Hey streetogs, after my 3-week trip in Chicago, Toronto, NYC, I am excited to finally be back home in Berkeley. It is wonderful to enjoy sleeping in my own bed, being back at home with Cindy, and the lovely weather of Berkeley. Unfortunately, I think I caught a mild cold while traveling, and will spend the next few days recuperating. Fortunately, caffeine and green tea has been my new friends (gonna take a break from the coffee for a while until I get better).
Traveling was a truly amazing experience. I loved spending time with my close friends that I haven’t seen in a while, and whenever I travel it better helps me appreciate home. I think sometimes you need some time away from home to better appreciate home.
The biggest takeaway point I got from being in NYC was this: although the city is incredible for street photography, there are still so many opportunities I have at home. NYC is considered the mecca for street photography in the world, and I won’t lie– it is absolutely amazing to shoot there.
But at the same time, I realized that Berkeley and home has a lot to offer, in terms of putting on exhibitions with other photographers (recently did a street photography show called “Paved Paradise” which I curated with my good friend Walter at Artis Coffee), potential collaborations with Carson at the Book & Job Gallery, and the chance to look through more of the film I shot the last year.
I also realized that from my trip how much I appreciate having time with my friends. As time has gone on, I have “curated” and “edited down” my group of friends. Rather than trying to network and become friends with everybody, I think I am starting to realize how much I value my close friends. I think it is better to have a few really close friends, rather than having a ton of acquaintances. There is a saying: “You are the average of the 5 closest people to you“.
Some random things I am excited for being back home: cooking at home, walking around town more, and doing more reading. I recently finished “Becoming Steve Jobs“, and I have a lot of other random philosophy books to work through. Hopefully some of the ideas from them end up turning into blog posts.
Lots more cool stuff, videos, and features to come for the blog. Thanks always for the support and love :)
<3
Eric
4/15/2015, @ Artis Coffee in Berkeley
Here are some other books I’ve been reading:
Nonfiction/Fiction Book Recommendations
Here are some random books I’ve been reading:
- Becoming Steve Jobs (a good book to balance out the “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson)
- The Innovator’s Dilemma (interesting book on business, how to stay innovative, apparently Steve Jobs was really into this book)
- IQ84 (Always been a Murakami fan, and also a big fan of “1984” by George Orwell)
- Caffeinated: How Our Daily Habit Helps, Hurts, and Hooks Us (I’m an absolute caffeine fiend, all my blogging gets done with coffee and espressos. Lately been trying to cut back with green tea, but this was a fascinating read in terms of the history of caffeine, coffee, tea, and the industry behind this miracle drug)
Art Book Recommendations
- Mark Alor Powell: Open at Noon (new book by Mark Alor Powell, you can read an interview with him on the blog here. One of the most talented color street photographers at the moment, and love his sense of mystery, surrealism, and candor in his photographs)
- Akademie X: Lessons in Art + Life (a beautifully put together book by Phaidon. Imagine art school, with personal tutors, in a book format. Highly recommended)
- Interaction of Color (a fascinating book on color theory, still working through it)
Upcoming Street Photography Workshops in 2015
If you want to conquer your fears and meet new peers in 2015, invest in an experience you will never forget! Check out my full list of upcoming street photography workshops below:
April 10-12th
New York City – Introduction to Street Photography Workshop – SOLD OUT!
May 9th
San Francisco – Special 1-day Essential Street Portrait Crash Course – OPEN + NEW! (Early-Bird Deadline: May 2nd)
June 5-7th
Seattle – Introduction to Street Photography Workshop – Only 1 Spot Left! (Early-Bird Deadline: May 7th)
June 24-28th
Paris – Week-Long Intensive Travel Street Photography Workshop – OPEN! (Early-Bird Deadline: May 24th)
July 10-12th
Amsterdam – Intermediate/Advanced Street Photography Workshop – OPEN! (NEW!)
July 15-19th
Prague – Week-Long Intensive Travel Street Photography Workshop – OPEN!
July 31st-August 2nd
Vienna – Introduction to Street Photography Workshop – OPEN!
August 7-9th
Berlin –Introduction to Street Photography Workshop – OPEN!
August 14-16th
London – Introduction to Street Photography Workshop – OPEN!
August 19-23rd
Istanbul – Week-Long Travel Street Photography Workshop with special co-host Charlie Kirk – OPEN! (NEW!)
August 28-30th
Stockholm – Introduction to Street Photography Workshop – Register Intent – NEW!
October 14-18th
New Orleans – Week-Long Travel Street Photography Workshop – Register Intent
You can also learn more about my street photography workshops here.
Hey Bro! You need to start eating more healthy to strengthen your immune defence when travelling :D Just egg and Bacon won’t cut it. It´s like inviting infections to an open party. TC brother! XOXO
Hey Mattias you’re totally right haha. More veggies and fruits — and perhaps more fika and meatballs?;) See you soon in Stockholm bro!
Can you share some information of shooting film with a flash without ttl?
Dear Wudy: The flash units I’m familiar with for older film systems have their own metering systems. On these you can set the flash index to your ISO speed, and it will give you a range of f-stop settings (sometimes by different color bars on the scale) that represent different lens-to-subject distances. Select one for the distance you will be shooting at. I also strongly suggest a bounce card or diffuser of some sort to prevent hot spots, especially on close subjects, … say 3 to 7 feet or less. To find out what works, I suggest you do a couple of test rolls of film and carefully note your flash and camera settings for each exposure.
Thank you so much~ I have a leica sf24d flash and it use the metering system like you mentioned above. I like to shoot very close(0.7m to 1.2m). So I need a very slow film and shoot at f 22? I usually shoot tri x 400 and I will like to keep using it. Is there any other way to reduce the power of my flash or should I get a different flash. I use M6.
Dear Wudy:I honestly don’t know. Please see my answer to your last question. Then also note that you can cut a piece of neutral density (ND) gell and affix it over your flash. That would consistently reduce the amount of light falling on the subject from your flash. You would have to do a test to see how many f-stops of light reduction it would be equivalent to. You can purchase such ND filter material from the large photo companies like Adorama or B&H photo and many others. Note: my response here is what I would try if I were you. But I suggest you also post your questions on a website like photo.net where they have a number of technical forums. I come here to Eric’s site for its inspirational/artistic approach to street photography. But for the nuts and bolts/technical aspects, photo.net has more resources.
I have another question. If I take the shot closer than the flash metering system said, my photo will be over expose?
Yes. You might consider using neutral density filters. They are specifically designed to reduce the amount of light entering the lens.
I got it now. The flash display wasn’t showing the distance because I put a diffisser on my flash after I remove it, it shows the distance. It was so confusing but now I get it~ Thank you again~
Eric, New York is a fantastic city from the stand point of doing Street Photography. Your brief article noted how much there is to offer at one’s home, but I am very curious about what you experienced in New York. What neighborhoods did you shoot in? I can assume the Times Square area, but did you make it to the Garment District, China Town (Flushing is also has a large Chinese population), Little Italy, or Soho? Or how about Brighton Beach (Little Odessa/Russia)? If you are awake from 1:00 am to 7:00 am you can go to the Fulton Fish market, now relocated to Hunt’s Point in the Bronx. I regret that I could not make it to your New York workshop, but I am looking forward to the one you will be holding in New Orleans in October. Best regards, John Ciccone
Eric, I applaud your “open source” approach to blogging. You may want to display a Creative Commons license. The badge will signify your openness and instruct people to still give you attribution. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/