Inspired by Voltaire’s Philosophical Dictionary– here is Eric Kim’s Photography Dictionary.

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• A: All day, everyday: make photos.
• B: Black on black on black, keep stacking your monochromatic photos. Crush the blacks. Seek to subtract from the frame.
• C: Cruise and peruse the streets with no plan in mind.
• D: Driven: be driven by your passion in photography. You control the steering wheel.
• E: Eric Kim is your friend and guide in this journey of photography life.
• F: Fun: photography should be FUN. Treat yourself like a big kid with a camera. If photography ain’t fun for you, you’re doing something wrong.
• G: Gay: your photography should bring you joy. Shoot everyday, full of joy, and be gay and pray that today will be a good photo day.
• H: “Hello”– the best thing you can tell a stranger, if you want to shoot a street portrait of then.
• I: Intuition– shoot with your gut and intuition. Follow your own nose in photography. Don’t let nobody tell you how to shoot, what to shoot, when to shoot, and follow your own style.
• J: Jealousy– have none. Stick to your own vision and your own guns. Be jealous of no other photographer, because the photography pie is unlimited, and growing bigger every single day.
• K: Kind– photograph others kindly and with openness and soul. The golden rule: photograph others how you would like to be photographed.
• L: Lion– you’re a beast in the streets. Shoot when you’re hungry, like a wild lion. A caged lion gets fed 3 square meals a day. Would you rather be tame, or wild?
• M: Monotony– fight it fiercely. Avoid boredom in your photograph. Only photograph what interests and excites you. If you’re bored in photography, switch things up. Try shooting film, medium-format, or maybe just shoot with only your phone
• N: Never complain about your gear or equipment. Know that creativity comes from constraints. Revel in your shitty gear, and make the best photos with the camera you already own.
• O: You’re the Only one who can make the photos that you do. So shoot what is true to yourself. Shoot personal photos of your partner, kids, family, and friends. Do it today and tomorrow, again and again.
• P: Painting with light. That is what photography means. If you don’t got light, you cannot make a photo. Photograph your subjects against soft window lighting or use a flash. Shoot more photos during “golden hour”– sunrise or sunset. Or shoot in harsh sunlight with -2 exposure compensation.
• Q: Question “why” you make photos. Buy PHOTO JOURNAL to reflect on the purpose of your photography.
• R: Reality is made by you– by what you decide to include or exclude. Know that photography is more about subtracting the superfluous– rather than adding distractions or subjects.
• S: Strength– shoot through your personal roadblocks, and stay strong. Street photography is fucking hard, but remember– what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
• T: Touch the textures of what you photograph. It will give you a “Haptic” response, and help you remember what you photograph. Touch your subjects, and touch the hearts of your viewer with your photos.
• U: yoU are a great photographer. Don’t doubt yourself. Never. Just shoot it.
• V: Vampires– beware of them. Vampires suck your creative energy away. Vampires: negative folks, toxic parents, fake friends, and people who love to complain. Kill all vampires in your life with a clove of garlic and with silver bullets.
• W: Wherever and whenever you can make good photos. Just put away your phone and look around. Take off your headphones, and listen to the ambient sounds. You’re surrounded with great photo opportunities, so trust in you, not in me.
• X: X– cross out superfluous or bad photos. Refuse to upload bad photos that don’t excite you. For every 1,000 photos you X, choose one.
• Y: You got this.
• Z: Zero fucks given, what others think of you or your art. Just join the global photo community, and do your part.

BE STRONG,
ERIC