Photography should give you happiness, joy, and excitement in life!
Red cowboy, 2012 by ERIC KIM.
In life, we have too many nay-sayers, pessimists, and people who throw their toxic waste at you.
Ignore them. Rather, venture to photograph your own happiness, optimism, and joy in life.
Shot through the reflection of an aluminum espresso machine. Kyoto selfie with Cindy. Reflection, 2017
Many of us are trying to find our own voice, our own style, and what makes our photos unique.
I think that is confusing.
Easier solution: Photograph your own happiness! Photograph what makes you happy. Photograph what brings a smile to your own face :)
Cindy journaling by Kyoto River, 2017.Cindy and a bottle of coffee.
There is too much stupid crap out there that artists are supposed to be sad, depressed, and miserable.
No.
The real artist is positive, optimistic, and LOVES LIFE AND LIVING! A true artist would never commit suicide. A true artist would rather endeavor to make pictures that brings him/herself even MORE joy– and to showcase and share that joy of living with others.
Cindy in Yukata and cup of tea in Ryokan. Uji, Kyoto 2017Cindy takes a picture of ERIC sleeping in Ryokan. Uji, Kyoto 2017
Uji sunset. 2017Coin Laundry. Uji, Kyoto 2017
Cindy with spoon and matcha tea. Uji, Kyoto 2017Uji, Kyoto Urban landscape. 2017
Cindy in Ryokan. Uji, Kyoto 2017
Life is short, cruel, and uncertain. Why even waste a drop of this sweet honey and nectar of life– on worrying about shit? About feeling miserable and depressed? Why not endeavor to feel MORE GRATITUDE, and MORE BLESSEDNESS in life?
To me, photograph helps me remember:
Damn, it is fucking great to be alive.
Cindy in bed. Ryokan. Uji, Kyoto 2017
Uji, 2017.Reflection of Cindy in Ukata in our Ryokan in Uji, Kyoto 2017Cindy in Yukata. Uji, Kyoto 2017
Diagonal composition.
Cindy stretching and self portrait of ERIC in Uji Ryokan. 2017Picture shot from inside cab. Kyoto, 2017.
Kyoto, 2017
For me, photography is the best drug. Free, cheap, and allows you to EXPLORE MORE. To feel more joy, and excitement. To make instant art. To assert control over your life.
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HAPTIC EYE by ANNETTE KIMHAPTIC EYE CAMERA by ANNETTE KIMCreative Everyday by HAPTIC
The world is a marvel. A visual playground. It is our duty as photographic children, to keep our innocent eye. To keep making art. To experiment visually– with our compositions, with how we see the world, and to share our unique perspective with others.
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Man at the shore. Marseille, 2013Family selfie in Kyoto. Processed with VSCO with a6 preset
Cindy holding up her srms. Photo of a flash in front of elevator, Saigon 2017
Why do we talk down on ourselves? We are all born artists. We lose our innocent and childlike sense of play as we get older– as we get it beaten out of us. We are told to ‘grow up’ and to become more ‘serious.’
I say fuck that– let us return to being kids again. Let us play and be creative every day!
Man with face mask and billboard, shot with flash on RICOH GR II. Kyoto, 2017.Girl laughing with blue sunglasss. Kyoto, 2017.COLOR THEORY WHEEL by ANNETTE KIMANNETTE KIM 1 LINE DRAWING for CREATIVE EVERYDAYPHOTOCUBIST ERIC KIM by ERIC KIM x JOSH WHITEPhotocubist JENNIFER NGUYEN by ERIC KIMPhotocubist ANNETTE KIM by ERIC KIMNexus 6P. Kyoto, 2017. Bald man head, shot from a high angle. Processed with VSCO with a6 presetProcessed with VSCO with a6 preset
Processed with VSCO with a6 presetProcessed with VSCO with a6 presetProcessed with VSCO with a6 presetKyoto selfie. Processed with VSCO with a6 presetProcessed with VSCO with g3 presetProcessed with VSCO with a6 presetProcessed with VSCO with a6 presetProcessed with VSCO with a6 presetProcessed with VSCO with a6 presetProcessed with VSCO with a6 presetKyoto, 2017. Shot from high angle, looking down on phone. Processed with VSCO with a6 presetANNETTE KIM BLACK VAMPIRE LIPS. Kyoto, 2017.Pokémon adventure. Processed with VSCO with a6 presetSelfie in Kyoto with Necus 6P and HDR+. Processed with VSCO with a6 preset
Processed with VSCO with presetSlice of red light at sunset. Kyoto, 2017, from the balcony of our AirBnB. Nexus 6P. Processed with VSCO with a6 presetJennifer hair. Nexus 6P. Processed with VSCO with a6 presetFluorescent light. Kyoto, 2017. Processed with VSCO with a6 presetProcessed with VSCO with a6 presetProcessed with VSCO with f2 presetProcessed with VSCO with a6 presetProcessed with VSCO with a6 presetProcessed with VSCO with f2 presetNight time picture of Kyoto Bridge. HDR+ on Google Nexus 6P. Processed with VSCO with f2 presetKyoto wood. Processed with VSCO with a6 presetProcessed with VSCO with a6 presetShot on OnePlus 5. Processed with VSCO with a6 presetProcessed with VSCO with presetProcessed with VSCO with a6 presetProcessed with VSCO with a6 presetProcessed with VSCO with a6 presetProcessed with VSCO with presetProcessed with VSCO with a6 presetProcessed with VSCO with presetProcessed with VSCO with a6 presetMy sister Annette. Processed with VSCO with a6 preset. Shot on Google Nexus 6P
To conclude, shoot your own happiness. Shoot what makes you happy. Make art, and have fun :)