From a new series of images I have been working on lately.

Personal Record is a new regular Thursday feature here on my blog, an ongoing stream of the images I make outside of my professional career. The personal images, mobile images, outtakes, and  random candid images that I take on my iPhone, my X100, my 5D MKII or whatever other camera I happen to have handy at the time; a documentation of my day-to-day life and the things I come across that interest me visually.

A visit to Lloyd Taco Truck was the perfect midday break to fuel myself up. Stopped in for an order of their tricked out nachos, which never disappoints. Lloyd is currently in the top ten of a nationwide poll of the best food trucks in America.

After weeks of a hectic working schedule I was finally able to find time to stop by Bryan’s to get my hair cut as well as to take an homage to the post teen-angst mirror/phone picture to show it off.

The off cuts.

I spent a lot of time on foot this week walking around both Buffalo and Toronto, caught sight of a few building facades that caught my eye.

Vertical lines and sticks seemed to surround me lately, a new motif? perhaps.

Spent friday night out at Club Diablo, a venue I hadn’t been to in a while, to see my friends Meagan and Derek DJ. Heres a picture of my friend and fellow photographer Aaron Ingrao, looking a lot like the devil from this video. 

At some point during the night, Aaron stole my x100 from me and snapped several images of our friends. This is another photographer, Zach Rose. 

Me, by Aaron Ingrao

Melanie by Aaron Ingrao

Erin McPartlan by Aaron Ingrao

Derek Hendrickson, who made an appearance on this very blog earlier this week, sharing his musical taste with the world.

Bryan, outside the bar.

Trying to squeeze in one last bit of summer before the cold weather comes for the year.

Some more enjoyment of Labor day weekend – took some extremely long walks around my neighborhood, exploring some of the alleys and side streets I rarely venture down, found some interesting angles on some old favorites.

My best friend, Adam, came to visit me over the long weekend, therefore I proceeded to annoy this very angry film critic and writer  by constantly having cameras in his face.

I can never get Chops or Kasha to sit still when I have one of my bigger cameras around, but they seem to love the iPhone, I suspect they think it is a snack I am teasing them with.

This is how I live, one cup at a time.

Right before leaving for Canada for a few days on business I had a chance to work on a little personal project with Melissa Murphy and Amanda Marsala.

styling and color.

Me during some down time on set.

Partially finished styling. You will see the finished product in a few weeks.

I just got back from Toronto late last night, but while I was there I got some amazing images from around the city.

Tristan Jud from RAW did a nice interview with me recently about how I started my career and how I market myself. It is live now on RAW’s site and you can check it out here.

A little black and white action from over the holiday weekend.

The view from the roof of the soon to be opened new studio. Victory!

Enjoying my day off!!

Event news for those of you in the Western New York area this week

On Thursday night I’ll be speaking on a panel with ASMP National President Jim Cavanaugh and über talented commercial photographer Rhea Anna for the ASMP 2011 Photo Chat Live event.  It’s an open Q & A where photographers can ask questions on any facet of the photography industry; from marketing to creative outlook. For me it’s just pretty cool to be speaking on the same panel as two of the best mentors I have ever had.

An alternate take on fellow photographer and my sometimes assistant Jason Stoos from a recent portrait session I did with him that is part of a larger project documenting artists and creatives in Western New York. Continuing my recent infatuation with square images.

Sometimes, after a long shoot that ends late on a sunday, restaurant options are limited and there is only one clear choice that will satisfy the needs of a hungry photographer.

The loneliest deserts are the most delicious.

Its been a hectic week here, just got back from a couple hard days on a set. But I’ve got a chance to catch up on a lot of new work that still needs to go through post production. Keep an eye out for new promo images of artist Nick Butlak that are coming shortly. Some new tutorials, and more news on a bunch of upcoming projects that are starting next week.

John Keatley is an advertising and editorial photographer from Seattle. His images of celebrities like Annie Leibovitz and John Waters are iconic and instantly resonate with the viewer. John was kind enough to answer some questions and to share some clips from his recent talk on photography. John’s blog can be found here

LC: What are some tips you might give to a young photographer trying to get their work seen and market themselves in their early career that you wish you had known when you were starting out?

JK: It is very important to have a plan.  Set goals for yourself.  Commit to your goals by writing them down, and then decide on a plan that will help you achieve your goals.  It will take time, hard work, consistency persistence, and good work.  Stick to your plan and if you are passionate about what you are doing people will start to notice.  A lot of young photographers don’t realize how much time and hard work goes into a successful marketing campaign, and they want results right away.  I just watched an interview with Adam Sandler, and he was talking about auditioning for parts early in his career.  He believed so much in himself, when he didn’t get a part, he thought, “What is wrong with these people! How could they not want me?”  That kind of belief in your abilities is an important key to success, and it has to be followed up with persistence.  If you don’t press on after a bad meeting, or after losing a bid, you won’t get anywhere.

LC: In terms of changes in media technology, how versed do new photographers need to be in terms of working with video as well as still images? Is video something you have greatly embraced in your own work?

Photography Talk Chapter One from John Keatley on Vimeo.

JK: I actually made videos long before I ever picked up a still camera.  It was a big hobby of mine in high school.  Since becoming a photographer, video was something I have not had a ton of time for however.  Recently I have started working again with video and I am really enjoying it.

I think right now it is one of those things where you don’t have to be well versed in it, but it sure doesn’t hurt.  It can only help you if you can offer video to your clients.  There are lots of fun and exciting possibilities if you can work with stills and motion, so I say go for it.

LC: In your own early experiences was there any one moment or opportunity that was a game changer for your career?

JK: I don’t think I can say there was one moment that made all of the difference, but there have certainly been many significant opportunities and events in my life which have helped shape my career and as well as opened new doors for me.  I am always trying to push myself and sometimes taking on something that scares you is the best way to learn and grow.  You will surprise yourself with what you can accomplish if you just commit and be positive.

LC: What are 3 do’s and don’ts about the photography business you wish you had known at the beginning of your career that you do now?

JK: I don’t have 3 do’s and don’ts, but I can offer this advice from personal experience.  Ask lots of questions, and communicate clearly.  Ask for help when you need it.  Value your work and yourself, don’t give it away and sell yourself short.  Shoot what you love.  This is said so much it can sound like white noise, but it is so important.  Don’t worry about what other people are shooting or making money at if it’s not something you enjoy.  Become great at what you love, and the work will follow.  Take initiative and make things happen.

LC: This question is specifically geared for those budding portrait photographers out there. You are known for working with noted personalities whose backgrounds encompass a wide spectrum,  what can younger photographers who get thrust into a situation of photographing a large personality do to get beyond that initial nervousness and relate to their subject?

Photography Talk Chapter Two from John Keatley on Vimeo.

JK: It can’t be about you.  You have to be or be humble when working with celebrities.  It’s important to understand you are not there to become best friends.  Celebrities have a million people pulling at them from all directions and everyone wants something from them.  If you lose sight of the fact you are there to do a job then you are at a disadvantage.  Just be yourself and don’t go in trying to impress everyone.  Be respectful, take a deep breath, and trust in yourself.

LC: Your portrait style is iconic and impactful, conversely so many photographers seem to jump on the bandwagon of whatever the trendy look or color treatment is that month. How much of a balance does one need to strike between what the industry wants and seeing through your own personal vision to completion.

JK: It is good to be aware of what is going on in the industry, and to draw inspiration from work you enjoy.  However, personally, I think it is important to be true to yourself and create whatever you feel compelled to create.  Don’t start over sharpening your work because that is what you see in print that month.  I think it is better to create something you can be proud of rather than what is in style if it doesn’t match up with your interests.  If you put your passion into it, there is a much better chance your work will be relevant for years to come.  If photography is just a job to you, then I suppose it would be very important to keep up with trends and adapt in that way, but if you want to become great and create something lasting, I feel that can only be achieved by listening to you inner voice.

As you may have noticed, we have made a quite a few aesthetic changes here at lukecopping.com. The main site was updated a few weeks ago with an all new interface, and today the new look for the blog has launched as well. This new format will allow for larger images to be posted and maintained as well as hopefully providing a better user experience for all the readers. More updates will be implemented soon, so check back often.

I have a style piece in this month’s issue of Auxiliary Magazine called Metropolis Andorgyne, featuring beauty looks combining forward looking androgynous style with a hint of glam rock. A smaller piece, but I think its memorable because the only shoot I have ever had to do with almost no voice, having hurt my throat when I was sick earlier this month.  Illness aside, I was lucky to work with two very talented models; Katie and Marie, who brought a lot to the collaboration, as well as my styling team of Kristin and Shianne.

I’m wrapping up work on my first video project, a short promotional video for Supreme General. Just wanted to get a quick video capture up to give you all a preview.

As I sit here in the post New Years eve chaos that is my apartment (There are house fires that look more orderly) I have been thinking a lot about new years resolutions and how futile they often are. For many people its a matter of giving themselves a task with no real goal. “Im going to lose weight” instead of “I am going to lose x pounds over y time.” For creatives it may be something that sounds like “I am going to leverage social media to make x dollars this year” or “I will book those three large wish list clients in the first business quarter of 2010″ As well intentioned and noble all of these self promises may be, I think that sometimes we lose sight of some of the important aspects of what we do. making grandiose promises that should be goals to work towards rather than the deal breaker promises we blindly make to ourselves.

I have made myself two resolutions this year which I have tried to temper with a good dose of reality and good advice from others.  they are:

“I will shoot at least 2 self directed projects a month for myself to bolster my portfolio and attract clients”

I think that many photographers and creatives get caught up in frenzy of social media, marketing, branding, and market placement. While all of the above are important aspects of being a photographer in this new decade ,  they mean very little without the work to back it up. We should always be striving to create better images, to push our limits, and to create pictures that we truly love. Its hard to sell a product that you don’t believe in, by pushing yourself to make images that matter to you, you make it that much easier to make images that matter to your clients. Remember what Steve Martin said “The best way to make it is to be undeniably good”

“I will willingly make mistakes and fail more often”

Its only when we fail that we learn. Not every single shoot we do for ourselves has to result in portfolio images. Its so important to get out and experiment, have fun with your work, push limits, break boundaries, try new techniques, fail, realize your mistakes, correct them, and move on as a better photographer, illustrator, editor, writer… whatever. Its when you get to point that you stop learning and stop teaching yourself that you really start to lose your edge, and there is no excuse for it, not in this age where information is freely available, where peer review is abundant and democratic, and where we have more control over our creative output than ever. This resolution directly effects the first. I will be trying new techniques and workflows, new ways of looking at images, and at how I create these images.

While it has been a tumultuous holiday season, there is a lot to look forward to as well. I am in the process of launching a new brand identity, which may already be apparent to some of the regular visitors to this blog and my website. I’ll be talking about this process in the coming weeks as well as continuing to work with my fantastic new designer Nubby Twiglet on a variety of new brand and marketing elements, I’m ecstatic to be working with a professional designer after years of taking care of my design needs myself. I am also a lot more conscious of presentation and how to get my work in front of the right people, I have met some people lately that have given me some great advice on how to best do that. Moving into 2010 is a time thats filled with excitement. For a lot of people this is a significant era, its filled with possibility, uncertainty and opportunity, I can’t wait to see what the new decade has in store.

A question: what creative resolutions have the rest of you made this year?

See you in the future…

So many ideas start out this way, not all of them this good. A real in depth look coming soon.

In writing there is a structured exercise that is often undertaken to help writers develop ideas or to overcome blocks, it is called free writing. Based on a series of basic guidelines it allows an author to write freely, in a stream of consciousness style, without any regard to form, grammar, or topic. This action allows the writer to create raw output absent of self criticism or over conceptualization. Whether the end material is usable or not, the process serves multiple purposes. First, it allows the writer to build momentum, the actual act of writing can serve to exorcise a block that may prevent one from writing in a formal method. Secondly, it allows a cathartic purging of the half formed ideas that may prevent the writer from focusing on more urgent ideas or formal projects. Finally, in some free writing sessions it allows the writer to develop and record seed ideas that may later become fully formed concepts.

During a slow night I found myself with the itch to just pick up my camera and shoot… anything. I decided to call up my friend Jessica and have her drop by the studio for an impromptu session, we were walking into this with no expectations regarding the final product, it was simply taking pictures for the sake of taking pictures. There had been no discussions of concept, wardrobe, styling, lighting, or mood, all we knew was that Jessica would bring bags of clothing, and also that she would be bringing her pet rat. All other decisions would have to be made on the spot, in the limited amount of time that we had available.

From her pile of wardrobe and accessories, a decision of styling was made on the spot, we would attempt to create two looks with radically different styling and moods in just under 2.5 hours, thankfully Jessica is a talented stylist and was able to take care of hair and makeup with no problem. Concepts were quickly decided by choosing the first two that came to mind, we would do something vaguely inspired by Louise Brooks, a 1920′s silent film star, which involved Jessica cutting and styling a wig on the spot, as well as a warmer image using her own candy colored red hair. The entire process was put together quickly and on the fly, and the concepts were only loosely adhered too in terms of execution and final look, each look evolved and changed throughout the shooting session.

It was an interesting change from my normal workflow, which usually involves hours of script development, styling choices, scouting, casting, wardrobe, lighting etc.. What is normally a very structured process for me became very loose and intuitive by necessity of the parameters I had to work within. It was a beneficial experience that led to the development of a few other concepts that I’ll probably revisit in later projects, as well a chance to experiment in a situation with no expectations or pressure of self criticism. The rules of free writing can be  tweaked for a more visual medium like photography with some of the suggestions below.

Limit yourself to a specific window of time

All decisions must be made within this time frame, not outside of it

Subject does not matter

There are no bad ideas

Attempt more than one concept

Concepts should evolve organically as the shoot progresses

Team size is irrelevant

Experiment both technically and creatively

If you find yourself with nothing to photograph, photograph anything

We live in an age of technological wonder. Digital cameras and post production software give us an unprecedented ability to craft and control images. The internet and the social networking revolution have allowed us to make intelligent connections globally and with an ease that would have been unthinkable two decades ago. The simplicity of on-demand publishing has allowed us to put our work in from of more eyes than ever before. All of these are miraculous tools when viewed in relation to the rest of human technology, but even these marvelous contraptions have become so commonplace that it seems absolutely alien when you do meet someone who isn’t maintaining two blogs and multiple Twitter accounts.

But for all the benefits technology has given us, it must not be forgotten that there is a far older and more archaic tool of undeniable importance. In my day to day work, the single most important tool that I carry around with me is a simple notebook; in fact, I carry more than one, in different shapes and sizes.

For starters, I cannot tell you how many times and in how many different job roles a small 3.5 x 5.5 inch pocket notebook has saved my ass. If you are an assistant, every boss will love that you always have a notebook and a pen at the ready to take lunch orders and write down exposures. If you are a photographer, it always helps to have a notebook to loan to the one assistant who invariably never has one of his own. They are also indispensable for jotting directions, numbers, notes, and names down on the fly. I’m sure that little voice in the back of your head is saying “Why do I need to write directions?, my iPhone has GPS” Thats great if your going somewhere with an address, but if you ever have to shoot in a labyrinthian hospital basement, University steam tunnels, or a massive manufacturing complex don’t be surprised if your miraculous GPS leads you astray whereas a hastily hand drawn map might save the day. The pocket notebook and a reliable pen are tools of vital importance. I’m partial to the Moleksine Volant style notebooks, they are flexible enough to fit anywhere, they don’t have any wire coils that can come loose and stab you, their bright colors make them easy to spot if you ever put it down, and their pages tear out clean and easy. I have also known a lot of people to be very happy with the Action Runner from Behance Outfitters because of its checklist style layout and equally bright colors. But don’t be afraid to get even more low-tech, even having a few loose 3 x 5 notecards on you at all times is better than nothing.

The other notebook that I have on me at all times is a hardbound, super durable 5 x 8.25 black notebook which is also from Moleskine, but any suitably durable notebook will do. It is important to stress that this book goes with me everywhere. If I leave the house, this book is in my bag, its on my desk when I’m working, and Its on my bedside table when I go to sleep. This is the book I jot all of my shoot concepts and ideas in. How many times have you had that perfect image pop into your head when your about to drift off to sleep? Only to put it off until morning and find your ability to recall it is hazy at best. I got sick of losing track of my ideas, so now I keep them all with me, all the time.

I tend to prefer the Moleskine notebooks because I put a lot of wear and tear to on my notebooks and the Moleskine’s seem to last a little longer than a $1.00 composition book, but whats more important is that you have something to write on and something to write with all the time. You can find other good notebooks here, here, and here, or you can make your own

Get a good and reliable pen while you’re at it and always hold onto it, don’t let anyone walk off with it. You should always have 2-3 cheaper pens handy as loaners, nothing will piss you off more than losing a good pen… nothing.

Aside from photography I also do a fair bit of freelance writing. Auxiliary Magazine recently afforded me the opportunity to interview Doc Hammer from Adult Swim’s The Venture Brothers for their october issue (and to collaborate with my good friend, NYC based artist Ron Douglas, who went above and beyond to get an 11th hour photo session in with Hammer). In addition to writing one of the most intelligent and funniest animated shows on television, Hammer is also a musician and accomplished oil painter with an interesting view on how sucking motivates him to excel in his chosen fields.

Too many people fall in love with their own work to the degree that they become overconfident and sloppy. This overconfidence can sometimes lead to stagnation in their evolution as a creative. When you feel there is no need to improve and love every single piece you create as if it were your magnum opus, quality begins to suffer and motivation will disappear. For some people its the adversity of constantly trying to improve that allows them to thrive. I wanted to share a passage from the interview that I feel sums this idea up perfectly, it relates specifically to oil painting, but as Hammer goes on to say later in the article, it can be applied to any endeavor.

…Painting is showing up and dealing with sucking, that’s the big tip, that’s what I want people to walk out knowing.

A lot of artists want people to think that they are magicians, that it’s easy and no one else an do it and that they just shit this stuff out, and it’s untrue. People with skill and passion can do it, that’s the talent. The thing that you are born with isn’t the ability to render figure, you can always learn that. What you are born with is the drive to fucking do it, and to want to do it in the face of constant failure. Painting is entirely failure, and if your painting wasn’t failure then your not moving forward and you are not correcting your own mistakes. What’s the point of making another one if you’re so fucking good that you have painted your masterpiece already. Every painting that a good painter does, they hate it, it sucks, and that’s what gets them going to do the next one so they can learn. That’s a hard thing to do, to have your occupation, hobby, life, be a place where you suck and you know you suck. People will get on me and tell me that I need to relax and take it easy, that I’m not really that bad. What they are missing is the arrogance of what I am saying, the fact that I know I suck proves that I know I am better than this, which is a very arrogant thing to do, so people should not be concerned with my self esteem. When I say I suck, it actually means that this is not a representation of my ability, I know that inside me is better. Dealing with my sucking and proudly saying this sucks is how I get up and do it again. I can’t let that thing get out there, I have to apologize for it with my next piece.

- Doc Hammer

To read read more about Doc Hammer’s thoughts on style, menswear, music, painting, and his show The Venture Brothers; or to view the rest of  October issue of Auxiliary Magazine, go HERE

sx8pdbnfui