10 Questions with Guthrie Cooper
Guthrie Cooper is a South African photographer currently living and working in The Hague, Netherlands. His work explores the intersections of coastal life, culture, and urban landscapes, shaped by his experiences growing up along the beaches of South Africa and now living by the North Sea.
Guthrie Cooper - Portrait
Guthrie is particularly drawn to the contrasts and connections between South African and Dutch beach cultures—the rhythms of life by the water, the ways people interact with the coastline, and the distinct yet familiar relationship between city and sea. In The Hague, the North Sea plays a defining role in shaping the city’s identity, and for a photographer, the interplay between the European urban landscape and the sand, sea, and coastal wildlife—illuminated by the crisp Dutch sunlight—offers endless visual narratives. These moments of convergence and contrast reveal the unique yet universal ways in which coastal environments shape human experience.
Living on Tidal Provisions is a curated collection of urban, nature, and street photography captured between 2023 and 2025, reflecting Guthrie’s ongoing exploration of these themes.
Durban light legs, Photography, 2025 © Guthrie Cooper
INTERVIEW
Please introduce yourself to our readers. Who are you, and how did you first get interested in photography?
Hi, my name is Guthrie Cooper. I grew up in South Africa in the 80s and 90s in a household that prioritised and valued art and music. My dad had an old Pentax SLR, and he was a DIY kind of guy, so he modified a store room in our house into a darkroom. I remember watching him processing black and white pictures in there as a kid; it seemed like magic to me. There were always art and photographic books and magazines in our home, and as a young child, I would spend hours exploring the stories, mysteries, and ideas that I found in them. As I got older, my creative outlets focused on music and surfing. The visual arts surrounding those pursuits were always deeply fascinating to me; I was a vinyl DJ for many years and have always been struck by the power and intrigue of album artwork. In surfing, I studied the great photographers through the ages and found inspiration and "stoke" - as we surfers say - by pouring over the glossy sun-drenched pictures in surf mags. I picked up a digital point-and-shoot Canon around 2004, while living in London, and I took that thing everywhere with me for 2 years, documenting the decadent nightlife scene I was immersed in at the time. 2 years ago, I moved to the Netherlands with my family, and I decided to start getting more serious about making photographs. Photographing life around me is now a consistent ritual, amid the hustle of family and work life, photography has become a cathartic way for me to make sense of the vibrant pulse of my new home - The Hague.
Summer light Scheveningen, Photography, 2023 © Guthrie Cooper
Your photography is deeply influenced by your upbringing along the South African coast. How has this early connection to the ocean shaped your artistic vision?
Surfing, skateboarding, and the culture and music surrounding those activities have really shaped my view of the world and my outlook on life.
The people, the light, the weather, and the animals and plant life in South Africa are equal parts beautiful and intense. People are connected to their surroundings, and the coastal lifestyle is like a religion to many.
The surf and the city have always been my playgrounds, and the interplay, contrasts and the way they play and clash - visually, culturally, and spiritually are definitely central to my vision as a photographer.
Now living in The Hague, you explore the interplay between the North Sea and the urban landscape. What are some of the most striking contrasts you've observed between South African and Dutch coastal life?
What's visually interesting about the Netherlands (and Europe in general) is that the world looks completely different from season to season. That keeps things interesting for a photographer wanting to work outdoors all year round. To be honest, I think that coastal life here has a lot more in common with where I grew up than I anticipated, and that's been a really welcome surprise. I spend a lot of time in the historic coastal region of Scheveningen - which is part of The Hague. and this town really has it all - sun-bleached beaches in summer, dynamic street life, and a thriving surf/skate culture. I really see it as a 24/7 visual buffet.
Beach runner, Photography, 2024 © Guthrie Cooper
City on the sand, Photography, 2023 © Guthrie Cooper
Living on Tidal Provisions spans multiple years of capturing coastal and urban interactions. What inspired the title, and how does it reflect the themes within the collection?
The title came out of a conversation I was having with my photographic mentor - Ant Strack - in Cape Town a few months back about the interesting cultural overlaps between the built environments in South Africa and Holland, especially in the '80s and '90s. It's interesting how those design choices - whether intentional or arbitrary - reflect and influence culture in subtle but noticeable ways. The photos I've selected here are a starting point in this direction, and I'm inspired to go way deeper into this territory in 2025 - watch this space!
Your work navigates both the natural and urban worlds. How do you approach balancing these elements in your compositions?
I'm interested in finding new ways to untangle the inherent tension between natural coastal elements with the concrete, steel, and glass of the city.
A photograph has this incredible potential to tell a story within a single frame - the clash of the ocean and the urban - the colour, light, and the people - how they play, work, act, dress - there are endless stories to capture to tell.
Coastal life often has a universal quality, yet each place has its cultural nuances. Have you found any unexpected similarities between South African and Dutch beach cultures?
There are so many similarities between the South African and Dutch beach culture. In particular, the coastal infrastructure, the playgrounds, fun fairs, games arcades, promenades, and pavilions, the way the beaches are maintained, the paint colours. These things really bring to mind my childhood memories of trips to Durban, Cape Town, or around the Eastern Cape in South Africa.
At the end of the day, people just want to have fun and enjoy themselves with friends and family. Visually, there are some really interesting topics that I'm looking forward to exploring more, in particular, the design of the architecture and infrastructure, both the old and the new. Photographing the streets surrounding the beach in the summer is loads of fun, and there's always more to explore.
Dutch bungee, Photography, 2024 © Guthrie Cooper
Low rider, Photography, 2023 © Guthrie Cooper
The Hague's coastal identity is central to your recent work. Are there particular locations or moments that have become recurring subjects in your photography?
There are a few spots that I've found that really work well for the work I'm trying to do. I like to spend time in the city centre on weekends because it's usually packed with interesting people from every culture imaginable, it's also great for night street photography.
I also love to shoot around De Pier at Scheveningen. There are great sunsets and long beach views from up there, and there are always a lot of tourists and seagulls trying to steal their fish and chips. Seagulls are a lot of fun to try to get close to and photograph - I am a fan of those humble coastal creatures - in fact, I have a tattoo of one on my arm!
Your series spans 2023 to 2025. How has your perspective evolved over time, and have any themes emerged that you didn't anticipate when you started?
Over the past couple of years I explored as much as possible - experimenting with different cameras, colour, black & white, film, digital, and a few different focal lengths.
Initially, I got really into street photography, especially the New York-based artists, and while I still love that style of photography, I find myself drawn to architecture and urban landscape - I'd like to blend those things more gracefully over time.
In general, I just go where my interest takes me and try to have fun with this never-ending journey of learning and evolution.
This year, I'll be simplifying things a bit and focusing on a few projects that fit within the over-arching Tidal Provisions theme.
African wild skies, Photography, 2025 © Guthrie Cooper
How do you see your work fitting into the broader tradition of street and coastal photography? Are there any photographers or artists who have influenced your approach?
I love Martin Parr's work, especially the seaside projects he did on the UK coastline - the vibrancy and intrigue that he manages to elicit from often banal situations is incredible - something I aspire to, and probably always will. Stephen Shore, William Eggleson, and Trent Parke are also big influences. I am a fan of street photographers - in particular, Daniel Arnold, Melissa O'Shaughnessy, Trevor Wisecup, Reuben Radding, and Andre Wagner. Jason Lee and Ed Templeton are both ex-pro skateboarders who I grew up watching on videos, and now I follow their photo careers.
Looking ahead, do you see yourself continuing to explore coastal environments, or are there other landscapes or themes you're eager to dive into?
I want to explore Eastern Europe more - the Black Sea coast of Romania and Bulgaria, and not only the coast - I find that part of the world fascinating, and I'd love to do some documentary-style work in Eastern Europe.
I'm also interested in shooting some action sports - especially skateboarding - and I am planning a DJ / nightclub project for later this year!
Artist’s Talk
Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.
