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Those who’ve been down to the Hot Shops Art Center have probably seen the beautiful Nebraska landscape photographs from Terry Koopman. What isn’t well-known is that he didn’t start out as a photographer.
Koopman graduated from Bryan High School and attended the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO), where he received a real estate and land economics degree. Real estate rates were high at the time, so he began working in construction. At that time, photography was just a hobby. He then went to work at Leo A Daly, where he would run film at Behr Photo Lab. During his stops at Behr, the owner began to let him use the equipment to develop film, a skill Koopman began to enjoy.
Soon, Koopman opened a small photo and processing studio called Photographics Imaging, which was located on 40th and Farnam streets, in the space that is now Noli’s Pizza. Koopman had Photographics at that location for 35 years. The lab was where many photographers and design firms trusted their film to be processed.
When Koopman first began his career, he was doing more developing than his own photography. Developing another photographer’s work helped him discover more about how to create great photography. “They depended on me to make a good print from their photos. They gave me the base, and I would make different contrasts with dodging and burning to create a great print. The negative is just the start. It was so different back then. They knew what they had taken a picture of, but with analog, they didn’t know what it would look like until I made the print,” said Koopman.
Local photographer Geoff Johnson has worked with Koopman for many years. “Terry used to do a lot of my photo processing when traditional dark room processing was needed. His skill for printing black-and-white is unmatched. Terry printed my first fine art show called ‘Behind the Door.’ It was incredibly personal to me. There were 10 large format prints, 40x60, that were shot digitally, and he executed the high-quality exhibition prints for the fine art show. He did a great job. Terry also does excellent landscape photography. I think his knowledge of printing makes him a great photographer. He knows how to capture a great image,” said Johnson.
Twelve years ago, Koopman moved into Hot Shops because the photography world had become more digital. He kept some clients. He added a film darkroom, and he teaches classes on how to process film the old way. Kids are enjoying making silver prints in the dark room again.
When Koopman first moved down to Hot Shops, he shared the space with Dorothy Tuma. They had a lot of wall space, so he started taking photos to hang on the walls. “I fell in love with the process of taking them and printing them. I remember the first time someone came in and wanted to buy my photo, I was shocked. I have now gotten a reputation of being a photographer. I’ve had a show at the Governor’s Mansion and at the Fred Simon Gallery. I have pieces in the Nebraska Arts Council Permanent Collection,” said Koopman.
It’s the element of collaboration that makes Hot Shops the perfect place for Koopman to work. “It’s like an incubator,” he said. “If you are in a slump, there’s always someone around to inspire you. With the open houses, there is always the ability to have your work shown. The shows bring in a lot of people to see your work. Hot Shops has a great reputation and it’s a great place to be part of.”
Koopman’s photography features Nebraska landscapes and rural areas. His work is influenced by Ansel Adams, most of it black and white. According to Koopman, black-and-white photography has more emotion. If you take a photo and remove the color, it creates more depth. When you look at a black-and-white photo, you look at it longer.
“I’ve lived in Nebraska all my life. I love small towns. I don’t know if I was subliminally influenced by old photographers who would take pictures of migrant farm workers. There’s something about rural Nebraska that inspires me. Every small town has an opera house. Even if they aren’t open, they are still standing,” said Koopman.
Koopman’s favorite photo is called ‘Hay Bales.’ It was taken outside of Chadron, Nebraska. In the photo, the clouds are moving, and he set the motion of the light dancing on the ground. It’s a beautiful image.
Koopman likes to catch rural images because he knows that eventually, they will be gone. “I like to drive around and see a scene, and I know from doing so much printing that I can see a good image. I do very little manipulation. I want it to look natural,” he said.
“Nature photography is quiet. It doesn’t ask you to make it look thinner. All you can hear is the wind. It’s so peaceful. There is something about being out in nature. It brings you back to earth a little bit,” said Koopman.
“I don’t know if I developed my style—or if it developed me. I feel more comfortable when I’m out in the landscape. That’s where I feel at peace. I couldn’t be a city photographer with all the noise and chaos,” said Koopman.
When capturing intense movement in his photography, Koopman uses a slow shutter speed and just keeps taking shots, trying to catch it as the light is dancing. He shoots in color and converts it to black-and-white. “I know that when I convert it to black-and-white, it will change. It’s a mental game. Ansel Adams used to call it your ‘mind’s eye.’ You are seeing it in 3D, but your mind is interpreting how it will look in 2D,” said Koopman.
What advice would Koopman give to aspiring photographers? “Take lots of pictures. Everyone has a camera with them. If you see something, take a picture. You don’t have to have fancy equipment. You just need to slow down and take a picture. That moment in time will never come back. You will never see the same sky twice. It’s always changing,” advised Koopman.
Koopman’s latest subject has been small town football fields. He played football in high school and finds small town football fields enchanting, because the entire town supports the football team. He’s shot 30 small town football fields so far. He likes traveling and seeing parts of the state.
“I’m at an age when all my friends are retiring. My friends keep asking me when I’m going to retire. If I were retired, this is what I would want to do. I get to do what I want,” said Koopman.
“I truly believe that God put this here for a reason and I’m just lucky enough to be here at this moment to capture it. If you aren’t there, these clouds are still going to be dancing all over the hay bales, but no one would be here to see it. It’s like the old tree falling in the woods,” said Koopman.
At Koopman’s shows, people recognize the Nebraska places he has photographed—it creates camaraderie and awe when they see the places they have both been to. “It’s a great state that we live in,” said Koopman.
Looking ahead, Koopman would like to go out west to photograph more of Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. Monument Valley and old abandoned towns are on his bucket list to photograph.
When asked about his legacy, Koopman said, “I would like my legacy to be two-fold. One, that someone looking at a photo of mine will stop and ponder at how beautiful the simple life around us is, be it a cloudy sky or a simple field of hay bales. Secondly, I would like to be remembered as someone who was able to take a faded, tattered memory and restore it to its original form to preserve that memory forever.”
“History is fleeting. I like to take pictures of places before they are gone,”
For more information about Terry Koopman’s photography, visit terrykoopman.com
For information on photo processing services, visit photographicsatthehotshops.com
This article originally appeared in the November/December 2024 issue of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
