To never get bored in photography, increase challenge.
From PHOTOGRAPHY 101
1. Make more dynamic compositions
Avoid symmetry. Avoid static photos. Make your subjects move. Integrate hand gestures. Shoot a lot of the same scene. Study contact sheets.
Take risks. Make blurry photos. Out of focus photos.
Let serendipity enter your photos, by clicking randomly. Then when you sit down, look at your best shots, and choose the photos that stir your heart-strings.
2. Trace your photos
Henri Cartier-Bresson traced his photos to analyze his compositions after he shot them. I’ve taken the same liberty. But now, I use an iPad, and Procreate app.
Also, trace the photos and images of others, to better understand what makes a good composition and frame.
Howard Hughes
Irving Penn
Albert Watson portrait of STEVE JOBS
3. Tell convincing lies.
The best photographers are the best liars.
Telling the “truth” in photography is boring, and overrated.
I only think photo journalists perhaps more of an ethical duty to try to tell the “truth” of war, poverty, and inequality in the world. But for us Street Photographers and casual photographers, TELL LIES.
4. Provoke a response
Don’t be a stealth ninja photographer. Interact with your subjects and the world. Avoid boring photos.
Be like WILLIAM KLEIN, a director on the streets.
5. BREAK ALL THE RULES
Fuck rules in photography. Be like a big kid, just have fun. Experiment, try out new techniques, and avoid boredom.
Learn from the masters for a fundamental course. Then, KILL THEM and their “rules”.
That means, UNLEARN the “rules” of Photography once you’ve mastered them.
HAVE FUN,
ERIC
PHOTOGRAPHY 101 by ERIC KIM
Dear friend,
If you’re new to photography, start here:
- Free Photography Bootcamp
- The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Photography
- 100 Photography Tips for Beginners
Photography Inspiration
- How to Avoid Boredom in Photography
- How to Master Photography
- A Photographer’s Guide to Seeing
- PRETENTIOUS PHOTOGRAPHY
- Photography Energy Management
- How to Unlock Your Potential in Photography
- There Are No Good or Bad Photos
- The 5 Minute Photographer
- A-Z: PHOTOGRAPHY DICTIONARY by ERIC KIM
- Why I Want to Be a Photography Newbie Forever
- PHOTOGRAPHY FLUX.
- 10 Creative Photography Assignments to Re-Inspire You
- 50 Photography Tips by ERIC KIM
The Fundamentals of Photography
- GET CLOSER.
- Keep or Ditch?
- What Makes a Good Photo?
- Why Photography?
- Everyone is a Photographer
- How to take better pictures
- How to take better selfies
- How to Paint With Light
- Why Bokeh is Overrated
Photography Equipment »
- What is the Perfect Camera For You?
- What to Consider When Buying a Camera
- More Megapixels, More Problems
How to Take Better Photos »
- How to Take Better Photos
- How to Capture Emotion in Your Photos
- How to Create a “Curiosity Gap” in Your Photos
Composition Lessons »
- Composition Lesson #1: Triangles
- Composition Lesson #2: Figure-to-ground
- Composition Lesson #3: Diagonals
Photography Assignments »
- 40 Practical Photography Assignments
- 15 Street Photography Assignments
- 25 Photography New Year’s Resolutions
Contact Sheets »
- Street Photography Contact Sheets
- Street Photography Contact Sheets Volume II
- Debunking the “Myth of the Decisive Moment”
Editing (Image Selection) »
Creativity »
Motivation »
- Each Photo You Take is an “Attempt”
- How to Overcome Photographer’s Block
- Why Do You Need “Inspiration” to Shoot?
Post-Processing
- How to Edit Your Photos
- Grain is Beautiful
- Are Filters “Cheating” in Photography?
- Video: Introduction to Editing, Processing, and Workflow in Lightroom
How to Create a Body of Work
Technical Photography Settings
Learn From the Masters of Photography
“He without a past has no future.”
Start here:
- Why Study the Masters of Photography?
- Great Female Master Photographers
- Cheat Sheet of the Masters of Photography
- 100 Lessons From the Masters of Street Photography
- Beginner’s Guide to the Masters of Street Photography
- Download All Articles >
The Masters of Photography
Classics never die:
- Alfred Stieglitz
- Alec Soth
- Alex Webb
- Alexey Brodovitch
- Anders Petersen
- Andre Kertesz
- Ansel Adams
- Araki
- Blake Andrews
- Bruce Davidson
- Bruce Gilden
- Constantine Manos
- Daido Moriyama
- Dan Winters
- David Alan Harvey
- David Hurn
- Diane Arbus
- Dorothea Lange
- Elliott Erwitt
- Eugene Atget
- Eugene Smith
- Fan Ho
- Garry Winogrand
- Gordon Parks
- Helen Levitt
- Henri Cartier-Bresson
- Irving Penn
- Jacob Aue Sobol
- Jeff Mermelstein
- Joel Meyerowitz
- Joel Sternfeld
- Josef Koudelka / Part 2
- Josh White
- Lee Friedlander
- Lisette Model
- Magnum Contact Sheets
- Magnum Photographers
- Mark Cohen
- Martin Parr
- Martine Franck
- Mary Ellen Mark
- Rene Burri
- Richard Avedon
- Richard Kalvar
- Robert Capa
- Robert Frank
- Saul Leiter
- Sergio Larrain
- Sebastião Salgado
- Shomei Tomatsu
- Stephen Shore
- The History of Street Photography
- Todd Hido
- Tony Ray-Jones
- Trent Parke
- Vivian Maier
- Walker Evans
- Weegee
- William Eggleston
- William Klein
- Zoe Strauss