Today we’d like to introduce you to Cooper Page.
Hi Cooper, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved cars. And while I’ve always enjoyed taking pictures of Utah’s beautiful landscapes during family camping trips, photography was never something I’d considered pursuing. At first it was nothing more than a fun excuse to get myself closer to the action and involved in motorsport, but I fell in love with it. I fell in love with capturing the moments and stories of motorsports that made me love cars as a kid. I started going to whatever events I could, camera at my side, even traveling the US to capture events I couldn’t capture at home. Making friends and connections along the way I was able to land a spot on the official media team for my home track, Burt Brother’s Motorpark.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has been both smoother, and rougher, than I thought it’d be. The motorsports and photography communities have been nothing but welcoming. No ego about who’s been here longer or who’s got the nicer camera or anything like that. Being met with friendly faces and people willing to share their knowledge at every turn and event has been a godsend and what’s gotten me through the rough times. Through the long nights and learning curves, through rejections and wrecked equipment, through imposter syndrome and improper settings, through lost files, re-edits, and long travel. But I’m thankful to say there have been far more bright spots than dark ones on this journey.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a photographer who specializes in motorsports. While my first love is stage rally, I try and shoot any type of motorsport that I can to help hone my skills and force me to think outside the box. Every discipline has differences that force me to try different angles, techniques, styles, etc…
One of the things I’m most proud of is just starting. Picking up new hobbies/skills and sticking to them gets harder the older you get, and I’ve certainly picked-up and abandoned plenty of them, so picking up photography in my late-20s (which is still young, I know) and committing to it to the point where it’s become more than just a hobby helps me keep my head high.
I think something that sets me apart from others is my philosophy on art. I firmly believe that we all experience art uniquely. Even if we’re all experiencing the same piece of art, we each take something different from it than what the artist originally intended. I think too often people get caught up in trying to guess what the artist meant with their art, rather than trying to find out what it means to them and their journey, what it makes them feel as they experience it. So while I love capturing moments and stories with my photos, I’m not expecting others to have the same interpretation of that moment or story as I did when I pressed the shutter button.
What does success mean to you?
It’s cliché, but to me success is simply happiness. From a business standpoint I should probably define it as profit or followers or some other thing, but this journey has brought me a type of happiness nothing else has.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cooperpagephoto.smugmug.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cooper_page_photo/
