August 2012

Interview with Damien Vignol, Parisian Street Photographer (in Marseille)

When I was in Marseille, I had the chance to interview Damien Vignol, a Parisian street photographer (who was originally from Marseille!). I was surprised to see his images and love for street photography (considering he has been shooting street for less than a year!) He shoots mostly with his film Leicas for his street photography and has shot mostly black and white in the past – but now is focusing on shooting color slide film. Check out my interview with him above and check out his images below!

Interview with John Vink, Magnum Photographer on his new “Quest For Land” book available on the iPad

(All photographs in this post are copyrighted by John Vink / Magnum Photos)

When I was looking for photobooks to download on my iPad, I came upon “Quest For Land” by John Vink, Magnum Photographer.

His project “Quest for Land” is a comprehensive photoreportage about land issues in Cambodia over a time span of more than 10 years. He published this book via the iPad, in which he has over 700+ photographs over several projects that cover issues of land issues in Cambodia in the post Khmer Rouge era. The book also includes interactive slideshows with sound tracks, texts about the issues written by former Phnom Penh Post editor and journalist Robert Carmichael, and links to a number of reports about land issues put together by local and international Human Rights organisations.

If you are curious in learning more about “Quest For Land” and the life, work, and photography of John Vink, read on!

Experience the Neon Streets of Tokyo: Introduction to Street Photography Workshop in Tokyo with Bellamy Hunt (11/2-11/4)

Have you ever walked on the streets and saw a moment that you wanted to capture, but you were too scared to take the photograph? Would you like to learn how to overcome your fear of shooting on the streets and destroy those moments of hesitation? Do you want to meet other street photographers who are equally as passionate as you?

If you are a street photographer starting off and want more courage shooting on the streets, learning what to look for when shooting on the streets, or meeting other passionate street photographers this workshop is for you. Through this dynamic and hands-on 3-day workshop myself and Bellamy Hunt (aka Japan Camera Hunter) will cover some of the following topics:

How to conquer your fear of shooting street photography
How to become invisible and shoot without anybody noticing you
How to react to people who get offended by street photography
How to never miss “The Decisive Moment“
The best technical settings to use on your camera in street photography
How to create memorable and timeless images
The secret of creating beautiful black and white photographs
The best way to tell a story through your street photography
How to develop a razor-sharp eye when shooting on the streets
The fundamentals of critique & feedback in street photography

Thank You Guys For Everything! Moving from Los Angeles to Michigan

I am excited and also sad to announce that as of today morning I am moving from my hometown of the last 6 years (Los Angeles) to Michigan to support my beautiful girlfriend Cindy and her Ph.D. studies (Vietnamese Colonial History) at Michigan State. I have had an incredible last 6 years in Los Angeles, and the people I have met and connected with have truly helped me grow not only as a photographer, but as a fellow human being.

I am leaving behind lots of great friends in LA- but I will be back as often as I can! However in all honesty, I will probably miss everyone in LA more than they miss me (as they now have a phenomenal street photography community to support one another).

I am also very excited for my new life in Michigan, and especially excited to do more collaborations with my good friends and fellow street photographers in Detroit such as Brian Day and Andy Kochanowski. I look forward in doing more positive photography projects (part street and part documentary) about the people of Detroit– and their incredible positive energy & openness.

I think this move to Michigan will be another pivotal point in my life (and street photography career) and I wanted to thank you (yeah you) for your never-ending love and support through your comments, Facebook messages, Tweets, emails, and words of encouragement! I could never do anything without you, and owe you my life!

10 Things Anders Petersen Can Teach You About Street Photography

(All photographs in this article copyrighted by Anders Petersen. Photographs used with permission from Petersen)

Anders Petersen, b. 1944, is a Swedish photographer, who is best known for his intimate and documentary-based photography projects. He is best known for his project, “Café Lehmitz” in which he photographed prostitutes, transvestites, lovers, drunkards, and drug addicts from 1967-1970. The photographs are very close and personal, and incredibly humanistic and soulful.

I was honored to meet Anders when I taught my street photography workshop at Fotografiska (he taught a workshop at the same time). People I knew who met him described him as very intense and hardcore- and I was a bit nervous meeting him. However upon meeting him, he was an incredibly loving, caring, and down-to-earth-guy. He looked at my work and gave me great words of advice and inspiration.

Although Anders describes himself as a “private documentary photographer” – I love his thoughts, feelings, and philosophy that I feel many of us street photographers can learn from. If you are curious about learning more, read on!

Street Photography Weekly Assignment #8: “Surreal” Winners

I am excited to announce the winner for the “Surreal” weekly assignment is Luke Ding from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

The reason I love his photograph is the strange and ghostly feeling that it evokes. It looks like a person sitting at a bus stop, but the body seems to melt into the background, and strangely enough the head is quite dark. The patterns in the middle of the frame look like knives (or ninja stars) going into the body of the ghostly apparition. The high contrast black and white and grittiness adds to the surreal feeling for me as well.

Runners-up

The first runner-up is Longwen Chen, who was also also featured for the Week #6 “Emotion” assignment. When I first look at the image, it looks like a cascade of black water falling back on the man standing in the center of the frame. The reflections of the plastic around him are quite alluring, and the heavy machinery in the background he is working on adds to the tension. What I feel would have made this image stronger is if I could see the man’s face (and not just his back).

The second runner-up is Sacha Lenz. The first thing I see when I look at the image is the beautiful black negative space, and the bright tiger that pops out from the background. Whenever I think of tigers, I think of power and aggression, but in this photo the tiger looks quite docile and calm. Strangely enough in the top right corner of the frame, you have an open door with a person exiting the scene through the white light. It gives the photo a very surreal and strange feeling, but I have a difficult time linking the subject of the tiger and person leaving the scene. Also I find the left side of the frame a little empty (although the negative space is nice). I also love the textures and contrast of this image as well.

Stay updated for next week’s weekly assignment on my Facebook fan page!

Also the winner of this assignment is purely my opinion, so if you have any differing opinions please leave a comment below (and tell us why!) And please keep it constructive :)

FREE GIVEAWAY: Win 2 Custom SLR Packages and $500 Giftcard to B&H Photo (worth over $800!)

Hey streettogs, I am excited to share that the great folks at Custom SLR (one of my site sponsors) are launching its black C-Loop and wants you and a friend to shoot in comfort and style. The Custom SLR C-Loop and Glidestrap are fantastic for street photography (as they take pressure off your neck, keep your camera always ready by your side, while keeping your hands free). You can see one of my reviews of the setup here.

The winner of this giveaway will receive the following:

(2) Black C-Loops
(2) Glide Straps
(2) M-Plate Pros
(1) $500 Giftcard to B&H Photo

The prize for the winner is worth over $800 – so don’t miss your chance on this unique opportunity! Here’s how to enter:

#1: Be a Fan

This giveaway is open for our fans and supporters. Make sure to “Like” both my Facebook fan page and Custom SLR’s Facebook fan page to become eligible.

#2: Enter the Giveaway

Upload your (1) personal favorite street photograph you have ever taken to my Facebook Fan Page and share the following:

The story behind the shot
Why the photograph is meaningful to you
One piece of advice you would give to other street photographers
Your email address (So we can contact you if you win. It won’t be used for any marketing purposes – we promise).

Notes:

If you don’t have a Facebook, you can leave a comment below and provide a link to your favorite street photograph (and include the following points above).
If you upload more than one photograph for the entry (or don’t include all 4 points above in the caption) you will be disqualified.

#3: Share for More Chances!

If you want another entry to the contest to improve your chances of winning, you can also do the following below!

Tweet:

“Just shared my favorite street photograph with @erickimphoto for a @customslr giveaway! http://bit.ly/Oww3Sc”

*Thanks to PetaPixel for the giveaway format/idea!

More Info

Deadline to submit is Sept 6th.
This is a giveaway, and the winner will be chosen via Random.org.

Any questions about the giveaway? Leave a comment below!

Streettogs Gallery Feature: Ms. Helen Hill’s Mise-en-scène

Eric’s Note: Streettogs Gallery is an on-going feature and intiative by Manila-based street photographer A.G. De Mesa. Click here for more info.

A.G.:There is a fine line between cinema and photography. Good cinematography and good photography shows when you have a good arrangement of elements such as light, composition, and subject. But more often than not, a cinematographer has total control of everything while the photographer shooting on the streets uses what the streets provide. So when a photographer is able to show cinematic street scenes, that is a feat of skill in itself. That is why you should check out Ms. Helen Hill’s Mis en scene.

Christopher Anderson, Magnum Photographer, Interview with VICE

VICE recently did an episode for their on-going series called “Picture Perfect” with Christopher Anderson, Magnum photographer. It is a great short video documentary on Anderson, that feels very intimate and discusses some of his past, present, and future projects. Also for those who are curious (who finished watching the video) he survived the sinking of a handmade boat in the Caribbean by wearing a EPIRB, a satellite transmitter which sent a signal to the US Coast Guard (that saved everybody on board).

Anderson is one of my favorite Magnum photographers due to his soulful imagery, and intimate and personal approach. His photos make me feel that I am really there- along with all the action, drama, and human conflict. Not only that, but he has done a wide breadth of work that range from conflicts in war, photographs of his son and father, as well as a project he is currently working on in NYC. You can see some of his images on the Magnum Photos site here.

Also make sure to check out my book review of his recently completed work, “Capitolio” here.

Photos from Anderson

Below are some of my favorite photos from Anderson in his book, “Capitolio”.

Books by Christopher Anderson

Nonfiction (2003)
Capitolio (on Amazon) – (on iTunes)

Street Photography Weekly Assignment #8: “Surreal”

erickim-surreal — From my “All the World’s a Stage” series. Shot in Zurich, 2011

Jonathan Carvajal, the winner of last week’s photo assignment “Backyard” made this week’s street photography weekly assignment: “Surreal“.

Interpret “Surreal” however you would like, and upload your best (1) shot to my Facebook fan page by 11:59pm on Thursday (8/23). Know it isn’t a lot of time to shoot, but remember “Pressure makes diamonds“.

3 Upcoming Street Photography Workshops in Japan (Intro, Intermediate/Advanced, Film) in Tokyo and Kyoto – November, 2012

(Above photo from my “Dark Skies Over Tokyo” series I shot last year in Tokyo)

Hey streettogs, I am excited to announce that I will be teaching a series of 3-day street photography workshops in Tokyo and Kyoto with my good friend Bellamy Hunt, aka Japan Camera Hunter.

The first street photography workshop I did in Tokyo was last year, and it was a massive success. Passionate street photographers came from all across the globe, including the states, Europe, and Asia. We didn’t expect such a great turnout, but it was definitely one of the most memorable workshops I have taught.

There is something unique about shooting street photography in Tokyo.

The city has a sense of energy, a pulse, which inspires shooting street photography. The skyscrapers climb upwards endlessly, the colors are dazzling, qnd the streets never end with an infinite supply of people. It is quite unlike anywhere else in the world I have shot street photography.

10 Things Garry Winogrand Can Teach You About Street Photography

(Above image: Garry Winogrand, World’s Fair, New York City, 1964. All photographs in this article copyrighted by the estate of Garry Winogrand)

Garry Winogrand is one of my favorite street photographers that I have gained much photographic insight and wisdom from. He was in-arguably one of the most prolific street photographers of his time (he shot over 5 million photographs in his career) and one of the most passionate. However, he hated the term “street photographer” and simply saw himself as a “photographer”. It is an idea I later understood and respected very dearly, as Winogrand was more interested in making photographs than classifying himself for art historians.

I never understood a lot of the things that he said about photography like why you should wait a year or two before developing your shots, why photographs don’t tell stories, and how photographers mistake emotion for what makes great photographs. Although I didn’t really get what he was saying, I was intrigued.

After having done a ton of research on Winogrand and finding out more about his philosophy in photography, I found a treasure chest. Although I am not an expert on Garry Winogrand, he has influenced my street photography profoundly. I wish through this article to illustrate some things that Winogrand taught to his former students (the bulk of the quotes are from “Class Time with Garry Winogrand by O.C. Garza” [PDF] as well as “Coffee and Workprints: A Workshop With Garry Winogrand” by Mason Resnick).

If you want to learn more about what you can learn from Garry Winogrand, read on!

Interview with Matteï Batruch, Street Photographer from Geneva

I just came back to Marseilles from Istanbul after staying a week with my good friend two cute dogs. I had the time of my life, being able to meet other passionate local Turkish photographers, eating the delicious food there, and also shooting a ton (I shot 35 rolls of Portra 400 film there – avg of 5-6 rolls a day). Special thanks once again to Charlie for the hospitality he showed me and the great places he showed me to shoot!

I was also glad to have my buddy Matteï Batruch, a young street photographer currently studying medicine in Geneva, Switzerland. Last year he attended one of my street photography workshops in Downtown LA, and it was great being able to re-unite with him in Istanbul.

Check out my interview with Mattei above, where we talk about how he got started in street photography, some of the people he gains inspiration from, as well as projects he is currently working on.

I am inspired to see how much experimentation he has done the last year in street photography, and his photographic development as well. Some of my favorite shots from him are below!

5 Things Stephen Shore Can Teach You About Street Photography

(All images in this article are copyrighted by Stephen Shore)

While in Amsterdam I checked out the FOAM photography museum and picked up a book on Stephen Shore. For those of you who may not know, he is one of the early color pioneers in photography in America. Although his style is classified more as documentary and urban landscape, I think there is a lot of things we can learn from him as street photographers. If you are interested in learning more about color and street photography, read on!

Tour of the Espas Photo Bookstore in Istanbul with Huseyin Yilmaz

One of the things I love most about traveling is checking out photo bookstores and meeting new people. Istanbul was no exception.

Charlie Kirk introduced me to Huseyin Yilmaz, a photographer and a lover of photo books. A few years back, he quit his old job to start a photo bookstore (named Espas) to spread the love of photography with the community. I didn’t show in the video very much, but he also opened up a small gallery for young and up-and-coming artists to showcase their work right across the street.

Huseyin is also coordinating the Bursa Photo Festival, September 15-21. You can find out more information about the festival here.

If you want to stay updated, follow the Bursa Photo Festival on Facebook and Twitter.

Check out the Espas Website here.

Interview With Me (by two cute dogs) in Istanbul

A night or two ago, my good friend two cute dogs interviewed me via my GoPro camera on a roof-top terrace bar in Istanbul. He asked me some great interview questions about some of the following:

The term “streettogs”
About my personal background/history
How I deal with people who criticize me
The issue of being an “internet celebrity” and developing as a photographer
Teaching street photography workshops

The interview is quite long (around 30 minutes) and a bit noisy (because it was windy) but if you have the time, give it a watch! Also if anyone has any other comments/questions they would like to ask me, leave a comment below!

Street Photography Weekly Assignment #7: “Backyard” Winners

The winner of last week’s challenge: “Emotion“, in which the winner Michael Meinhardt chose this week’s theme: “Backyard“.

I took a look at the entries on my Facebook fan page, and congratulations to Jonathan Caravajal for winning this week’s assignment!

The reason I really like Jonathan’s image is for several reasons:

Travel Update in Istanbul and Interview with twocutedogs

Shooting street photography in Istanbul has been absolutely incredible. The light and colors are gorgeous, and I can’t stop eating the food here either! Not only that, but people are incredibly friendly and generous.

On my first two days here, I have been shooting quite a bit (5-6 rolls of Portra 400 everyday) because I have been so enamored with the city. Hope to get a few decent shots of the city from my trip.

Also currently staying with two cute dogs in Istanbul at a nice apartment. Had a minute to interview him on his travels and future in street photography. Check out the video above and watch it until the end, where I give a quick tour of the place too!

You can see some of his work on Burn My Eye and please check out the work of the other members here.

#AskMagnum: Video Interview with Bruce Gilden

bruce_gilden_magnum — Click to see the video via the Magnum Blog (will not play here)

Recently Magnum Photos has been doing a great initiative via their Facebook fan page and Twitter titled: #AskMagnum. They have been soliciting questions for Magnum Photographers and asking the best questions.

They recently did a great interview/video slideshow with Bruce Gilden on their blog. The questions posed related to advice for street photographers, how he stays motivated to shoot new projects, as well as other interesting questions!

Check it out the interview here. Also read more to see Bruce Gilden’s portfolio.

Interview with Fabrice Catérini, Photojournalist based in Lyon and co-founder of Inediz

Last year at the Leica Magnum event in Paris, I had the great pleasure of meeting Fabrice Catérini, an avid photojournalist based in Lyon who also enjoys to shoot street photography on the side.

Fabrice was born in 1982 and has been working professionally with Claire Jeantet, another French photojournalist 2008. They founded their own agency, Inediz, dedicated to documentary photography and multimedia reports, often linked to conflict or crisis situations. From housing problems in France to the story of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, from the fate of migrants stuck in Greece to the struggle of a circus family, Inediz bears witness to the daily life of those who are facing injustice. Always looking for innovative ways of telling stories, they have been developing online multimedia documentaries since 2011.

If you want more info on Fabrice’s personal path, check here. Read more to see his images!

Interview with Benedicte Guillon, Parisian Street Photographer from the Mobile Photo Group

I had the great pleasure of being introduced to Benedicte Guillon from my mate Misho Baranovic, one of the founding members of the Mobile Photo Group.

Benedicte is currently based in Paris, and I was able to interview her about starting off in street photography with an iPhone, her travels all around the world, as well as her inspirations. Check out the video interview above, and see some of her images from her different projects below!

FREE Giveaway! MOO Business Cards and MiniCards!

MOO has generously provided us with 2 sets of 100 Classic Business Cards and 2 sets of 200 MiniCards ($50.00 retail value each) for a give-away to four lucky readers of the blog!

I really like MOO Cards for a number of reasons: they’re printed on high quality thick stock, the sizes are unique (the MiniCards are about 1/2 a regular sized business card and the Classic Business Cards are shorter and wider than them as well), and you can choose different images for each card and from images that are already linked to your Flickr account. Having business cards to hand out on the street can come in handy – it definitely can take away the ‘creep’ factor when someone asks what you are doing.

To enter this awesome giveaway, all you need to do is:

Share a link to the street photography photo you would like printed on your Moo Cards in the comment section below OR tweet the link and add @overheardatmoo #ekspmoocontest in the body of your tweet! AND
Like me and Moo on Facebook.

This contest will end Wednesday, August 15th, 2012. We’ll randomly pick four winners and announce it on the blog! Good luck to everyone!

7 Things I Have Learned About Shooting Street Photography in Color

(Above photo: From my newly published “Downtown LA in Color” series)

I have always shot street photography in black and white. After all, it is what all the classic street photographers did. Whenever looking at famous photographs shot by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Andre Kertesz, Garry Winogrand, and so forth they were always black and white.

The last 6 months or so I have shot exclusively using color film (Portra 400). After about 5 years of shooting mostly black and white and now shooting mostly color I have learned a lot about the benefits and the difficulties of shooting in color. I have also discovered many influential early color photographers who have had a profound impact on myself.

Curious? Read on.

Travel Update: Seoul, Paris, Marseilles and Going to Istanbul for Street Photography!

Hey guys, just put together a video of my travels in Seoul, Paris, and Marseilles. Unfortunately there seems to be a sound-sync problem with the webcam on my new 11” Macbook Air. Wasn’t an issue I had on my 13” Macbook Air- hopefully it is a bug that Apple will fix soon?

Also if anyone is good with Macs – the issue is I recorded in iMovie and the sound sync is off. If anyone has any suggestions how to fix this please leave a comment below!

Breathe the Streets of Venice and Verona: Introduction to Design/Composition Workshop with Adam Marelli and Eric Kim (9/17-9/22)

There are still spots open for my upcoming 5-day Design/Composition Street Photography Workshop in Venice/Verona with Adam Marelli 9/17-9/22. Adam is a phenomenal teacher, and has an incredible understanding and knowledge of design and composition. Having studied Sculpture and Photography from New York University, he has continued his education in the pursuit of art by studying at Barnstone Studios.

This will be an incredible workshop that combines inspirational and practical hands-on learning, travel, and an experience you won’t forget. Keep reading for more info!

A Secret Tradition

Come explore the sun drenched side streets of Venice & Verona in a truly unique photography workshop. We will retrace the footsteps of the “Grand Tour” which was the foundation for any serious artist in the last three hundred years. During these formative trips painters like John Singer Sargent mastered Design, Composition, and Light to transform everyday street scenes into masterful works of Art.

You and your camera will be led on a guided exploration to learn “How to See like a Master Artist.” Many of the design principles were reserved for serious artists and are never taught in photography programs. But in this special (5) day workshop (Sept 17-22), you will learn the secrets of Classical Design that pioneers like Henrì Cartier-Bresson inherited from drawing, to revolutionize the world of Photography.

Street Photography Weekly Assignment #6: “Emotion” Winners

(Winning Photo: Michael Meinhardt)

Eric: Congratulations to Michael Meinhardt for winning last week’s weekly assignment: “Emotion“. The reason I thought that this photo was the winning photograph was for several reasons.

First of all, I feel that the emotion in Michael’s shot it is an emotion we can all relate with (envy, jealousy, and lust) related with material things (cars especially). The fact that it is a really high-end car (Bently) adds to the feeling of desire, and the man’s positioning in the frame is great (on the right) and the expression with his hands. Slouched over, dejected, having his hand over his eye in a look of despair. His balding hair suggests that he has been working for a while (as a middle-aged man), and the watch on the right hand to me is a symbol of his material wants (and running out of time?). The background reflections are quite beautiful aesthetically as well, and shows all the other people walking past him.

The second-runner up is Digoy Isleta. The reason I enjoy this image is because of the great layers, depth, and (of course) emotion contained in the shot. The shot feels very three-dimensional, and has many things going on. First of all, the woman in the background looks lost and is grasping a mysterious hand coming out of the shadows (to show hope?) There is another random hand waving above her head, maybe to suggest for her to wake up and exit her daze? Also you one kid on the left (wearing the superman shirt) looking at her – perhaps a superman to save her? And the last boy on the far left, with his arm around the superman girl is looking straight at the photographer, making you feel like an active participant of the scene, rather than a voyeur.

The last winning shot is a photo by Longwen Chen that feels quite dystopic and surreal. The strong grain and grit makes for a nice backdrop, including the mysterious lines and shadows lurking from behind. I first see a young boy in the far left, screaming out – perhaps for his mother? Then enters the man on the left, who is giving a menacing stare to the photographer. He seems to ignore the child on the right (or seems unaware of him) and is exiting the frame. The man’s legs in a “V” shape adds to the composition of the photo. The tilt of the photo distracts me a bit (would have preferred it straighter) – but at the same time it adds to the uneasiness of the image.

Congratulations to all the winners, and keep updated for next week’s assignment on my Facebook fan page! Let us also know what you think of the winning shots by leaving a comment below!

Book Review: “Zona” – A Colorful Look into Siberian Prison Camps by Carl De Keyzer, Magnum Photographer

(All photographs in the article are copyrighted by Carl De Keyzer / Magnum Photos)

Finding good photography books is tough, but I am excited to share a personal favorite of mine. It is titled: “Zona: Siberian Prison Camps” – by Magnum Photographer Carl De Keyzer. When I first purchased my iPad, I was looking for photography books to download. One of my friends recommended the book to me and after downloading it, I was blown away. The color, composition, context, and storytelling was incredible.

“Olympic Dreams”: A Project on the Physical and Mental Expectations of Young Children by James Dodd

Eric’s Note: James Dodd an award-winning Sheffield based photographer and founding member of Statement Images – a UK based photography collective and co-editor of Street Reverb Magazine. I met James personally a few months back when I was in London, and have been a huge fan of his documentary and street photography. Out of all the projects he has done , the one I was most fond of was his “Olympic Dreams” project. To find out more about James and his project, read on!

Archives for August 2012