Everything is interesting as long as you look closely enough.

I like shooting really close. Focusing on details, colors, and textures. Easiest camera is to use a phone on automatic mode, and just process with VSCO afterwards (I like A6 preset).

For me, my problem has always been,

Man, I wish I lived in a more interesting city, so I could feel more “inspired” like NYC, Tokyo, or Paris.

The reality：just an excuse.

To truly find good pictures, you just gotta open your eyes. To find beauty in the mundane and ordinary.

You gotta look closer.

How to look deeper into reality

If you’re not inspired by the world around you, then you’re not looking close enough.

For example, I’ve been inspired a lot by nature.

Just looking at the dew drops of rain, on the leaves of a plant after the gloomy downpour in the morning.

Looking closely at the rust of an old sign.

Looking at the knots in wood. To think of how many years that tree lived (apparently you can count the rings of a tree, to see how old it is… like 1 ring for 1 year).

Before I drink my coffee, I try to think all the hands that went into making it. The people who planted the coffee beans, those who had to sort them, roast them, grind them, and then extract it as a lovely espresso with golden crema on top.

So when I say “look deeper” or “look closer”— just think of how beautiful and amazing everything is around you.

Consider your phone. You might be dissatisfied with it. You might want to upgrade to the newest and greatest. But, do you realize that you have a fucking supercomputer that has access to the SUM OF ALL HUMAN KNOWLEDGE EVER PRODUCED at the touch of your fingertips? That’s pretty cool. Oh yeah, and it also makes instant photos… FOR FREE. With FREE UNLIMITED STORAGE to the cloud. With free processing tools, and platforms to share your pictures on. Yeah, modern technology and life is pretty awesome.

Never forget to smile :)

To sum up,

To be a better photographer, or at least more keen and aware photographer… find more APPRECIATION in the world around you by pausing, looking at something at a closer distance, and photographing it.

Look for beautiful color combinations. Rust, patina, wear marks. Touch the rough textures before you photograph them.

Look at your loved ones as bundles of molecules and DNA, that somehow evolved from single cell organisms billions of years ago.

Just be grateful for your eyes, your mind, and your visual perception. I’ve been studying a lot of how the eye, mind, and “visual processing” works, and the human body is pretty fucking awesome.

Always shoot with a grateful heart.

SMILE :)

ERIC

ZEN PHOTOGRAPHY >