From geology to photography

Holding a Degree in geology, astronomy, science and computing at the University of Leicester, Keith Cooper began his career as a scientist in the oil exploration industry. After several years in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean, he returned to England, where he put his knowledge to work in the service of industry and new technologies before devoting himself to research and strategic planning… and then to artistic and commercial photography.

Architecture, industry, design, publishing, advertising, events: Keith Cooper expresses his artistry in numerous domains. “I love shooting just about anything. My most personal work takes the form of black and white landscapes, which strikes an emotional chord with me that I love to convey through my images.”

Cooper’s interest in landscape photography is tied to his understanding of the land’s form and structure, borne of his training as a geologist. Appreciating well composed photography, powerful skies are a prominent feature in his landscapes, as is the interplay between light and water. He infuses his images with natural forms that reflect the poetry of the place or activity — even in his commercial photography: “I take the same care to try to add that little extra something — for example, conveying the atmosphere of an event, or shooting food in a way that makes people feel hungry.”

Keith Cooper and DxO Optics Pro

Keith Cooper integrates DxO Optics Pro very early in his production process. He takes full advantage of all of DxO Optic Pro’s lens corrections to deal with the distortions inherent to the very wide-angle lenses he uses in his landscape photography; DxO Lighting corrections lets him enhance the brightness of his images while preserving their natural look and details; and finally, Cooper uses DxO Optics Pro’s denoising tool to dramatically remove noise from higher ISO shots.

Keith Cooper also teaches and lectures on photography and has specialized in the analysis of digital technologies as applied to high quality black-and-white photography. Keith Cooper is based in Leicester, in the UK.