mullitover:

JONATHAN CHERRY: What got you started with photography?

MICHAEL COOPER: Failure. I grew up dreaming of being a filmmaker; some sort of next-generation Steven Spielberg. I didn’t really know what famous directors did (“Don’t they just play with dinosaurs and sharks?”). I devoted much of my younger life trying to pursue that dream before I hit college and sort of got lost in the transition to adulthood. I had burned out my interest in film, but knew I had an eye for visual art and a gift for storytelling. I bought my first camera, a Nikon FM10, and a small assortment of old manual primes from eBay, and got to work six years ago figuring out what would come next. I wasn’t initially particularly passionate for photography, but the desire to tell stories through photographs and the fulfillment of the results helped me find my true ardor.

JC: Any emerging artists inspiring you at the moment?

MC: Between my hometown of Tulsa and my current homebase of New York, there’s quite a number of photographers that I look to for inspiration. One of the things about settling in New York that I am only now used to is what a small world this large world can be. For instance, I came to meet photog Geordie Wood by chance at a beer garden in Chelsea, and upon small talk we exchanged our business cards. When I got around to having a look at his site later on, I found an incredible inspirational young photographer with a voice. Relatedly, though not exactly emerging; guys like Jake Stangel show you that it’s cool to embrace your personality and not throw a filter over yourself - because your work is an extension of you. I also really like Elizabeth Weinberg the work of Rolling Stone photo editor Sacha Lecca. Finally, I have a lot of admiration for Oklahoma-based photogs back home like Jeremy Charles, Nathan Presley, and landscape photographer Matt Sawyer. The internet makes it harder to focus on one emerging artist, but obviously easier to find the work of many.

JC: Whats your current project all about?

MC: At any given moment, I am working on two or three personal projects and one professional assignment. I’ve grown pretty interested in food-related art projects this year, probably as a result of it being one of the areas I’m the weakest in. You can definitely expect to see some interesting and wacky things coming from that momentum.

JC: Where are you currently living and how is it shaping you?

MC: I currently live in New York City… and holy shit! I came from a market where the most successful photographers are the ones who can act as a jack-of-all-trades, balancing commercial, editorial, and documentary work with ease. I came to New York with all of my lights, all of my cameras, and all of the tools I’m used to having in a studio. There was a lot of difficulty adjusting at first, but the city has allowed me to embrace what I think was my own unique style the whole time: a stripped-down, natural, and more organic study of what makes my subjects human. I’m able to part with my complicated lighting set-up’s - which I don’t think I ever rocked at, anyway - and bring the ceiling down to a more realistic and documentary-style level. New York is no fucking picnic, but it has helped me develop my skills more in one year than the past five living elsewhere.

JC: One piece of advice to recent photography graduates?

MC: Congratulations, you are now four years behind your contemporaries who didn’t go to school. Not only that, but they have invested in development and equipment as much money as you probably owe on student loans. Be ready to work your ass off. But also, having a day job is not a sign of failure. Most of us keep day jobs for years before we are able or have the capital to fully sustain ourselves from our photography businesses. There’s no shame in it. Photography is as challenging and sometimes fruitless a business as it has always been, with minimal rewards. I don’t know about you, but that last sentence is pretty inspiring to me.

JC: Big plans for 2012?

MC: I think every photog goes into a new year with the ambition and the energy to make it “their year”. I am no different. I continuing to grow in my city and market, and the stress produces great results. I’ll continue to focus on music photography, and embrace the purity and freshness of finding my own voice within this enormous community. 2012 is also about establishing my brand in what is perhaps the largest market for photographers in the world. I’m excited.

JC: Favourite tree?

MC: The tree of life.

Well said Mr. Cooper!

(via cooperphotog)

Here is a video I shot and put together for the ESA Hope for Heroes of a group of 1st graders from Walt Disney Elementary in Tulsa, OK. They will be sending copies to US Troops over seas fighting in Afghanistan.

(Source: aheathphoto)

Check out this week’s edition of Urban Tulsa Weekly’s - Urban Spirits. Nic Ritter makes us Edward Delk’s Bar & Restaurant’s signature cocktail - “The Delk.”

While out taking photos for the Oklahoma Marginal Well Commission we stopped by an old powerhouse. These were used during the early exploration and mining of oil. They were powered by a gas pump and using a belt system and a large wheel rods extending out of the building ran the oil pumps. However this one is no longer in service; very few are still in operation today.

(Source: aheathphoto)