We’re looking forward to introducing you to Luke Copping. Check out our conversation below.
Good morning Luke, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Tinkering with typewriters. When you work in a creative space, your vocation can sometimes become your hobby. As a photographer, I’m often plotting and planning various personal projects outside my professional work. It keeps what I do fulfilling, and lets me experiment. But sometimes you need something that lets you step away totally.
A while back, my mother handed down to me a typewriter that used to belong to her father. A late 1940s Smith Corona Clipper portable typewriter. It was in pretty rough shape, years of accumulated dust and crud, a few keys that needed to be relinked or unstuck, and a beat-up paint job. I spent a bunch of weeks learning how to repair and clean it, and now I have it in excellent working order – the last step is to repaint it. I’ve been using it to write lists, notes, and letters to friends and clients.
Since I started working on that machine, my interest in typewriters has grown. So much so that I have added a few more to my collection – a Royal Safari from the 1960s and a Royal Futura 800 from the late 1950s. These days, I cannot go anywhere near a thrift store to see if they have something interesting I can tinker with. I’ve always been really into stationery, so this felt like a natrual extension of that hobby.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Luke Copping, a photographer and storyteller driven by character, drama, and the little details that make life vivid. My work has been recognized by the James Beard Foundation, The World Food Photography Awards, and multiple times in American Photography, but what truly inspires me is capturing moments that reveal the unexpected, the stories beyond the surface. I’ve trained myself through hands-on experience, relentless curiosity, and yes, more than a few obsessive hobbies, all of which feed into my creative process.
A dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, I live in Buffalo, NY, a city I love exploring by bicycle, always on the lookout for the stories that make it more than just a stop on the map.
Outside of work, I’m drawn to neo-noir films, cross-country road trips, and the perfect bowl of ramen, small obsessions that remind me how curiosity informs everything I do, and that little pleasures make life workth living. Whether I’m behind the camera or in the quiet moments of reflection and writing, I believe in the drama inherent in everyday life.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
The world never told me I had to be a photographer. It had other plans. I’ve been a janitor, a machinist, a sandwich artist, a signmaker, and even a corporate marketer, basically collecting jobs like some people collect bad breakups. I first studied photography during a period when the industry was flipping upside down, and honestly, I wasn’t really in touch with myself either. Back then, photography was just a job. Not something I loved.
Then life did the thing it does best: I got laid off. Suddenly, I had to figure out what the hell I was going to do with my life, fast. I picked my camera back up, but this time I aimed it at people instead of machine parts. I started photographing friends, bands, and artists, and for the first time, I fell in love with photography in a real, authentic way. It just clicked, and everything else followed from there.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I DID give up photography once. I stepped into the industry just as it was in total upheaval, with film dying, digital exploding, and the old paths to work evaporating almost overnight. It felt impossible to build a career on shifting sand. I wasn’t ready for the chaos, and photography stopped feeling like something I loved. I walked away.
Looking back, it wasn’t failure. It was timing. The business, the tools, the rules, they were all changing faster than anyone could keep up. When I came back, I did it on my own terms, chasing the work I actually wanted to make and the people I wanted to photograph. That’s when it finally clicked, and photography became a real part of me. .
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
Most people assume mentors have to be older, more experienced, or have more years under their belt. I disagree. Longevity and experience don’t necessarily mean they understand the current landscape. The most valuable mentors I’ve had were often younger than me. Mentorship isn’t about age; it’s about expertise, perspective, and the ability to challenge you. Sometimes the person who can teach you the most is the one who sees the world differently and knows the tools, trends, and ideas you haven’t caught up to yet.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
People will probably assume my legacy is just about the photos I take. But it’s really about the people I’ve worked with, taught, and learned from. The awards and images are just the surface. The real legacy is the craft, perspective, and curiosity I’ve helped pass along, and the ways it continues in the work of others.
I remember a dinner with several generations of photographers. Each had assisted the next in line over the years. Sitting there, you could feel the bond. Not family, but a lineage of artists, connected by creativity and the care they took passing it on. That’s what lasts.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lukecopping.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lukecopping/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-copping-2995a69/
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