Friso Kooijman

Friso Kooijman is a photographer in Zaanstad who works distinctly in black and white. Since graduating from the Dutch Photography Academy (Nederlandse Fotovakschool) in Amsterdam in 2010, he has focused on people in their natural surroundings: on the street, at home, at work, on stage or in documentary situations. His photography is direct, raw and honest, with a clear love for available light.

Friso works intuitively and quickly. He reads the light as it presents itself and responds to what happens in front of him, without making a situation more polished or smoother than it is. His clients are a good fit when they give him the space to look and work in that way: close, spontaneous and attentive to the real moment.

An important project in his work is Zoutwatermensen, his book, and the photo series about the demolition of OS35. This 178-metre ship, weighing 6.6 million kilos of steel, was the largest ship ever dismantled in the Netherlands. Friso was the only photographer to document the entire demolition process over a period of more than three months. It suits his way of working: keep looking, keep responding, and build a series in which people, work and environment carry the story together.