cheap eats

new work for this months issue of the seattle met. my job was to come up with the visuals to illustrate  the cheap eats feature. we wanted to showcase some of the foods mentioned in the editorial and give them a conceptual twist. we decided on two different themes that play off the different angles we were shooting at. we also chose a color palate to work through the story and determinded using various paper containers would help sell the "cheap" part. i decided to shoot the story with a singular hard light source which was a nice contrast to the soft colors.

styled by jean galton

art directed by andré mora

digital finishings by martin gonzalez 

leftovers.

"the new seattle breakfast"

some of my images are gracing the pages of the march issue of the seattle met. they are for the story "the new seattle breakfast" and are a graphic representation of what is considered the most important meal of the day. i had the pleasure of working with food stylist jean galton and design director andré mora and was very pleased with the work produced over the course of one very long day.

be inspired.

i recently came across the work of ernst hass and i will admit; i was blown away. his work really took me off guard. i guess i was just having one of those days where i didn't expect to be surprised, and then BOOM. although i guess that's how surprises work, right? his work was really solid as was his career...to say the very least. but what i really responded to was reading his philosophies. there are ten total on his website but one in particular that i would like to share. for those that are interested, it's #9 of his 10 total:

"vision and taste

i looked at an apple for such a long time until it became the first apple i had ever seen. i was so excited that i called a friend to tell him my experience. but how could i find the right words for what i had experienced? how could i describe my visual sensations with such literary words as red, yellow, green, shining, round? after this movement of nuances and counteractions in form and color, even in touch and smell. anyhow, i did not find the right words, and my friend did not believe me. so, i ate the apple, as i have eaten many an apple before. it was a fairly good apple.

i called my friend again, telling him i just ate a fairly good apple, and he understood me immediately. conclusion: in visions we are alone, in taste we can be together. all i try is to find the inside images in the outside reality."

those two paragraphs kept me smiling the rest of the day. to read more of haas's philosophies or to check out some of his amazing work be sure to check out his website:

http://www.ernst-haas.com/index.html

the images below are a direct response to being inspired.

rust

here are a few add-ons from last weeks post.

hecktor the collector

HECTOR THE COLLECTOR

by Shel Silverstein

Hector the Collector
Collected bits of string,
Collected dolls with broken heads
And rusty bells that would not ring.
Pieces out of picture puzzles,
Bent-up nails and ice-cream sticks,
Twists of wires, worn-out tires,
Paper bags and broken bricks.
Old chipped vases, half shoelaces,
Gatlin' guns that wouldn't shoot,
Leaky boats that wouldn't float
And stopped-up horns that wouldn't toot.
Butter knives that had no handles,
Copper keys that fit no locks,
Rings that were too small for fingers,
Dried-up leaves and patched-up socks.
Worn-out belts that had no buckles,
'Lectric trains that had no tracks,
Airplane models, broken bottles,
Three-legged chairs and cups with cracks.
Hector the Collector
Loved these things with all his soul‹
Loved them more than shining diamonds,
Loved them more than glistenin' gold.
Hector called to all the people,
"Come and share my treasure trunk!"
And all the silly sightless people
Came and looked...and called it junk.

that pretty much sums up being a still-life photographer and being inspired by all that is around you. below are some "treasures" from my found series, these relics were collected on a recent trip to eastern washington. more to come.

more old tools

still studying the old...

sushi school

just like a school of fish.... only ready to eat.

soup and salad.

perfect little bites...

more work the "best of asian restaurants" issue.

kung pao prawn

here is another one of the featured photos in this months issue of the seattle met.

soba noodles

some more tasty work for this months issue of the seattle met. all of a sudden i'm craving asian for lunch.

seeing stars

this image reminds me of something you might come across while scuba diving. but in reality it is just something you will come across if you are reading the february issue of the seattle met.

family feast

this is one of my favorite images from the "best of asian restaurants" issue. we wanted to convey a very compartmentalized and intentional composition that incorporated flavors and dishes from a multitude of asian cuisine.

best asian restaurants

extra, extra, read all about it..

i just completed a concept piece illustrating the best asian restaurants in seattle. my images were used for the cover and feature story in the february issue of the seattle met. its on shelves now so pick one up. don't be shy, i'd love to hear what you think. for those of you not here in seattle i will be posting images over the course of the next few days.

one too many.

its happened to all of us, when you just don't know when to say when and everything you look at comes in threes. this is the first of a new series on the effects of some of our favorite beverages.

the visual effects your looking at were created in-camera using multiple stobe pops on one capture.

enjoy responsibly.

coffee bean

good morning! roasting a bean, grinding it and pouring hot water over it to consume, who would have thought? its almost funny that something so small can have such an impact on my morning.

coffee bean
Originally uploaded by kooiman photo

marks the spot

it looks like my interest for things that drip is starting to pay off. this images was used as a feature photo by the seattle met to illustrate the concept of extreme spa treatments. this project was really fun to work on because we got to work with various goopy substances to see what would photograph the best. we got to do three letters in all and each one was a play on a separate spa treatment. unfortunately my photography only accompanies the story in print so be sure to check out the december issue.

X spa hero
Originally uploaded by kooiman photo

the right tool

every trade has its tools...

the right tool
Originally uploaded by kooiman photo

hair clips

i'm back from a week long blog break with a new blog and some new work. i really enjoyed sharing some my peru pictures with you, but am back to showing what is going on in my day to day.

i have been experimenting a lot lately with 2-d techniques and using a less traditional subjects to create dynamic images that satisfy my sense of design.

this image can be found in the editorial section of my website.

one-a-day.

hair clips
Originally uploaded by kooiman photo