Archives for March 2011

Interview with Bryan Formhals, editor of Street Photography Magazine la pura vida

Bryan Formhals Street Photographer La Pura Vida — Bryan Formhals

For this week, I am featuring Bryan Formhals, the editor of the street photography magazine la pura vida. The man has done a ton for the street photography community in whole, and is also a moderator at the hugely popular Hardcore Street Photography Flickr group. His passion for street photography is highly apparent not only through his story-telling images, but also through his writing and commentary. Read more to learn more about his great insights and images.

5 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Ask For Permission When Shooting Street Photography

"God Bless America" - Gena. Click to read more.

Photo Credit

When it comes to street photography, it is essential to capture candid moments of everyday life. This is what sets the genre of “street photography” differently from all the other types of photography out there. Although there are many talented photographers out there who specialize in capturing posed street portraits, I would classify those images as more of a subsect of “posed street portraiture” than “street photography” proper. In this post I will outline my thoughts why you shouldn’t ask for permission when shooting street photography.

Street Photography Fundraiser for Japan

Japan Earthquake — Momoko Onodera prays at an evacuation center as she talks about her husband who died in the tsunami on March 18 in Kesennuma, Japan. A potential humanitarian crisis looms as nearly half a million people who have been displaced by the disaster continue to suffer a shortage of food and fuel as freezing weather conditions set in. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

Words cannot express the pain and suffering that the Japanese people are currently experiencing. With recent numbers stating that the number of dead and missing is above 25,000— it is one of the worst calamities in Japanese history. There are already many street photographers on the web who are taking their part such as the Flickr group “Charity Print Auction Japan“. Considering that they are already doing their part in donating images to fund raise, I say that we take a different approach: let’s donate hard-cold cash.

Featured Street Photographer: Jason Martini from Chicago, Illinois

"High Brows" - Jason Martini - Chicago Street Photography — "High Brows" - Jason Martini

Chicago is an amazing city with tons of hustle and bustle in the streets. When it comes to showing the soul of the city, Jason Martini is definitely one of the most talented street photographers out there. He is able to capture the people of Chicago in their natural and gritty environment doing what they do best–live. Check out more of his soulful images below and get inside his mind as well.

Is Manual Focus or Autofocus Better for Street Photography?

"Walking Along" - Eric Kim Street Photography — “Walking Along” – Santa Monica 3rd Street Promenade

Recently I asked the community on my Facebook fan page what blog post they wanted me to write about. Douglas Bain asked me a question about the advantages/disadvantages of using manual or autofocus for street photography which is a fantastic question. I have debated about this with myself when it comes to street photography. Using primarily a DSLR for street photography, I often switch between the both as they both have advantages/disadvantages. However there is often heated debate between both camps (one saying that autofocus is more convenient while the purists say manual focusing is the only way to go). I will do my best of outlining the pros of both manual and autofocus in street photography in this blog post (and will let you tell me the disadvantages in the comments).

Photo Essay: The Beautiful Decay of Detroit, Michigan

Eric Kim Street Photography Detroit Michigan — Welcome to Detroit.

The past weekend I visited Detroit, Michigan. After recently watching the Chrysler Eminem Superbowl Commercial – Imported from Detroit, I have built a fascination for the city. On one hand, it is a gorgeous and urban city with tons of history. On the other hand, the economy of Detroit is in terrible shape and it shows with the desolate feeling of Downtown. However after talking to some residents of the city, they feel proud of Detroit and feel that it is on its way back up again. I definitely think that Detroit will rise once again to greatness, considering that GM is hitting record numbers of sales (and there are talks that they’re opening a Corvette plant down there).

All in all, the city of Detroit as the city was gorgeous in my eyes–raw, urban, and cold. I hope you enjoy my images and my personal narrative of the city.

Fujifilm FinePix X100 Release Delayed Until Late March/Early April

Want to snag a hot Fujifilm FinePix X100 as soon as you can? Well unfortunately according to Engadget, these bad boys won’t be shipping until late March/early April in the US due to production shortages (they sold too many pre-orders). Looks like we have to wait and twiddle our thumbs until it comes out.

In the meanwhile, are you as stoked as I am?

5 Reasons Why You Should Use a Point and Shoot for Street Photography

(All photographs copyrighted by Alex Majoli / Magnum Photos)

Recently on the web I came upon a quite article about Alex Majoli, a Magnum photographer who shot award-winning images in the the Congo for two weeks and Iraq for two months using a point and shoot camera. Typically point and shoot cameras get a bad reputation for only being for “amateurs” and people who don’t know how to use a “real camera.”

Currently on the market, there are many wonderful point and shoot cameras for street photography. A few notable ones are the Ricoh GRIII, the Canon S95, and the Lumix LX-5. Many street photographers I know actually prefer using point and shoot cameras for their work, rather than using clunky DSLR’s or expensive digital rangefinders. Although I primarily shoot my street photography with a DSLR, I have done a considerable amount of street photography with my point and shoot as well. Therefore in this article, I will try to outline some of the strengths of using a point and shoot camera for street photography.

The 30 Most Inspirational Street Photographs on Flickr

Recently I asked on Facebook and Twitter for your best street photographs on Flickr. I reviewed the entries carefully, and chose the 30 most inspirational street photographs that showed either exhibited the decisive moment, the beauty of everyday life, or powerful imagery. Congratulations to everybody that made the final cut! Read more to see the other winning images.

Chained from hand to toe by rhohit

The Poor Man’s Leica: Fujifilm FinePix X100 Sample Photos, Unboxing, and Review

Over at Steve Huff’s blog, street photographer Pieter Franken gave his first impressions about the Fujifilm FinePix X100. He is originally from Holland and currently lives in Tokyo (where he was able to get the camera). Although he already has the Leica M8 and the Leica M9, he comments that it is a great companion camera (not nearly a replacement for either). All-in-all, Pieter gives the X100 a glowing review and mentions it is great for High ISO, the silent shutter, as well as the compact size. Read the review for more in-depth details.

Pieter Franken also has a plethora of sample street photographs on his Flickr as well (which look great in my opinion). Click more to view the sample street photographs, as well as the unboxing and review.

Featured Street photographer: Michael Martin from Manhattan, New York

Eric’s Note: Michael Martin is an incredible street photographer from Manhattan, New York who captures touching images from the people around him. The strength of his images not only are shown through his consistency, but also through the colorful portraits he captures as well. You can truly feel the energy of the city that he lives and breathes. Read more to check out this exclusive interview with him below.

"Discretions" by Michael Mann - Manhattan Street Photographer — "Discretions" by Michael Mann

Hot or Not? Leica Mirrorless ASPC-C Compact Concept Camera

Recently I was browsing the Leica Rumor blog and saw these renders for a Leica concept camera (not affiliated with Leica). So what do you think about the images and the concept–are they hot or not? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think!

Street Portraits vs Street Photography: What’s the Difference?

Eric Kim Street Photography Lebanon — Beirut, Lebanon. Click to read more.

Recently my friend and fellow artist Jacob Patterson asked me on Twitter what I thought the difference was between street portraits and street photography. It was a fascinating question, as there are many debates and inconsistencies on the web about the differences between the two. In this article I will outline my thoughts on the differences between street portraits and street photography. Not only that, but I encourage you to read on and chime in this debate as well.

“Something beautiful” – Black and White Street Photography in London by Ore Huiying

Recently I came upon this Vimeo video on Invisible Photographer Asia. The storytelling in this black and white street photography slideshow is incredible, and the music really makes it memorable. Check out the video and make sure to check out Invisible Photographer Asia for more great street photographers from Asia!

Who is the most inspirational Asian street photographer that you know? Leave a comment below and tell us who, and leave a link to their site!

The 8 Most Inspirational Night Street Photographs from Twitter

Having recently written an article on how to shoot street photography at night, I asked #streettogs on Twitter to share with me their best street photographs. I received many inspirational images that show the rawness and beauty which is nighttime street photography. Congratulations to all who made the final cut!

Featured Street Photographer: Josh White from Seoul, Korea

Eric’s Note: I first stumbled upon Josh’s images per-chance on Flickr. Having shot tons of street photography in Korea myself, I was especially drawn to his images. Through his images, Josh is able to show a candid and insightful look into life in Seoul. He has a wonderful skill of freezing certain moments in time, allowing the viewer to tell the story as they see fit. Keep reading to see more of his images and get an inside look on how he shoots street photography.