We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jonathan Cooper. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jonathan below.
Jonathan, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
Seeing how far I’ve come and understanding what I’m capable of are important things that inspire my work ethic and resilience. Truthfully, it takes a lot out of you to have to be resilient all the time. Throughout my journey there’s been disappointments, moments of feeling inadequate, being misunderstood while being overly understanding, but I refuse to give anyone or any situation power over my ability to do great things. Over the years I’ve covered a lot of ground and continue to make a great impact with my work. That’s what’s continuing to keep the fire burning.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
These days, I’ve steered away from the label of just “food photographer.” Over time, I’ve developed a deeper love, understanding, and appreciation for food and beverage culture. As a consumer and lover of various cultures, I’ve realized that there’s been a lot of focus on the final product and the need to go viral over trendy things. While there might space for that, I’ve also realized that the art of storytelling is missing. The real work is in the journey and process to produce the final product. Everyone and everything has a story and we aren’t doing any justice by overlooking them. Those are elements that I fell in love with photographing.
As time goes on, I would love to photograph more cookbooks, travel to photograph various cultures, and tell more food stories through my work. I’ve yet to do a photo exhibit and that’s something I’m working on.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Honestly, life experiences in general through daily interactions and even through my travels have been impactful in my journey. Being a sponge and a constant student in life has helped me navigate through a lot. Without staying open you’re really doing yourself a disservice to elevate and prosper.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I love collaborating with others. Not only does it challenge my creativity, it also creates a bigger impact on the final product. Creating with others will definitely teach you more about your own process, how to adjust, and how other’s create as well. There’s nothing like infusing the perspective of others for one common goal. I’d like to collaborate with more people in the food and beverage industry, especially in food media. Even if we aren’t necessarily in the same field, I’m a firm believer that anything is possible. My email is jonathan@coopernicusphotos.com. I’d love to connect and expand!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.coopernicusphotos.com
- Instagram: @iamcoopernicus_
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-cooper-86412876/
Image Credits
Food & beverage images captured by Jonathan Cooper
