September 2015 - ERIC KIM

The Street Project by Steve Simon

(Editor’s Note: Words and Photographs by Steve Simon. Steve is a very passionate photographer, author, and an educator that has traveled the world shooting for various brands, companies, and organizations. His work focuses on street and documentary photography. He shares with us today how simple it is to start a street project and how it…

How Much is Enough?

How much is enough? How much is superfluous in life? What is excess baggage that holds you back? What are some demons from your past and mental baggage that holds you back? What are physical possessions which hold you back? What kinds of cameras and equipment hold you back? Which cameras are sitting on your…

Streettogs Academy Assignment No. 15

Let’s keep things going and get to more shooting with the latest assignment for Streettogs Academy! For avid readers of Eric’s blog, you’d notice he’s on a relentless pursuit towards zen, stoicism, and minimalism. All of this is in the pursuit of one thing. Actually it is a thing we are all pursuing in all…

Wu-Wei in Street Photography

Dear friend, I wanted to write you a letter about “Wu-Wei”, a Taoist philosophy and concept that I learned from the “Tao Te Ching” (recommend the version by Stephen Mitchell). So let me pose you a question: have you ever been out shooting on the streets for an entire day, and you tried really hard…

Ignore the Barking of Dogs

Dear friend, I wanted to give you some advice on bouncing back from negative and debilitating experiences when you’re shooting street photography.

Kill Your Master in Photography

Dear friend, I wanted to write you a letter on the concept of “killing the masters of photography”. It is kind of a Buddhist philosophy, as well as a philosophy I gained from Seneca, my stoic philosophy hero and mentor.

Reboot

Dear Eric, I want to write this letter for you, as a reminder of sorts to meditate upon some of the thoughts running around in your head. Remember when you used to work in IT at UCLA? How many people complained that their computer didn’t work, and a simple rebooting of their computers fixed the…

What is Your Dream?

About a month ago I gave a talk on street photography at EyeEm headquarters in Berlin. During the question and answer session, there was a member in the crowd who asked me the question: “What is your dream?”

Why We Should Embrace Beginner’s Mind in Photography

“If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything, it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few. ” ― Shunryu Suzuki

Streettogs Academy 14: “Rhythm” Results and Analysis

(Cover photo by Assignment 14 Community’s Choice, Michele Berlingeri) This has got to be one of the assignments that got the most number of beautiful pictures so far! The number of interpretations given to our theme is very diverse. Let’s start our analysis with our Community’s Choice:

How to Innovate in Your Photography

You can download this essay for free as a PDF or Microsoft .DOCX file. Dear friend, I wanted to write you a personal letter on innovation. Not to say that I am the most innovative person (I’m not), but in the hope that I can hash out some of my personal thoughts on creativity, pushing…

24 (More) Lessons Mary Ellen Mark Has Taught Me About Street Photography

Read as a Google Doc (where you can suggest edits, and also download as a PDF). I recently came across the excellent book: “Mary Ellen Mark on the Portrait and the Moment”, an educational workshop book published by Aperture, at the home of my friend Brian Sparks. Mary Ellen Mark is a photographer who endlessly inspires me,…

Disregard Differences, Notice Similarities

I’m still afflicted with GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). I want new shit all the time. I’m always dissatisfied with the technology I have (smartphone, tablet, laptop, camera, espresso machine) as well as my car, clothes, standard of living, quality of my food, etc. What causes this constant treadmill of dissatisfaction? There is a disease that…

You Live in a Paved Paradise

Dear friend, I’m currently sitting at my desk, facing outside. There are beautiful trees, a soft breeze, the sound of birds chirping. I have a “HappyLight” on my left (which helps me wake up in the morning), I have some beloved books to my right, and I’m enjoying a lovely espresso, while doing a little…

2 Lessons Tennis Has Taught Me About Photography and Life

Dear friend, I want to share a story with you. It is an important life lesson that I learned from Greg Lowe, my tennis coach from high school. Okay let’s start from the very beginning. I was a sophomore (or perhaps freshman) in high school (Castro valley high in California), and I heard that there…

Review of the Harry Benz “B” Strap

So I met Harry Benz when I was in Toronto. My buddy Adam Marelli (probably the most knowledgeable guy about composition and photography) introduced me to him. I shot Harry an email, and we met at a bar in Toronto in the evening, when I was teaching a workshop there. He came in, cool clear…

The benefits of printing your work by Maarten Rots

(Words and photos unless otherwise stated is by Maarten Rots. Maarten is an artist working with photography based out of Amsterdam. In his photographs you can see a sense of abstraction and surrealism found in everyday situations, captured by the camera. He loves printed photography and one of the ways he shares his work is through…

8 Life Lessons I Learned After Spending 3 Months on the Road

Dear friend, I am excited to share that after nearly 3 months on the road, I am finally back at my beautiful home in Berkeley. I just wanted to use this opportunity to share some life lessons I’ve learned during this trip, as long as some other meditations and ramblings: 1. We are tiny I…

You Only Live Once

Dear friend, You might have heard the term “YOLO”, which stands for “you only live once”. However I think most people misconstrue the word. They think that it means to live a life of hedonism and pleasure, and give themselves the license to do stupid shit and waste their time and money. For example, let’s…

There is No Wrong Way to Shoot Street Photography

Dear friend, I wanted to write you this letter, sharing with you some of my personal thoughts that here is no one “right” or “wrong” way to shoot “street photography.” I think when most people think about how you “should” shoot street photography, they look at the life and work of Henri Cartier-Bresson, and simply…

You Can’t Control the Results, Only the Effort

“You can’t control the results, only the effort.” – Ryan Holiday Ryan Holiday is a guy I admire very much he’s about my age, and has accomplished a lot. He’s a best selling author, practicing stoic (highly recommend his book, “The Obstacle is the Way), passionate blogger, and overall down to earth guy. I read…

On Killing the Ego

Dear friend, I have a problem I need to share with you: I have a huge ego. I love compliments, I love external validation, and I absolutely hate being criticized, judged, or ignored. Recently one of the things I am trying to do in life is to kill my ego. How am I trying to…

Cultivate Your Own Garden

Dear friend, I want to share some meditations and thoughts that are currently on my mind– and perhaps tell some stories. Thank you for being a good friend and listening :) Okay, so I woke up today, lied in bed, and suddenly this thought came to my head: “Cultivate Your Own Garden” I woke up…

Street Photography Quick Links: August 2015

Street Photography Quick Links is a compilation of Links, Projects, News, Videos, Events, or anything that is related to street photography or photography in particular that I have personally consumed. Perhaps these might interest you or make you think. If you want to send some links my way, details will be at the post below. Portfolio…

Having No Choices is the Ultimate Freedom

Dear friend, I want to tell you the exciting start of my day today. I want to share with you as vividly how it felt, and what is on my mind. I woke up, still feeling a bit drowsy, yet felt alert. I looked around my surroundings. I was in bed, lying next to the…

On Capturing Beauty in the Mundane

Dear friend, I want to share you with excitement a new idea that I got, from William Eggleston. The concept is quite simple (and I know I have shared this with you in the past) but it is this: Street photography is all about capturing beauty in the mundane. Almost a year ago, I ordered…

Before/After: Stockholm Conquer Your Fear Street Photography Workshop 2015

Just finished an incredible “Conquer Your Fear of Shooting Street Photography” here in Stockholm, and wow– this is one of the most awesome before/afters. I was so impressed to see how much all of the students pushed themselves out of their comfort zones, and how they started off the work terrified to approach strangers and…

Italian Street Photography at the Forefront: An Interview with SPontanea collective (Italian Translation Available)

SPonatanea is a very active and organized street photography collective based out of Italy. In the interview, I talked to them about their formation, activities, and upcoming projects. This interview also has a full italian translation at the bottom! Check it out. (All photos are the respective ownership of the SPOontanea collective members.) A.g.:…

Don’t Be a Slave

Read as a Google Doc (feel free to suggest edits), or download and print out the PDF. — I am a slave. I am a slave to others’ opinions of me. I am a slave to material things. I am a slave to my bank account and money. I am a slave of my wardrobe, of…

Month: September 2015