

The horriblelogos.com version of the Luke Copping Photography logo

A new issue of auxiliary magazine is now out, featuring a stylish little piece, shot by me, called Dentelle. The magazine, an indie fashion and lifestyle publication from Western New York was founded by some of my closest friends. Auxiliary is quickly approaching its two year anniversary and as the careers of all those involved have grown and flourished, the magazine has grown and expanded as well. it began as a DIY effort of love for many of us and ended up becoming a respected publication in its genre. A while back we featured Jennifer Link, the editor in chief of the magazine, in an interview piece in which she described the process of moving from photography to editing and publishing her own magazine. Its an inspring story on how far the DIY ethic can take you. Check out the free preview of the latest issue here.

The final collection of images from the recent assignment I shot in Buffalo, NY with the wonderfully talented Jessica Jean.

Over the past few months I have been working with designer Nubby Twiglet on creating a new brand and visual identity to accompany my work. Recently Nubby featured my brand on her own blog, giving her readers a rundown on how we created several of the elements that I now regularly use to represent myself.

Stop by her blog and check out the whole article to get some great insight from a brilliant designer into my branding and identity. From overall brand development, to web implementation, logos,  print pieces, and future promotions, Nubby was able to help me develop  a visual language to support my photography work in an elegant and professional way that I could not be happier with.

See you in the future…

My friends over at Auxiliary Magazine just celebrated their one year anniversary with the release of their December issue. For the last year this growing publication has developed its unique take on counterculture fashion and style and this is the finest issue that this small independent publication has released. I was honored to photograph the anchor editorial, WET, for the beauty section as well as the cover of this important edition. WET features a modern take on mass produced plastic jewelry from great independent designers and artists like Plastique, Isette, and CBST’s Closet.

Something I have been meaning to do for quite some time is to take a new self-portrait for all my press, branding, and vanity needs. If I were to tell you exactly how long i’ve been meaning to do it though,  you would be absolutely appalled, lets just say that the last time I did one I had punk rock spikes and huge blonde streaks in my hair.

This has been that one item that has been haunting the bottom of my to do list for a long time, the one that I see every day and try to rationalize putting off. We all have that one task, whether it be shooting a self portrait, rebranding, getting that new marketing campaign mailed out, or updating our websites, that we just for some reason cannot get around to doing. The smallest tasks can seem insurmountable when you build them up in your head to the point that they become almost adversarial.

Then an idea was proposed to me that struck a chord. To set aside a specific block of time each week in which to do, not the impossible, but what may to you have seemed insurmountable. Its a simple matter of instead of trying to find the time in which to complete your task, you specifically make the time. Just this simple act can change your mindset so that you own and control the task and your time. There is one other suggestion that was made in the conversation, and that was that you cannot be afraid to fail at the task, which for many, may be the root of their procrastination, if you mess it up you can always try again. The most important part of this method is not about success but about creating motion and momentum.

Welcome to the new blog here at lukecopping.com. Its been a hectic month completing the first part of an ongoing rebranding project. We have a new portfolio site up and running and are finally working on the new version of the print portfolio. Additionally I have been working furiously over the last two weeks to bind the 30 handmade books that are going to be shipped out before the end of the month as one of my larger promotional campaigns for the year. I plan on making quite a few more versions of this as the months go on, using a variety of techniques to evolve the project as I send out new rounds of promos.