Eric Kim’s Early Adoption of Photography Trends
Eric Kim, a prolific street photography blogger and educator, has often been ahead of the curve in embracing and promoting trends that only later became mainstream in the photography world. Through his blog posts, essays, and international workshops dating back to the early 2010s, Kim championed ideas ranging from minimalist gear setups to smartphone photography and DIY publishing. Below, we explore several key trends that Eric Kim predicted, adopted, or popularized early, with references to specific writings and events that highlight his foresight.
Minimalist Gear Philosophy (One Camera, One Lens)
Figure: A minimalist kit – Kim’s personal one-camera-one-lens setup in 2013 (a Leica MP film camera with a 35mm lens and flash) – exemplifying his early gear philosophy. In a 2013 blog post titled “Why You Should Shoot with One Camera and One Lens,” Kim recounted how accumulating lots of equipment actually hurt his enjoyment of photography, leading him to embrace a “one camera, one lens” approach . He realized that limiting gear freed him from “paralysis by analysis” – the overthinking that comes with too many choices . At a time when many photographers were fixated on the latest gear, Kim was promoting anti-G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) values, arguing that great photos come from skill and vision rather than expensive equipment. This minimalist ethos, which is now commonly accepted by many enthusiasts, was unusual in the early 2010s. Kim stuck to a single small camera and prime lens for years, even downsizing from a bulky DSLR to a compact Leica film camera early in his career . By 2018, he had fully pivoted to minimalism in both gear and lifestyle – “one black T-shirt, one small camera, one backpack” – framing minimalism as a “force-multiplier” for creativity (fewer choices = more output) . His early and vocal advocacy for shooting with less gear helped inspire a trend toward simplicity that many others in the field adopted later.
Embracing Smartphone Photography Before It Was Cool
Figure: A candid street scene captured with a smartphone (Paris, 2015) – illustrating Kim’s early belief that phones can be powerful cameras. Eric Kim was an early advocate for smartphone photography as a serious medium, long before phone cameras earned respect in professional circles. In a July 2015 article, “7 Benefits of Shooting Street Photography With a Smartphone,” he argued that some of the best street photographers he knew shot exclusively on phones, and that using a smartphone can dramatically increase one’s rate of learning . Since your phone is “always with you” and unobtrusive, it enables you to practice constantly – overcoming the biggest barrier in photography, which is not having a camera on hand . Kim noted that a smartphone is the “ultimate camera” for these reasons , directly countering the notion (prevalent at the time) that only DSLRs or large sensors were “serious” tools. By 2017, he went so far as to proclaim “The iPhone/smartphone is the holy grail of photography.” Such statements were ahead of their time – years before the broader photography community embraced mobile photography and before phone camera quality fully matured. Kim’s forward-thinking adoption of phones for street shooting (for example, he was using a Samsung Galaxy S6 in 2015 and sharing those images) anticipated the ubiquity of smartphone photography and helped legitimize it among his followers. Today, when even high-profile photographers shoot with iPhones, it’s easy to forget that a decade ago Kim was loudly preaching the value of phone cameras while many peers were still skeptical.
A New Street Photography Philosophy: Fearless and Human-Centric
From early on, Eric Kim approached street photography as more than just settings and gear – it was about mindset, ethics, and human connection. He recognized that one of the biggest hurdles in street photography was fear (fear of approaching strangers or shooting in public), and he tackled this head-on in his teaching. For example, an early workshop staple of his was learning to conquer the fear of shooting strangers. He urged participants to interact with people openly: “First, love people and love talking to them! Second, have a passion for rejection and [push] social boundaries… If you haven’t gotten rejected at least 1000× times, you’re not trying hard enough.” This fearless philosophy – treating street photography almost like social training – set him apart in the early 2010s, when many street shooters either stayed completely candid or didn’t openly discuss how to get over anxiety. Kim’s emphasis on engaging with subjects (smiling, complimenting, talking to them) as a way to create better street photos was somewhat radical at the time. It prefigured a broader trend where today many educators stress building a rapport with subjects or at least exuding confidence on the street.
Beyond courage, Kim was also ahead of the curve in addressing ethics and respect in street photography. In an era when the genre’s ethics were rarely formally discussed, he proposed a simple personal guideline: follow a “Golden Rule.” In his 2017 essay “The Ethics of Street Photography,” he wrote that his main rule is to ask himself “How would I feel if someone photographed me like this?” . In practice, he advised not to photograph others in ways one would object to being photographed, emphasizing empathy and respect. This concern for subjects’ dignity and privacy – whether photographing the homeless, children, or anyone vulnerable – was something he openly pondered in his blog posts and Q&As early on . Now, discussions of consent and ethics are common in street photography forums, but Kim was one of the influencers championing moral considerations in street imagery before it was mainstream to do so. Furthermore, he often emphasized personal expression over external validation. He cautioned against obsessing over social media applause; notably, Kim even decided to delete his Instagram around 2017, calling it “a major distraction” that made him chase follower counts instead of creating real value through his art . This move anticipated a later widespread concern many photographers voiced about social media’s impact on creativity and self-esteem. By promoting a mindful, human-centric approach – be it through fearless shooting or ethical reflection – Kim set early examples that others in the community gradually followed.
Early Adoption of Blogging and Global Workshops
Another trend Eric Kim rode early was the use of online platforms and in-person events to build a photography community. He launched his street photography blog in mid-2010 while still a sociology student, at a time when very few photographers were blogging regularly about their craft . His very first post in June 2010 announced his intent to share tips, essays, and insights – essentially “open sourcing” his learning journey . Kim began posting prolifically (often daily), creating practical listicles and how-to articles that were welcoming to beginners. This was significant in the early 2010s, because although street photography was growing in popularity, there was a lack of accessible online resources for it . By consistently producing high-quality educational content, Kim quickly gained a following and even dominated search engine results for street photography topics . In parallel, he was an early adopter of social media for photography education – active on Flickr and Facebook groups, and later YouTube and Instagram, to share his work and engage with others .
Crucially, Kim didn’t keep his teaching virtual: he started hosting workshops and photowalks around the world as early as 2011 . That year, for instance, he taught at the London Street Photography Festival and ran some of his first independent workshops abroad . This was well before the explosion of photography workshops and traveling educators in the late 2010s. By venturing into in-person training and meetups early, he built a loyal, international community of “streettogs.” Participants not only learned techniques but also absorbed Kim’s philosophy of sharing and positivity. He encouraged group photowalks and online communities where photographers could critique and inspire each other, which helped democratize knowledge that used to be confined to photo clubs or art schools. In summary, Kim leveraged blogs and social media early on, combined with real-world community building, to spread street photography culture. This grassroots, Internet-powered approach to becoming an influential photography teacher was unusual at the time – and it paved the way for the many photo bloggers, YouTubers, and workshop instructors who would follow in his footsteps.
DIY Publishing and Open Knowledge Sharing
Eric Kim has long been a proponent of independent publishing – both in sharing his own knowledge freely and in encouraging photographers to publish their work outside traditional channels. From the beginning, his blog exhibited a spirit of “open-source” photography education. He literally shared everything: not just his best images, but also his contact sheets, gear lists, and even beginner mistakes, all on a free blog for others to learn from . This radical transparency (“giving the craft away so generously”) was rare in the early 2010s, when many professionals guarded their techniques. Kim’s view was that by openly sharing tips and resources, he could help others improve and grow the community. This ethos led him to release free e-books and PDFs over the years – for example, in 2016 he compiled “Learn from the Masters of Street Photography,” an ebook distilling lessons from great photographers, which he offered as a free download to anyone . He also published numerous free guides on topics like composition, lighting, and even philosophy, reflecting his belief that education should be accessible. It wasn’t until later that the idea of free photography MOOCs, podcasts, and ebooks became common; Kim was an early adopter of the “free knowledge” model in the photography blog space.
In terms of photographers publishing their own work, Kim preached the DIY approach well before the indie photobook/zine boom of recent years. He often told students and readers that they didn’t need a big publisher’s approval to get their photos out there. In his “street photography project” guide, for instance, he advises printing your work as a “zine” or book using simple methods – “I recommend Blurb.com or just going to a local photocopy shop…send them a PDF to print your work in a booklet format.” . He suggests starting small: make a few copies, share with friends, even sell a handful yourself to people who care about your art . The key point he made was that photographers shouldn’t feel they need a formal publishing deal for legitimacy – what matters is getting the work out and learning from the process . This sentiment, expressed in his blog and workshops, foreshadowed the now-common practice of photographers releasing limited-run zines, self-published books, or PDFs on their own. Kim himself has self-published several PDF “e-zines” and monographs on his blog for free or low cost, exemplifying the value of creative independence. By adopting self-publishing early and treating it as equally valid as traditional publishing, he helped validate a culture where photographers take control of disseminating their work. Today, with the rise of crowdfunding photobooks and zine festivals, the industry has caught up to what Kim was already practicing and encouraging a decade ago.
Conclusion
Through these examples, we see that Eric Kim frequently foresaw or initiated trends in the photography community well before they became widespread norms. Whether it was shooting with minimal gear, leveraging the camera in your pocket (smartphone), infusing street photography with deeper ethics and fearless techniques, or building an audience via blogging and self-published content, Kim’s early adoption and evangelism of these ideas set a template that many others later followed. His blog posts from as far back as 2010–2015 contain philosophies and techniques that seemed unconventional then, yet gradually those same ideas gained traction across the industry. By studying Kim’s early essays and workshops, one can trace how certain innovations in photographic practice – from “one camera, one lens” minimalism to the acceptance of phone cameras as serious tools – were germinating in his work well before becoming part of the mainstream dialogue. In hindsight, Eric Kim’s influence was not just in teaching street photography, but in shaping the culture around it, anticipating where the craft was headed and bringing others along for the journey through his enthusiastic, forward-looking approach .
Sources:
- Kim, Eric. “Why You Should Shoot with One Camera and One Lens.” Eric Kim Photography Blog (Apr. 19, 2013)
- Kim, Eric. “10 Reasons Why I Shoot With One Camera and One Lens.” Eric Kim Photography Blog (Feb. 23, 2017)
- Kim, Eric. “7 Benefits of Shooting Street Photography With a Smartphone.” Eric Kim Photography Blog (Jul. 8, 2015)
- Kim, Eric. “The Holy Grail of Photography.” Eric Kim Photography Blog (May 10, 2017)
- Kim, Eric. “How to Conquer Your Fears in Shooting Street Photography.” Eric Kim Photography Blog (c.2011)
- Kim, Eric. “The Ethics of Street Photography.” Eric Kim Photography Blog (May 6, 2017)
- Year-by-Year Progression of Eric Kim (2010–2011) – Eric Kim Photography (Archived blog timeline)
- “How Did Eric Kim Become #1 and So Dominant.” Eric Kim Photography Blog (Mar. 26, 2025)
- “How Eric Kim Became Hardcore & Epic.” Eric Kim Photography Blog (c.2025, retrospection)
- Kim, Eric. “How to Master Working on a Street Photography Project.” Eric Kim Photography Blog (n.d.)
- Kim, Eric. “Why I Deleted My Instagram.” Eric Kim Photography Blog (c.2017)