ERIC KIM

Life Update from Tokyo!

Dear friend,

I wanted to give you a quick life update from Tokyo, and why I am feeling so phenomenally inspired!

A quick recap of our travels the last few months:

  • 1 month in Osaka
  • 1 month in Kyoto
  • 2 weeks in Tokyo (current)

Cindy and I had a phenomenal time in Osaka (love the motsunabe and the gritty Osaka street fashion), we loved Kyoto (classic, serene musings by the Kamo river), and now we are loving the hustle and bustle of Tokyo.

If you’ve never been to Japan, I would actually recommend all three cities (Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo).

Currently Cindy and I are staying in the Asakusa neighborhood, and loving it. It is more old-school, feels like the classic Edo period. The Hozomon gate is beautiful, and there are lots of good restaurants, cheap massage places (only $30 USD for an hour massage), and tons of good coffee/fast wifi!

Anyways, I just finished an intensive 1:1 street photography workshop in Tokyo with my new friend Luis Casadevall (a passionate photographer, and also one of the big movers-and-shakers of the advertising world in Spain in the 1980s and 1990s. Shooting with him on the streets of Tokyo, teaching him Lightroom, and teaching him new street photography techniques has inspired me with a lot of new great ideas I want to share with you, with new photos, videos, and content!

New camera: Lumix G9 Pro + Leica 12mm f/1.4 Lens

Not only, but I recently picked up a new camera, the Lumix G9 Pro + Leica 12mm f/1.4 Lens.

Why? I wanted a camera that did both video and photography (video is something I’m quite interested in). I tested the camera for the last few days, and I’m very excited for the future of photography, micro 43rds, and street photography/video.

GoPro Fusion

Not only that, but I’ve been having SO MUCH FUN shooting with the new GoPro Fusion (360/virtual reality camera). I’ve been uploading a ton of new YouTube videos, many of which you can experience the virtual reality videos by using the YouTube app on your phone, and just looking around!

The reason I’m so excited by this technology is because it totally transports you as a viewer, and makes you more of an active participant. For example, you can control the direction which you look — you’re not just forced to look in one direction. Not only that, but a 360 camera gives you a much more immersive experience — it makes you really feel like you’re somewhere! Even for myself, I love re-watching my GoPro Fusion videos — it really gives you a “sense of place”.

Not only that, but using the GoPro fusion has good applications for showing street photography techniques. For example, you can better see how I interact with my subjects, move around my subjects, and how I move on the streets. For example some good videos to watch:

You can see all my new YouTube Videos here >

New workshops

Cindy just heard the exciting news that she got accepted into a (very prestigious) conference in Singapore to present her work, so looks like I’m going to Singapore! I added a new Singapore workshop, July 21-22: SINGAPORE / Conquer Your Fears in Street Photography. I’m super excited to be back in Singapore– to see my friends, to eat the delicious food, and to show Cindy around. Singapore is full of so much potential and innovation, I’m excited to get the optimistic vibes from there.

Not only that, but I am very excited to be back in the Bay Area– visiting my family, friends, and having fun in the colorful “Mission” neighborhood, and to also have fun conversations about the tech-utopia/Silicon valley stuff. My upcoming SF workshops:

Not only that, but Cindy and I just planned on going back to NYC (probably the best city in the world for street photography). Whenever I hit the streets of NYC, I just love the fiber, energy, and hustle/bustle of the city. Not only that, but the phenomenal diversity — being in NYC makes me always be appreciative of how we are stronger (when we are different). Here are my new NYC workshops:

If you’re interested in attending both NYC workshops , contact my manager Neil neilta@gmail.com for a special bundled discount or returning student discounts. Super excited to have you!!!

New Free Lightroom Classic CC Presets

I’ve also been having fun and been busy working in the lab; cooking up some new Lightroom Classic CC presets for you! You can download the new presets as a direct download here: ERIC KIM LIGHTROOM CLASSIC CC PRESETS 2018.ZIP

If you have older versions of Lightroom, you can download my older Eric Kim Chroma Kyoto JPEG Presets 2017 and Eric Kim Lightroom Presets 2017.

Learn more about the presets here >

Inspiration

I know one of the most difficult things in photography is to stay inspired, and so I’ve written these new articles for you (advice which has helped myself):

Sale: Products

Cindy has currently lowered the prices of many of our products on Amazon and in our HAPTIC INDUSTRIES SHOP. Don’t miss out on our great sales!

Limited-time discount for Online Udemy courses!

I am also pumped to share that Cindy and I have partnered for Udemy for these new online courses on mastering photography and entrepreneurship — and we have enrolled in Udemy’s special promotional program which will give you a special limited-discount sale:

These courses will be a great option if you’re unable to travel to one of my upcoming in-person workshops, or you’re looking for exclusive content to re-spark your passion for photography.

Next stop

Next stop after Tokyo is about 3 weeks back in sunny Southern-California. I’m super optimistic with the Spring, the warm sun, and the upcoming summer.

Remember friend– to always stay optimistic, positive, and lifted in your photography. Remember, we must photograph for the long-term, and to shoot everyday to bring us joy, happiness, and meaning.

And when in doubt, go for a nice walk in the park, smile, and shoot whatever makes your heart sing :)

Hugs from Tokyo,
Eric & Cindy