First Issue

Luke Copping

Interview by Francesco Gallarotti
Photographies by Luke Copping

Luke Copping graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology’s School of Photographic Arts and Sciences. Born in Canada and raised in the United States he has experience as a photographer, graphic designer and web designer.

Francesco Gallarotti (F): Luke, how does Buffalo, the city you live in, influence your shooting style?

Luke Copping (L): Buffalo has become a very large influence on my work. I often use the city’s architecture and the surrounding areas as backdrops for my work. I love cities and I love what they represent. But I never wanted to be an architectural photographer, cities are nothing without the people in them. That is why my on-location work tends to combine my love of photographing people and fashion with my love of the cities and the places in them.

F: What is that you like the most about Buffalo?

L: I especially love Buffalo because it is a city with character, there are a number of structures here which are in a state of decay or have a certain vintage to them. and I love to use these in my work. As much as I can enjoy working in the studio, it is shooting at these locations which I find most enjoyable. The work I do in Buffalo is unlike the work I do in other places. I photograph quite often in Toronto as well and could never get the shots there that I take in Buffalo, when I compare the two of them Toronto seems almost too modern compared to Buffalo.

I love cities and I love what they represent. But I never wanted to be an architectural photographer, cities are nothing without the people in them.

F: Do you get to work with other colleagues in town?

L: In Buffalo right now there is definitely a collective of young photographers to which I belong and we all help each other when we can either by sharing techniques, pooling resources, assisting each other or just in general being friends. Some of the members include Ron Douglas, Chris Brown, Joey Buczek, and a few others. It is a very friendly atmosphere in which we all compete, but all support each other as well.

F: What are your favorite photographers?

L: As far as other photographers and artists whose work I enjoy I should probably name Nick Knight, one of Britain’s most innovative and influential photographers and image makers. Also I like Rodney Smith, whose images convey a dream-like, otherworldly sensibility. The extravagant compositions and the surreal arrangements of Can Evgin’s work are also among my favorites.

Their work is the photography that I constantly go back to look at for reasons of enjoyment more than any others. And though it may not show a lot in my work I really get inspired to create by asian cinema. I enjoy Akira Kurosawa, Chan-wook Park. Shinya Tsukamoto, and Kar Wai Wong. I find that they have a very different visual language that appeals to me.

F: You say you are inspired by the asian sense of style and art. Have you ever been in Asia?

L: Not yet, but I would love the visit Japan, specifically Tokyo, and photograph the microcosm of distinct subcultures that exist there set against the backdrop of this teeming metropolis. India is another country I would love to travel to.

F: What is your shooting style?

L: I tend to jump back and forth a lot between my studio and on location work. I love the look of a simple portrait, but sometimes I want to get out these in the streets and explore. I have a lot of fun just heading out with my models and exploring an area to see what we can find. I suppose a lot of my work focuses on the juxtaposition of age/decay vs. youth/vibrancy. Placing young and usually attractive models into environments that most people consider an eyesore and many would like avoid or eradicate altogether. As far as stylistic choices go. I am just as likely to photograph someone in mainstream designer outfits like as I am to incorporate elements from alternative clothing lines. I also like to incorporate that persons own wardrobe and style and throw in bits of punk, goth/industrial, and rockabilly subculture as well. I photograph what is around me and I am surrounded by friends and colleagues from all different paths of life and interests.

F: How do you post-process your work?

L: I try to get what I can in camera when I can, but If a particular image is not where I envision it being I am not ashamed to manipulate it to be what I want. For me it is about creating an Image, not being a photographic purist. One of my instructors when I was the Rochester Institute of Technology told me “The only reason we learn the rules is so that we know how to break them” And that always stuck with me.

F: What is beauty for you?

L: Beauty can be found in anything. From the intricacies of a person’s face to the stonework on a building. I find a lot of beauty in unusual places. A decaying factory can be absolutely entrancing to me. Seeing the wear of years in how the windows have broken or how the walls have collapsed says a lot more about nature to me than looking at a pristine forest. These are our ruins, the skeletons of these buildings contain details that can really capture your attention. Rather than being the ruins and remains of a culture that might predate ours by hundreds or thousands of years, we are looking at the ruins of mere decades. These buildings tell part of our story and history and hold more interest for me than speculating about the use of more ancient structures.

A PDF file with the pages of the article as it will be published in the first issue of the Green Tea Gallery Magazine is available for free here: lukecopping_greenteagallery_spring_2008.pdf.
Please notice that all the photographies in this article are owned and copyrighted by Luke Copping.

You can find Luke’s work online on his website at www.lukecopping.com.

Some of his clients are Dungaree Dolly’s, Faces and Places Agency, Brutalitees, Inked Angels, Precision Process Equipment, Inc., Precious Plate Inc.

© 2008 green tea gallery magazine.