beer breakdown

water+hops+yeast+grains=yum

drink more wine.

my favorite beverage, shot from my favorite perspective, right before consumption.

cheers.

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.

studio remodel

i am excited to share some of the changes and updates that have been going on around here. i am approaching the ten month anniversary of moving out of my studio in sodo and wanted to show you why i am so happy that i did. i am currently working out of a home studio in west seattle, a decision i was originally nervous to make. moving from a hip commercial building in sodo and into my own space was a giant step even though i knew it was the right one to make. being a studio shooter i needed a place to work but being new to seattle where no one knew me, having a bunch of unnecessary overhead was hard to justify, it was quite the conundrum. to make the moving decision easier i made a list of what worked and didn't work about my space in sodo and after seeing it on paper the decision was easy.

once my mind was made up we were tasked to find a new home that fit our living and working needs, that was a bit of a process and a story i will keep for another time. the outcome is that we landed in west seattle in a new constructed house with an old garage still on the property. over the last 10 months we have been changing it from an old garage to a very well equipped home studio that i have had the pleasure of producing some notable projects in. it has been a work in progress and the result has been a very enjoyable place that is virtually distraction free to do work.

ice cold

here is the final image from the "chill factor" tests from monday. yesterday's and today's images will be a nice addition for the book as i think they work really well together. sorry to post imagery of ice on such a cold and snowy day but at least its something we can all relate to...

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

the right tool

every trade has its tools...

the right tool
Originally uploaded by kooiman photo

wild ties

i have always been a fan good artistic graffiti. for me it is less about the identities, tags and names and more about the color pallets, styles, locations and messages. if all the right components are in place a talented graffiti artist can really create a lasting impression, although hopefully not at the cost of someone else's personal property.

a fluid motion similar to that seen in large mural was part of the concept for this photograph. we also thought it would be fun to use mens ties, a symbol that represents the polar opposite of that of a graffiti artist. it is a fun composition in the attraction of opposites.

wild ties
Originally uploaded by kooiman photo

the sea of jeans

what a productive week! the concept for this shot was to use denim and replicate the surface of the ocean. to break up the shot a bit we used various tones of denim which gave it some really nice lines. we also included some of the details of the jeans which helped visually tell the story of you are looking at. for this image i had the pleasure of working with an up and coming product stylist by the name of gabriel trivelas. more denim to come...

fluid denim
Originally uploaded by kooiman photo

the classic revisited

as a student my favorite project was an assignment called "objective-subjective". the concept was to force yourself to look at things in multiple ways and not settle for the first idea that came to mind or at least that was my interpretation of it. over the years this has been reoccurring theme in my work. yesterday and todays images can be found in the advertising section of my website.

coke 2d
Originally uploaded by kooiman photo

classic

lately, it seems like its all about bringing it back. from wayfarer sun glasses and converse sneakers to neon colors and vintage soda bottles, i can't but stop and think, hey, i've seen this before. i suppose thats the mark of a good brand, the ability to stay relevant as generations change and allowing the next crop of consumers to feel like they have stumbled upon something original. the icons of pop culture have always had a lasting effect, like something out of a norman rockwell painting, and who doesn't want to be a part of that? here is to keeping the class in the classics.

coke classic
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