A
s one of Australia’s most well-respected cinema-
tographers, Allen Koppe ACS’ career behind
cameras has spanned more than thirty years.
The Sydney creative has spent the larger partof his life honing his skills in the industry and now
at the age of sixty can glance back at a lengthy string
of accolades including a Gold Award for his work for
Amnesty International, a host of recognition for his
work in automotive advertising and in 2006 became
an accredited member of the Australian Cinematog-
raphers Society.
But lesser known about Koppe is his equally fierce
love of black and white photography; what he calls a
creative outlet and at times a “rebellion” against the
typical demands of cinema. Koppe’s work, often rec-
ognisable by his square framing and tendency towards
long exposures, helps to transform urban and other
landscapes into ethereal and minimal compositions.
And while it might be tempting to draw the con-
clusion that Koppe’s professional work and his private
pursuit of photographs must substantially overlap, he
is quick to insist that while cameras are the common
denominator across his career and spare time, a firm
line is draw between his approach to cinema and his
approach to still images.
Outside the “cinematic rectangle” of his nine to five,Koppe’s creativity takes f light, scrambling down a rock
face to the bottom of a lighthouse or as he says simply
“driving around until you see something that catches
your eye”. Whether the built environment or a wind-
swept plain, Koppe’s dedication to the monochrome
image has laid the basis for a startling large body of
black and white landscapes that are beginning to draw
as much recognition as his motion-based work.
A LOVE OF THE CRAFT
Like many successful visual creatives, Koppe’s love
for photography (and indeed black and white pho-
tography) began when he picked up his father’s
camera as a schoolboy. Born and raised in Sydney,
Koppe’s first foray into photography with his father’s
Praktika would become the basis for a portfolio that
ultimately saw his admission to North Sydney Tech-
nical College’s (NSTC) film production program.
But as Koppe says himself, it was a combination of
his practical nature and some career-oriented advice
from his parents that led to an emphasis on the mov-
ing image rather than the still.
Centric. Each time I visit the Sydney
Opera house I am in awe of its elegant
grandeur. I wanted to simplify the
frame and let the beauty of the
architecture shine. Fujifilm GFX 50S,
GF100-200mm F5.6 R LM OIS WR
lens @ 100mm. 240s @ f8, ISO 200.