“I saw this while driving on 101. An old wagon with the mattress flying off the roof. It made me laugh, so I recreated it.”
“An RV from Ventura, and 22" rims from the Mission district. From an ongoing project called Pastmodern that combines old environments with new elements.”
“Friend and photographer Brandon Sullivan. Thanks Brandon.”
“Daniel Humm, executive chef at Campton Place in San Francisco. Five restaurants, two days and lots of amazing food.” Stephanie Heimann, photo editor; The New York Times, client
“Composite image inspired by the work of artist Kevin Lyons. It originally said ‘breakfast, color cable TV.’ Also from the Pastmodern series.”
“Inspired by my Midwestern roots, and the bowling league I belonged to in fifth grade.” Ellen Zaslow, photo editor; San Francisco Magazine, client
“This was a dream job, as if the layouts were designed with my work in mind. Exactly what I love to shoot.” Jenn Goodrich, art director; Element 79, ad agency; Gatorade, client
“At the finish line of a 100-mile ride through the Sierra Nevada. This cyclist rode with his wife on a tandem bike.” Stacey Emenecker, photo editor; Bicycling, client
07.15.06
www.jamiekripke.com
Duration: Three years on my own, shooting since 1987. Staff: Me and a few awesome assistants and retouchers. Education: BA Philosophy, University of Colorado. Cultural Influences: Mom’s creativity, Dad’s persistence, William Eggleston’s reality, Toulouse-Lautrec’s color, William Wegman’s drawings, Robert Bechtle’s cars, Spike Jonze’s humor, Bill Owens’s quirkiness, Thomas Campbell’s surf films, Jonathan Lethem’s novels, David Foster Wallace’s stories and KCRW’s music. Environment: I have a wall in my office that I keep updated with images and ideas that I like. Before every shoot, I spend time sketching various concepts in my journal. When something I draw sticks in my head, and I keep returning to it, I figure out a way to go shoot it. A lot of my time is spent on my bike or in my car looking for interesting locations. I try to keep the gear to a minimum. When I’m not out shooting, I’m in a sunny hillside office overlooking the city.Philosophy: Less is more. Making a good photo is a lot easier if you start with a good idea. There are ideas around us all the time, so I try to pay close attention to my surroundings. I’m a believer in collaboration. As Bruce Mau said: “The space between people working together is filled with conflict, friction, strife, exhilaration, delight and vast creative potential.” I want my career to be about exploring that space. When I was seventeen, my parents took me to see a friend of theirs who was a career counselor. I spent four hours completing a written psychological profile, then we all sat down together to talk about what I should do with my life. Based on the test results, he said that I was an exceptionally creative kid who enjoyed working with technical equipment. And that maybe I should consider doing laboratory research on ceramics. So I’m pretty sure that photography is the right career for me, but if the photography thing doesn’t pan out, there’s always ceramics.