Jim Koepnick is a photojournalist specializing in aviation, sports, events, architecture, drone, and documentary photography, creating images that blend technical precision with a strong narrative sense. His work spans editorial, commercial, and community projects, with assignments that range from high-energy airshows to intimate human-interest stories.
A former Sigma America Lens Ambassador, Jim has collaborated with leading brands and publications throughout the aviation and media industry. His freelance clients include Sigma, Flying Magazine, Plane & Pilot Magazine, Air & Space Smithsonian, Our Wisconsin Magazine, Daher TBM, ZUMA Press, Cirrus Aircraft, Discover Oshkosh, Ripon College, Green Lake Chamber, Destination Lake Winnebago Region, Specialty Design Builders, and Missions of Honor–Old Glory Honor Flight/Freedom to Liberty.
For 28 years, Jim served as Chief Photographer at the Experimental Aircraft Association, where he led air-to-air photography for EAA’s publications and helped define the visual look of the world’s largest aviation gathering. He has photographed more than 1,000 aircraft on air-to-air missions and produced over 550 cover images during his tenure at EAA.
Jim’s imagery has appeared in magazines such as Life, Time, People, Men’s Journal, and Town & Country, as well as in national advertising campaigns for brands including Columbia Coffee, SIGMA, RANS Aircraft, Cirrus Aircraft, and Canon. Editors and art directors rely on his ability to capture decisive moments with refined composition, light, and a distinctive sense of motion.
His photography has earned consistent recognition from organizations such as Aviation Week & Space Technology, the Wisconsin Imaging Photographers Association, the American Advertising Federation, and the Calendar Marketing Association. In 2012, he received the George Hall Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society of Aviation Photographers, followed by “Best of the Best” honors in Aviation Week & Space Technology’s photo contest in both 2012 and 2013, a Grand Prize in the 2021 Skies Magazine photo contest, and a 2023 honor from the International Photographic Council at the United Nations recognizing his body of work.
CONTACT: [email protected]
Based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin