“He without a past has no future.”
Famous Street Photography
My suggestion: today’s social media, Instagram world of photography is over saturated with (many) great photographers. However, who knows whether their work will last, or it is just trendy?
Great street photographers never die.
The real famous street photographers are the masters from the past.
Why?
They have dedicated their lives to their craft. They have spent decades refining their vision, philosophy, and shooting technique. They have also invested tons of time and money in order to make great photography books, which are distilled versions of their best images.
To be honest once again, there is a lot of great contemporary famous photographers. But as a better way to battle the “Signal” and “Noise” in photography, let us give a hat tip to The Masters of Photography.
Why be famous?
I’m internet famous in street photography, and to be frank, it is overrated.
The best benefit in photography: use it as a tool of self-empowerment, self-confidence, and breaking outside of your comfort zone.
Street photography is self-therapy. We can use street photography to conquer our fears, conquer anxiety, and just boredom and stress in everyday life.
I have found the benefit of internet fame: to use this platform to help more people. To build the ERIC KIM FORUM with Cindy, as a supportive home for street photography. To teach workshops to empower other street photographers. It is all a blessing.
Advice from the Master Street Photographers
- Get closer – Robert Capa
- Shoot yourself! – Bruce Gilden
- Shoot from the gut, choose your best photos with your brain – Anders Petersen
- Shoot with a “stream of consciousness”- Daido Moriyama
- All photos are accurate, none of them is truth – Richard Avedon
LEARN FROM THE MASTERS
To learn more from The Masters of Street Photography, start here:
- Why Study the Masters of Photography?
- Great Female Master Photographers
- Cheat Sheet of the Masters of Photography
- 100 Lessons From the Masters of Street Photography
- Beginner’s Guide to the Masters of Street Photography
The Masters of Photography
Classics never die:
- Alfred Stieglitz
- Alec Soth
- Alex Webb
- Anders Petersen
- Andre Kertesz
- Ansel Adams
- Araki
- Blake Andrews
- Bruce Davidson
- Bruce Gilden
- Constantine Manos
- Daido Moriyama
- Dan Winters
- David Alan Harvey
- David Hurn
- Diane Arbus
- Dorothea Lange
- Elliott Erwitt
- Eugene Atget
- Eugene Smith
- Fan Ho
- Garry Winogrand
- Gordon Parks
- Helen Levitt
- Henri Cartier-Bresson
- Irving Penn
- Jacob Aue Sobol
- Jeff Mermelstein
- Joel Meyerowitz
- Joel Sternfeld
- Josef Koudelka / Part 2
- Josh White
- Lee Friedlander
- Lisette Model
- Magnum Contact Sheets
- Magnum Photographers
- Mark Cohen
- Martin Parr
- Martine Franck
- Mary Ellen Mark
- Rene Burri
- Richard Avedon
- Richard Kalvar
- Robert Capa
- Robert Frank
- Saul Leiter
- Sergio Larrain
- Sebastião Salgado
- Shomei Tomatsu
- Stephen Shore
- The History of Street Photography
- Todd Hido
- Tony Ray-Jones
- Trent Parke
- Vivian Maier
- Walker Evans
- Weegee
- William Eggleston
- William Klein
- Zoe Strauss