Archives for November 2013

Street Photography Composition Lesson #12: Color Theory

Click to read more — Eric Kim, Downtown LA 2012.

For today’s compositional lesson– I want to talk about color theory— and how you can better utilize colors when it comes to your street photography.

Personally around 2 years ago, I made the switch from shooting fully black and white — to just shooting color film (Kodak Portra 400).

Since then, I have learned to see the world in a totally different way. It has been fun, refreshing, and quite exciting.

However at the same time– shooting in color presented a new bag of worms. Whereas black and white tended to simplify a scene, color could be distracting and take away from a photo (if the colors didn’t add meaning and value).

So for this lesson we will talk about some color theory — in terms of how we can make colors better work for us. I am certainly not an expert when it comes to working in color, but I will try to share some practical tips of how you can better shoot street photography in color.

“SEVENTY”: A Book of Images of Mystery, Surprise, and Humor in Jack Simon’s Everyday Life

My good friend and talented street photographer Jack Simon (from Burn My Eye) has recently turned 70 years old (he looks about 2 decades younger than he is). In honor of his birthday, he recently published a new book titled: SEVENTY — which is a compilation of 70 great candid photos. He was also generous enough to offer the book free via ebook. More info about the book below from Jack:

SEVENTY is a compilation of 70 unplanned and unposed images. I enjoy the hunt for that moment of mystery, surprise, and humor in my everyday life. I seek images that hint to a larger story, like a publicity still from some forgotten movie. These fragments of fictional stories are drawn from the real world in an odd coupling of my unconscious, my intentions, and chance. As I turn 70, I celebrate these accidental glimpses into other worlds and untold stories that inhabit my surroundings.

If you want to learn more about Jack Simon and his work, you can see this in-depth interview I did with him here.

Jack Simon Shooting the Streets of SF

Below is a fun video I made with Jack shooting in the Mission District of SF:

SEVENTY by Jack Simon

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Wish Jack a happy birthday by leaving a comment below! :)

Watch “Everybody Street”: A Documentary on the Lives and Work of New York’s Iconic Street Photographers

If you haven’t heard yet the new street photography documentary: “Everybody Street” is now available to watch via Vimeo on demand. You can either rent the film for $4.99, or buy the film via digital download for $12.99. The film is 101 minutes long, and definitely worth the watch if you are passionate about street photography. More info about the film below:

“Everybody Street” illuminates the lives and work of New York’s iconic street photographers and the incomparable city that has inspired them for decades. The documentary pays tribute to the spirit of street photography through a cinematic exploration of New York City, and captures the visceral rush, singular perseverance and at times immediate danger customary to these artists.

Covering nine decades of street photography, “Everybody Street” explores the careers and influences of many notable photographers––a number of whom have never been documented, featuring: Bruce Davidson, Elliott Erwitt, Jill Freedman, Bruce Gilden, Joel Meyerowitz, Rebecca Lepkoff, Mary Ellen Mark, Jeff Mermelstein, Clayton Patterson, Ricky Powell, Jamel Shabazz, Martha Cooper, and Boogie, with historians Max Kozloff and Luc Sante.

For more info about the film, check out their site: everybodystreet.com

Street Photography Composition Lesson #11: “Spot the Not”

When it comes to composition– one of the first things you should ask yourself is: “Who is the subject?”

If you have a hard time identifying the main subject (or subjects) in the photo– you are in trouble.

One of the most difficult things to do in street photography is capture multiple subjects well. When there are lots of subjects in our frame, it is often difficult for us to focus on who the main subject is.

So how do we overcome this difficulty? I propose the compositional concept of: “Spot the not.”

Reading The Visual Layers of New Delhi: Rohit Vohra

Erics Note: Rohit Vohra is a street photographer based in New Delhi, India. In a search for new methods to ‘read the city’, his photographs are often about contact with humans and basic living elements. He is also the Editor in Chief of Art Photo Feature.

Rohit: Street photography is one of the purest forms of photography. Love the challenge it presents, of capturing the unknown. You are out on the road with absolutely no idea of what you are going to come back with. I enjoy street photography because of this uncertainty… the joy of capturing that perfect moment… perfect in terms of light, texture, and elements all perfectly in place. Such a flawless alignment of elements, coming together randomly, to create a perfect moment which is visible for the smallest span of time before it vanishes forever… that is what I enjoy. When I am on the street I like to show my reading or perception of reality.

Street Photography Composition Lesson #10: Urban Landscapes

For today’s lesson I want to talk about “urban landscapes.” Urban landscapes aren’t really compositions in the specific sense (compared to lines, curves, etc)– but I still feel they are relevant when creating our street photographs.

If you guys have read my prior lessons on composition– I have thought a lot about what a “composition” really is. For me at the end of the day– a composition can really be anything. The dictionary’s definition to composition is as follows:

Composition: The combining of distinct parts or elements to form a whole.

So when it comes to street photography, whatever elements we capture in the background make an image.

I am not exactly sure what direction these “composition lessons” are heading– but thank you for your support. Let us continue to ride the wave– and see where it follows:

Don’t Take Boring Photos: 13 Tips for Street Photographers from Tony Ray-Jones

In the late 1960’s, photographer Tony Ray-Jones wrote a hand-written note on his “approach” when he took photographs. I think these tips are lessons all of us as street photographers can learn from him. Read more to see some of his inspirational images (and this list typed out):

“The 9th Floor”: A Rural Themed Playground for Kids in Urban Korea by Trevor Marczylo

Eric’s Note: This project is by Trevor Marcyzlo, a Canadian street photographer currently based in South Korea. He is a part of the collective STROMA.

Trevor: Located on the 9th floor of Shinsegae Department Store “The 9th Floor” is a rural themed playground for kids in urban city Uijeongbu. Photos June – October 2012.

Street Photography Composition Lesson #9: Self-Portraits

“At first, my presence in my photos was fascinating and disturbing. But as time passed and I was more a part of other ideas in my photos, I was able to add a giggle to those feelings.”

– Lee Friedlander

For today’s compositional lesson I want to introduce the idea of incorporating self-portraits into your street photography.

While self-portraits don’t fit into the textbook definition of “composition” per se– I still feel that they are an interesting compositional technique we can add to our toolkit to make more interesting images.

Observe Collective Interview #3: Danielle Houghton

Eric’s Note: OBSERVE is a new international photography collective focused primarily on the practice of candid street photography. I have sent questionnaires to all 13 of the members, and will feature their responses and images on the blog for the next upcoming weeks. This week’s feature is Danielle Houghton, based in Dublin, Ireland.

Danielle: Picking up a camera in my teens I found myself automatically taking pictures of strangers without really knowing why. After a long break, I now find myself doing the same but this time with a name and understanding of my folly. I like to appreciate the odd in the mundane and find that suburban life can be nicely quirky. In Dublin I often shoot by the coast, in parks or even from the car window. While visually pleasing settings are very important to me the real beauty of photography stems from the uniqueness of people and those moments that cannot be repeated.

Street Photography Composition Lesson #8: Curves

All photos in this article are copyrighted by their respective photographers.

For today’s compositional lesson– I want to talk about curves.

To start off, why curves? Well– curves are some of the most dynamic lines that exist.

7 Lessons Saul Leiter Has Taught Me About Street Photography

I can’t remember the exact moment that I discovered the work of Saul Leiter. I think I remember seeing some link on the internet about the discovery of one of the earliest “pioneers” in color street photography. But upon hearing this, I didn’t dig into it too deeply.

About a year ago when I was in Marseille, I re-discovered Saul’s work through a good friend of mine, Yves Vernin. When I left Marseille back to America, he gave me a beautiful Saul Leiter book. When I flipped through the pages, I was overwhelmed by the beautiful colors, reflections, and abstractions of Leiter. It was unlike any street photography I had seen before. It was much more romantic, poetic, and full of expression.

I then started to research more on Saul Leiter and have not only appreciated his images, but his philosophy of life. At his late eighties, he is very down-to-earth, and has no interest in legacy or fame. He lived a simple life and even now with his sudden rise in fame, his ego hasn’t inflated one bit.

In anticipation for the DVD release of his film “In No Great Hurry” I wanted to write this article about lessons in street photography (and life) I have learned from Saul Leiter.