STUCK IN A CREATIVE RUT AND LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION TO TAKE YOUR STREET PHOTOGRAPHY TO THE NEXT LEVEL IN TOKYO?
Do you feel that when you look at your street photographs, you have a hard time defining your style? Do you dream of creating unique and eye-popping images that stand out from the crowd? Do you want to find that signature style that you can put your stamp on and be proud to share with the world?
If so, I am excited to invite you to my upcoming 3-day Intermediate/Advanced Street Photography Workshop in Tokyo (11/2-11/4) with Bellamy Hunt (Japan Camera Hunter). This unique workshop will give you the opportunity to hit the neon-drenched streets of Tokyo and hone your street photography voice, vision, and style alongside myself and Tokyo expert Bellamy.
We will steer clear of the touristy hotspots, and give you the opportunity to discover the hidden parts of Tokyo – with soul, vibrancy, and energy.
This workshop will help you step outside your comfort zone, and give you the skills, knowledge, and confidence to take your street photography to the next level.
Curious? Read on!
Workshop Syllabus
From my “Dark Skies Over Tokyo” series, 2011
During the 3-day workshop in Tokyo, we will focus on the following topics:
- How to develop your style in street photography and stick out from the crowd
- How to master composition in street photography and develop your visual literacy
- How to create a memorable body of work and the secrets of unforgettable images
- How to never miss “The Decisive Moment” ever again by with techniques from the pros
- How to conquer your fear of taking photos of strangers in the street
- One-on-one counseling on what to look for when shooting on the streets
- How to identify your weakest images and effectively edit and sequence your work
- How to market yourself as a street photographer and build your brand
- An in-depth study of famous Magnum and contemporary street photographers
- Personalized street photography assignments to push you to the next level
The workshop will also be tailored to your individual needs, and you will have tons of personal 1:1 time with myself and Bellamy to answer any specific technical, compositional, or related street photography questions you may have. Throughout the weekend we will also give you street photography assignments that will break you outside of your comfort zone and help you take your street photography to the next level.
Workshop Schedule
Day 1 (Friday night) – 5-9pm
From my “Dark Skies Over Tokyo” series, 2011
The workshop will start at 5pm on Friday night, which will give you the opportunity to meet and introduce yourself to the rest of the workshop participants.
After getting to know one another better we will have a portfolio review. You will share your portfolio with myself and Bellamy, where we will give you constructive criticism on your work (the strength of your work, what you can do to improve your work, and feedback in terms of composition and story-telling).
Once we are finished with the portfolio review, we will then have a presentation on different styles on street photography and how you can learn from them. Not only that, but we will give you a personality test which will help you better understand how you approach street photography. This will help you what you want to achieve out of street photography, how you see the world in a unique way, and how you can apply that to your personal work.
After discussing the fundamentals, we will do some night-time shooting in Tokyo. You will hit the neon streets of Tokyo with the other participants and shoot the night-life. We will help push you beyond your boundaries, and also help you focus on your personal street photography needs. Tokyo at night is one of the most incredible cities to shoot – and you will experience it full-on.
For dinner we will go out with us to a nice Japanese restaurant (not included in the workshop fee) and we will have the chance to talk about the night shooting assignment, and spend more time to get to know one another. You won’t want to miss this– the food in Tokyo is phenomenal.
After good food and drinks, you will go home and edit/post-process your best images of the night and bring them in for review on the next day.
Day 2 (Saturday) – 9am-6pm
From Bellamy Hunt’s “The Darkness that Drives Me” series
After an exciting first night (and hopefully a good night of rest) we meet at the workshop space in the morning and enjoy some breakfast, tea and coffee. You will then share your best photos from the night before, where we will give you personalized feedback and critique on your images. We will give you honest and critical comments on your work – rather than just the fluffy-duffy comments you might get on Flickr like “nice shot” or “cool bokeh”. We will be be honest and direct with your work to help you become better in street photography and develop your own voice – which will help you tremendously.
We will then enjoy a nice filling lunch together (which is included in the workshop fee) and chat more amongst ourselves about one another and of course, street photography.
Once we finish our delicious lunch, I will be leading a presentation on Advanced Street Photography Composition Techniques in Street Photography. We will be using famous examples of the master street photographers and contemporary masters to better help build your visual literacy. This will better help you understand why certain photographs work and why other photographs don’t work. This will also help you better understand how to critique your own work and the work of others.
After this presentation, I will share photographs from my portfolio (as well as the process of shooting my “Dark Skies Over Tokyo” project) and telling all the stories behind the photos. I will use my personal experiences working on this project and give you insights on how you can apply it to your own street photography projects.
You will then be given a street photography assignment based on your personal needs, and we will hit the energetic streets of Shibuya (one of my favorite places to shoot in Tokyo). For those who are interested, we will also have dinner and drinks afterwards as well.
Day 3 (Sunday) – 9am-6pm
From my “Dark Skies Over Tokyo” series, 2011
By Sunday morning, you will be exhausted (in a good way). You will have already had two days of shooting in the exotic streets of Tokyo, while being totally immersed in street photography, and you will know the other participants in the workshop well.
But the fun won’t end, because we will have one more morning of shooting the streets of Tokyo (to get your final photos ready to present for Sunday evening). We will shooting parts of Tokyo that are off the beaten path (and devoid of tourists). Bellamy will show us all the secret parts of Tokyo that only locals have knowledge about.
Once we get back to the workshop venue, we will have a hearty lunch and then get to the hardest part of the workshop – the editing and sequencing of the photography we shot in the entire weekend. We will teach you the fundamentals of workflow in Lightroom 4, and how to quickly edit and sort your images to create sets with visual cohesion and sense. We will teach you how to be brutal with your own images, and how to select only your finest work to share with others.
Then you will have time to look at the photos you have taken over the 3 days, and choose your best shots to present to the rest of the group. We will sit right alongside you, and help you choose your best images – and tell why certain of your images work or don’t work. We will also give you some great tips & tricks in Lightroom 4 and Silver Efex Pro 2 to create beautiful black & whites and eye-popping color images.
After choosing your best images from Tokyo, you will present your best shots and get direct feedback & critique from myself and Bellamy (and the rest of the class). We will be open and honest with you, and give you some of the best critique on your images that you have received in your life. The feedback will be well-thought out, direct, and critical – and will help you better understand your personal style and voice in street photography. You will find this part of the workshop to incredibly fulfilling and helpful.
At the end of the workshop, Bellamy Hunt will give a presentation on how to create meaningful and memorable street photography projects, and present his work and previous projects. Then at the end of the workshop, we will go out and have dinner and drinks with one another – exchange our contact information with one another, and continue our journey in street photography (and also make meaningful life-time connections).
What you will gain from the workshop
From my “Dark Skies Over Tokyo” series, 2011
After attending the workshop I can guarantee that you will have had the time of your life. Not only will you experience the hidden alleys and best places for street photography in Tokyo, but you will also be surrounded by a passionate group of fellow street photographers that will push you and inspire you.
You will have built up a solid understanding of composition and visual literacy in street photography, and will better understand how to make meaningful & memorable images. Your confidence of shooting street photography will also shoot through the roof, and you will find yourself hesitating less when shooting people on the streets (and getting much closer).
You will discvoer your style in street photography, and how to work on meaningful projects that you will continue to pursue after the workshop. Not only that, but you will have met a group of fellow street photographers that will be your life-long contacts and friends.
This is not just a street photography workshop. It is a life-changing experience that you don’t want to miss out.
TRAVEL & ACCOMMODATION
Travel and accommodation is not included for this workshop in the fee. If you need assistance finding a suitable hotel to stay, we can assist you. Please contact Bellamy Hunt (hunts.of.tokyo@gmail.com) for assistance.
100% MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE
Bellamy and I am so confident that attending the workshop will improve your confidence and skills in shooting street photography that we offer a 100% money-back guarantee if you are not fully satisfied after attending the workshop. I don’t know any other workshops that are so confident that they offer this guarantee!
WORKSHOP TIME AND TUITION
Dates: 11/9-11/11 (Friday night, All-day Saturday/Sunday)
Times:
- Friday: 5-9pm
- Saturday: 9-6pm
- Sunday: 9-6pm
Tuition: 1000 USD (795 USD early-bird discount before 10/2). There is also a student-discount and returning student discount available. Email erickimphotographyworkshops@gmail.com for more information.
*The weekend after I will also lead an Introduction to Film Street Photography Workshop in Kyoto. If you are interested in signing up for multiple workshops, there is a special bundled-discount. Email erickimphotographyworkshops@gmail.com for more information.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch are included on both Saturday and Sunday. Drinks and snacks will also be provided.
Workshop cap: An intimate class of 14 participants (7 students per instructor)
Location: TBA
Contact : Eric Kim (erickimphotographyworkshops@gmail.com)
REGISTER NOW!
If you would like to register click the button below. If you have any questions, please email Eric Kim at erickimphotographyworkshops@gmail.com
After you register, we will answer your questions for the workshop and send you an email regarding the deposit and payment options.
To secure a spot in the workshop, you must send your workshop tuition in full.
Register soon, spots are running out for this popular workshop. Don’t miss this workshop and regret it later!
FAQ’s
Q: Are there any pre-requisites for attending this course?
A: No there isn’t! This workshop will be best suited for street photographers who have a strong understanding of how to operate their camera, and have had some experience in street photography and want to take their skills to the next level. However if you are not sure that this workshop may be a good fit for you, contact us at erickimphotographyworkshops@gmail.com and we can consult you.
Q: What is the difference between this and the upcoming Intermediate/Advanced Street Photography Workshop?
A: The Introduction to Street Photography Workshop will be focused on building your confidence in street photography, understanding what to look for when shooting in the streets, as well as the secrets of making a memorable image. The Intermediate/Advanced Street Photography workshop will be focused on finding your own style, creating meaningful short and long-term projects, and how to take your street photography to the next level.
Q: What do I need to bring to the workshop?
A: You will need to bring the following to the workshop:
- Digital camera (DSLR, Leica, Micro 4/3rds, Point & Shoot, etc).
- You can use a film camera, but you must get it processed overnight and scanned to present on Sunday.
- Laptop
- You will be required to use a laptop on Sunday to edit/post-process your images. However if you do not own a laptop, let me know and we can make necessary arrangements.
- Notebook
- To take down notes during the workshop (all slides will be emailed to you afterwards as well).
Q: Are there any discounts for students or returning workshop attendees?
A: Yes! Please email me at erickimphotographyworkshops@gmail.com for more information regarding a student/returning workshop attendee discount.
Q: What if I need to leave early one of the days / show up late?
A: That will be okay, but please let us know in advance so we could accomodate to your schedule.
Q: What if I cannot attend one of the days, but wish to attend the workshop anyways?
A: You still will be able to attend the workshop. Email me at erickimphotographyworkshops@gmail.com regarding the matter, and we can sort it out to best fit your schedule.
Q: What if I still have a question that isn’t answered here?
With any other questions/inquiries please email me at erickimphotographyworkshops@gmail.com and I can answer all of your questions!
Student Photos From Last Year’s Tokyo Workshop
Photo by Sebastian Evans (the winning photo of the workshop). Click to see more photos from the Tokyo Workshop 2011
You can see all the student photos from the Tokyo workshop here.
PHOTOS FROM LAST YEAR’S TOKYO WORKSHOP
Tokyo Workshop Group Photo. Click to see more.
See all the behind-the-scenes photographs from last year’s Tokyo Street Photography Workshop here.
Behind-the-Scenes: Shooting on the Streets
If you want to get a sense of how it is like to shoot on the streets with me, check out the video I recorded below in my London street photography workshop.
Instructor Biographies
Eric Kim
Eric Kim is an international street photographer from Los Angeles with a passion in interacting with his subjects, especially getting close to them. He travels all around the world and teaches street photography workshops to passionate shooters. He has had exhibitions at the Leica store in Korea, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Melbourne and in Cambodia and Downtown LA.
Eric recently taught a university-level course at UC Riverside Extension titled: “All the World’s a Stage: An Introduction to Street Photography“. His past workshops include locations such as Switzerland, Beirut, Seoul, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne, Sydney, London, Los Angeles, Toronto, Chicago, Stockholm, and Berlin. He has also taught a course at UCLA, titled: “Sociology of Facebook and Online Social Networks”. See the syllabus here.
You can see Eric’s work on his website.
Portfolio from Tokyo
Bellamy Hunt
Tokyo-based street photographer Bellamy Hunt is also quite the vintage camera buff. He was born in Oxford in the UK and went on to study art and photography. Having also lived in London, Sydney and Amsterdam, once Bellamy had the opportunity to travel to Japan he has never looked back. Though he started shooting with a Minolta XG-7, he now shoots almost exclusively with Leica because of its speed, ease of use and unobtrusiveness.
You can see some of Bellamy’s work on his Flickr or check out his website Japan Camera Hunter.
Portfolio
Past Street Photography Workshops
Beirut, Lebanon Street Photography Workshop Participants
Zurich, Switzerland Street Photography Workshop Participants
Stay updated with upcoming workshops
Brighton, UK Street Photography Workshop Participants
Hollywood, Los Angeles Street Photography Participants
San Francisco Introductory Street Photography Workshop Participants
Chicago Introductory Street Photography Workshop with Jason Martini
San Diego Intermediate Street Photography Workshop Participants
Los Angeles Introduction to Street Photography Workshop Participants
Toronto Introduction to Street Photography Workshop Participants
Mumbai, India Introduction to Street Photography Workshop (Group 1)
Mumbai, India Introduction to Street Photography Workshop (Group 2)
Mumbai, India Introduction to Street Photography Workshop (Group 3)
Tokyo Street Photography 101 Workshop with Charlie Kirk, Bellamy Hunt, and Alfie Goodrich
Kota Kinabalu Introduction to Street Photography Workshop
Singapore Intermediate Street Photography Workshop with Danny Santos
Korea Introduction to Street Photography Workshop with Josh White (sponsored by Leica Camera Korea)
Downtown LA Intermediate Street Photography Workshop
Hong Kong Introduction to Street Photography Workshop with Gary Tyson from F8 Photography
Introduction to Street Photography Workshop in Kuala Lumpur with Leica Store Malaysia
London Introduction to Street Photography Workshop with Charlie Kirk
Melbourne Street Photography Workshop with Misho Baranovic sponsored by Michaels Camera
Sydney Advanced Street Photography Workshop
Berlin Introduction to Street Photography Workshop
Amsterdam Introduction to Street Photography Workshop with Thomas Leuthard
Stockholm Introduction to Street Photography Workshop with Brian Sparks at Fotografiska
Downtown LA Intermediate/Advanced Street Photography Workshop with Rinzi Ruiz
Paris Introduction to Street Photography Workshop with Ludovic Maillard
Testimonials
“Eric Kim is a great teacher, his passion for street photography is truly infectious. I mean this in the most literal way possible. This workshop has really pushed me to shoot more often and more consistently. I thoroughly enjoyed his workshop, I learned so much, met great people and really had a chance to sharpen my teeth as a photographer. I recommend this workshop to anyone even slightly interested in street photography. He will challenge you and will take better shots.”
“This workshop really boosted my confidence while shooting on the street. It made me think more about how to compose a photo and what to look for in my photos when editing and post-processing. It was awesome learning from not one but two of my street photography idols, Eric Kim and Jason Martini! Don’t forget to not hesitate and killers shoot twice! Thanks Eric!”
- Alex Crossland (Chicago)
“It was the most amazing experience to be part of the workshop. Meeting new people from all over the world with their skills and talent made me want to learn more. Thanks to Eric, Alfie, Charlie, and Bellamy, I completely got out of my system and be true to myself. With street photography I was able to know what and who I really want to be. Be true to yourself, you can’t please everyone.
thanks so much Eric! Hope to see you soon somewhere :-)
I made a review about the workshop. I just want people to know how amazing the workshop is, i will make this my progress diary too. Really Eric, thank you very much! You really taught that we dont have to please everyone!”
-Takeshi Garcia (Tokyo, Japan)
“Eric’s enthusiasm is infectious; he is also brilliant! His dedication to promoting and developing street photography as a genre is remarkable. Thank you Eric!”
- Animesh Ray (San Diego)
“Attending the street photography workshop was a real eye opener for me. I feel like what I learned in the Street Photography workshop is going to affect the way I take pictures in general now and is not just limited to “Street Photography”. Eric also made me think more about composition and how important that is. I look forward to attending another workshop in the future.”
- Dennis Wetzel (Los Angeles)
“Eric Kim teaches by helping you see, and decide for yourself, the elements involved in a good street photograph. He pays homage to the acknowledged masters and his own humility reinforces the fact that he is openly sharing his own lessons and experiences with you, rather than being dogmatic. For me, this is the hallmark of a good teacher, especially in this artistic endeavour of ours, where you cannot teach creativity, you can only inspire. I came away from Eric Kim’s workshop, not with a set of generic “rules” of photography, but with a reinforced desire to go back out onto the streets, overcome my own doubts and shoot more street photos.”
- Justin Tan (Singapore)
Before this course I would never even think about photographing people in the street up close, I kept thinking that I was going to upset them or just that it was too confronting for me. It was such a pleasure to be involved in this workshop, Eric was such a great teacher and friend. He taught us so much during the 2 days and most importantly because of Eric I can now approach people in the street and photograph them without freaking out.
I would not hesitate to recommend this course to anyone that wants to learn street photography. Eric is a very insightful person, is always encouraging and just a really nice guy. You also get to meet heaps of great people and make many friends from the course and you will have FUN!
Can’t wait for the next workshop :)
- Kylie Knight (Melbourne, Australia)
“I haven’t touched my camera in years. I am a beginner. If there were a category for SUPER beginners, I would dominate. When my friend told me about this workshop, I was instantly intrigued. You see, I have tons of friends who are into photography and who are professional photographers. How did they all differentiate themselves from one another? I felt street photography did exactly that and I was hooked.
When I arrived at the workshop, I was surrounded by well…technical people. People who knew their stuff and I kind of got lost in it all. However, these people became a kind and supportive group. Not only were they technical, they were creative and passionate. At least, I can relate to that right?
The workshop consisted of a lot of educating – in slideshows, discussions and guest speakers. Many of us wanted to shoot right away but Eric was right. We needed this foundation and knowledge to fuel our street photography drive and skills. At the end of each day, everyone was ready to take on the streets. You experience a lot during those hours of walking and shooting on the streets of Downtown L.A. You learn how to read and gauge people’s body language. You learn how to be direct with complete strangers. You build your own self-confidence. Ultimately, you appreciate the art of street photography.
I highly recommend these workshops. Like I said, there are a lot of photographers out there. What better way to differentiate yourself than to capture the rawness and emotions of street photography. It will cost you a pretty penny but can you really put a price on passion?
- Jennifer Cruz (Los Angeles)
I enjoyed the guidance from Eric, both during discussion as a group, as well as the one-on-one discussion. Eric also encourages us to create a community and keep it alive as it’s a very important part of street photography!
Eric does not go into technical details much, as we are a lot more interested to create a meaningful photographs with strong social context, rather than making interesting pictures with pretty bokeh and other meaningless technical minutiae. This, as a result, made us a lot more critical in judging our own and others’ work too. This is what’s important to improve ourselves as street photographers.
Another thing that makes Eric a great mentor is that he encourages us to look at street photography in different directions – that is by looking at other street photographers’ work – in order for us to find our own style.
Nicholas Susatyo (Sydney, Australia)
[Read all of my testimonials here]
Reviews of my Past Workshops
- Charlie Kirk
- Takeshi Garcia
- Ibarionex Perello
- Nannette Ricaforte
- Elizabeth Wang Lee
- Brian Quisido
- Greg Jacobs
- Les Faber
- Neil Ta
- Siri Thompson
- Mayank Pandey
- Jonathan Van Wunnik
- Christopher Lee
- Nicholas Susatyo
- Todd Hatakeyama
Street Photography Workshop Videos
Behind-the-scenes from my Berlin Introduction to Street Photography Workshop
Shooting the Streets of Amsterdam
Behind-the-scenes from my Kuala Lumpur Street Photography Workshop
Some GoPro footage of my workshop students shooting on the streets of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in a workshop sponsored by the Leica Store Malaysia. See how friendly people are on the streets!
Behind-the-scenes from my Chicago Street Photography Workshop
A fun clip showing the highlights from my past street photography workshop with Jason Martini. See the Chicago Day 1 Recap and the Chicago Day 2 Recap.
Student Street Photographs
All of the photographs below were taken by the students at my street photography workshops. Click each image to see the full album!
Hollywood Introduction to Street Photography Workshop (photo by Rinzi Ruiz)
Los Angeles Introduction to Street Photography Workshop (shot by Ibarionex Perello)
Los Angeles Intermediate Street Photography Workshop (photo by Dana Barsuhn)
Chicago Introduction to Street Photography Workshop with Jason Martini (shot by Jayme Sudeth)
San Francisco Introduction to Street Photography Workshop (photo by David Scott)
Mumbai, India Introduction to Street Photography Workshop (shot by Debi Sen Gupta)
Melbourne Introduction to Street Photography Workshop – Image by Amy Yip
Berlin Introduction to Street Photography. Photo by Andreas Weeber. The winning image of the workshop!
Amsterdam Introduction to Street Photography Workshop. 1st place winning shot by Stephane H Hubs
Stockholm Street Photography Workshop Photos. Above image from Mamika
Tokyo Intro to Street Photography Workshop, 2011. Best photo of the workshop by Sebastian Evans
REGISTER NOW!
If you would like to register click the button below. If you have any questions, please email Eric Kim at erickimphotographyworkshops@gmail.com
After you register, we will send you an email regarding the deposit and payment options.
Register soon, spots are running out for this popular workshop. Don’t miss this opportunity and regret it later!
