Brecht with a “surf stoked aura as intense as some of the most fervent groms.” Photo: Thomas Henry Green
Brecht Van’t Hof is a cinematographer with a background in photography. Some of his most recognizable work would be his collaborations with Almond Surfboards, Byrd Hair and the viral super slow motion edit, Wedge.
At 20-something, Brecht still has an energetic, surf stoked aura as intense as some of the most fervent groms. Ask him about growing up in Newport Beach and he’ll probably tell you about riding bikes on the boardwalk to early AM Junior Guards, eating tons of candy down in the fun zone and surfing anywhere from shore break Balboa Pier to left handers off any of the jetties.
His experience as a photographer reaches back to the beginning of High School, creating time-lapse images of A Market, a place he also moonlighted as a barista. Other early projects included on-stage photography of Blink 182 (during the comeback tours) and apprenticing for his uncle on the sets of his major motion pictures.
Nowadays, Brecht is the Partner and Creative Director for Saltwater and Chaos, an all in one creative content and branding studio based in LA and NY.
Surf is a big part of Brecht Van’t Hof’s creative inspiration and that is why it was a surprise when he provided three of his most personal images for Rewind, a series on 6AMSurf.com. There are no perfect waves or hazy beach shots, instead his subjects were on the other side of the peninsula pointed towards the bay.
From here Brecht can explain…
Growing up in Newport, my friends and I would race our bikes through the Fun Zone dodging tourists on our way to Jr. Guards. The Bay Arcade was my secret shortcut to beat everyone to the Balboa Pier! When I was first experimenting with photography, long exposures fascinated me. All of these photographs were taken in the middle of the night with a long exposure.
The Crab Cooker is one of the most iconic restaurants in Newport. Whether it is the rich red of the exterior or the breadsticks or the fact that it is an old bank, the Crab Cooker is unique. I remember driving down the Peninsula as a grom and always being confused why there was a sign that said “Don’t Look Up Here”. Once I was old enough to understand the humor, I had no choice but to document it! Luckily, I snapped this before they replaced the sign with a graphic rendition.
As I was shooting this series my senior year, I would drive around on school nights searching for unique signs. This Balboa Market sign is incredible. It had probably been there for 50 years before they tore the building down and turned it into a beautiful city parking lot. That was sarcastic.
