Ben Cope, a Los Angeles based Photographer and Director, focuses on celebrity and beauty. He is part of the Seven Artist Management (7AM) Agency and has shot some features for Photobook Magazine, GQ Magazine, Numéro, and others. His lengthy list of celebrity clients includes Jennifer Lopez, Selena Gomez, Madelaine Petsch, Peter Facinelli, Joey King, Julia Butters, Ruby Rose, Taryn Manning and many more. He has recently turned his studio into a gallery hoping to work with more artists and support other creatives.

How did you get started as a photographer?
I began shooting as a kid when my dad gave me his old Nikon FG. I played around a little, but once I got into the darkroom my first year in college it was over. I lived in there and experimented with everything I could get my hands on for all four years. Once I moved to the West Coast somehow I ended up as a lighting technician and began assisting Steven Klein and Mark Seliger regularly. That took me to New York City for a while but I finally settled back in Los Angeles and began my own career and built my studio.

What inspires you as a photographer?
It’s mostly the people that I work with that inspire me. I enjoy capturing a moment or an expression that can’t be directed or asked for. I like to shoot fast and move with my subject; It becomes like a dance.

What is a project that you have worked on that really changed your career or perspective?
I can’t say that there has been any one thing. I think it’s just the constant build and growth that you go through when you work. Every shoot is a new experience. Every trip brings new memories. I get so busy with staying on top of everything and then I slow down and look back and it’s like, oh, I did all that.

Is there a certain aesthetic or kind of person you really enjoyed shooting?
I love shooting people who love to move. I've always been a fan of dance and have a background in gymnastics and martial arts so I appreciate body awareness. It makes the process effortless. Long lines and bold shapes and bends of the body always inspire me.

Do you have any dream people with whom you would like to collaborate?
That’s hard to say. I've been fortunate to work with loads of people throughout my career and feel like I am just getting going. I keep getting cool projects with cool people so I just keep going with the flow and being pleasantly surprised as things come my way.

Outside of photography, how do you like to spend your free time?
I have gotten back to music lately and that fills my free time when I am not shooting or running my studios. I loved playing in bands in high school and finally feel like I am at a place in my life where I can take the time to revisit that part of my life. During the pandemic I managed to build a recording studio in one of our studios at our warehouse. So now I get to write and produce tracks for my commercials as well as experiment with ideas sonically.

Do you have any projects coming up or in the works?
I am currently wrapping up a big commercial at the moment and have been too busy to think about more projects. I plan to take some time for myself and write music and plan out what’s next. Our studio has a couple of big events we are producing along with some smaller pop-up events over the next month or two so that will fill in my gaps in time.

What advice would you give young people considering careers in photography?
Consistency and professionalism. I see a lot of people trying to break into this world and don’t take the time to learn the business side of things. Good photos only take you so far. Being able to work consistently at the same level and produce the same quality content and meet clients’ needs over and over is the hard part.

We know that you have recently turned your studio in LA into a gallery. What inspired you to do that?
I took my personal studio and turned it into a rental studio in 2018 and have always been trying to keep growing that brand. Since then, we have slowly taken over and built two other studios and grown our brand little by little. Keeping with that mentality, we renovated all three studios and the connecting hallways over the pandemic and started hosting multi-studio art events with other creatives with whom we work. I have recently built one of the spaces to double as a live-stream venue for music performances and hope to curate more events with record labels or independent artists. My love of music and art is definitely my inspiration but I also love to work with other artists to build up our creative community.

Social Media.

Professional Photo: @ben_cope

Art: @ben_cope_art

Music: @dtfla

South Arts District Studios: @_sad_studios

Interview by Chloe Liu, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Alexa Dyer, Graphic Design Coordinator, PhotoBook Magazine
All photos courtesy of Ben Cope