
If you like to make photos, videos, poetry or words, you’re a content creator. Here are some tips I wish I could have given myself if I started content creation all over again:
If you like to make photos, videos, poetry or words, you’re a content creator. Here are some tips I wish I could have given myself if I started content creation all over again:
Dear friend,
Greetings from Kyoto! I wanted to give you a life update, and to share some brand-new and very cool stuff, and also life lessons I’ve learned while I’ve been here!
The world is a beautiful place. The greatest blessing is the blessing of being alive!
Dear friend,
To advertise my new online course, “Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Photography Entrepreneurship“, I wanted to share why we should all be photography entrepreneurs, and also why you’re probably (already) a photography entrepreneur (without even knowing it!)
Dear friend,
One thing I believe in is ‘calculated’ risk-taking. What does that mean, and how can we harness this principle to succeed/thrive more in life? Let’s talk more:
Dear friend, a practical tip: if you see a good street scene, don’t just take 1-2 photos then run away. Instead, keep ‘working the scene’ by continuing to shoot the scene, for you to continue lingering, and for you to keep discovering the best composition. Keep shooting and clicking (take a step forward, left, right, crouch down, get closer, go backwards). When you’re shooting look at the edges of the frame (don’t get tunnel-visioned), and when you’re home, THEN choose your best photo.
Dear friend,
I love life a lot. Personally, I want to live life to the fullest, and share that joy with you.
Dear friend,
A practical idea for you: don’t invest in stocks, bitcoin, property, houses, and finances: invest in yourself!
Dear friend,
I want to share with you some personal musings on ‘happiness’ — what exactly is happiness, how to feel “happier”, and how to live a more fulfilling life with more achievement.
Dear friend,
I want to share some personal ideas on moonshot thinking — why we must always shoot for the moon, and attempt the “impossible” and the crazy/foolish ideas we have!
Don’t let the fear of trolls/haters prevent you from doing cool/epic shit in life. Here are some of my thoughts and philosophies on the psychology of trolls:
Dear friend,
An essay for you: Why we should all be photography entrepreneurs; and why you might already be a photography entrepreneur without even knowing it!
Is photography your passion? Do you want to make ripples in the world of photography? Do you desire to share your life experiences as a photographer to empower others? Do you want to learn the secrets of effectively monetizing your passion for photography, or do you just want to learn how to build a loyal following? If so, I cordially invite you to my brand-new (first ever) online course on entrepreneurship titled, “Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Photography Entrepreneurship“, now live on Udemy!
Dear friend, a key to success in entrepreneurship and life: Don’t wait for permission before you take risks and try something epic in life!
If you want to create more dynamic street photos, shoot layers in street photography, and also integrate the ‘bookend technique’ in your photos.
Dear friend,
A fun epiphany I had in photography: SHOOT MORE COLOR to thrive more in your photography!
As humans, we have a bias for the new. We love NEW! But why do we love the new, and is it even a good thing to like the new? How do we balance the new and the old?
Dear friend,
Realize, photography is essential for your thriving in life. Don’t just treat photography as a superfluous luxury. Photography is good for your soul.
Dear friend,
Another key to success in photography, business, entrepreneurship and life: focus on being a producer, not a consumer!
Dear friend, as a word of encouragement and truth: if you’re a photographer you are an artist!
My GoPro Hero 3 was getting too old, so I went to the GoPro website and saw this new camera called the “Fusion”. At first I thought it was gimmicky (I didn’t really believe in 360/virtual reality stuff), but after using it for the last 3 days, I can confidently say: this is the future of photography, video, and visual storytelling.
Dear friends, if you’re passionate about street photography and want to meet some other phenomenal and passionate street photographers, don’t miss out on StreetFoto San Francisco 2018!
Dear friend, I made you (yes, another) epic GOPRO POV STREET PHOTOGRAPHY VIDEO in the streets of Kyoto. This time, I show you how to get close, fill the frame, and use the golden diagonal composition.
New fun street photography techniques you can apply when shooting on the streets: The 3D Scan/360 Degree Technique (Shooting Head-on) and Holding Your Camera High in the Air and Point Downwards (and Use Your LCD Screen to Frame the Scene). More info below!
Dear friend,
I want to share a new street photography technique with you: This technique is called “The Walking Alongside Someone and Shooting Until They Notice You” Street Photography Technique. Yeah a mouthful, but the best title I have so far.
Dear friend, I am SUPER EXCITED to share with you my brand-new street photography POV video on YouTube! I think it is the most innovative video so far!
Dear friend,
If you want to unlock your artistic potential in photography, I am excited to offer you two brand-new courses I am now teaching on Udemy:
Another fun GOPRO POV portrait/street photography video in Kyoto, for your viewing/education/learning pleasure.
Dear friend,
If you’ve ever dreamed of living on the road and making a living from your passion, this essay and guide is for you.
Dear friend,
I am very excited to share the news of my first online course, “Ultimate Beginner’s Guide To Mastering Photography†on Udemy. First of all, I wanted to share why I made the course, and why enrolling in the course will inspire, motivate, and empower you in your photography!
Dear friend,
An epiphany I had: the best way to stay motivated in your photography is this: make photos that you like looking at!
I am shocked, amazed, impressed, and awe-struck at the same time. SmugMug has acquired Flickr. What does that mean? It means that as photographers, we should NEVER trust the platform of another company/social media network. Why? Because we become ‘digital sharecroppers’, and build our own empire on the land of others, or in other words, we build our own kingdom on quicksand.
Dear friend,
Straight fresh out of the (digital) presses: A new GoPro POV street photography video of me photographing a ‘street portrait’ on the streets of Kyoto, with a very friendly older lady.
Dear friend, to promote my new and exciting course: “Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Mastering Photography“, I want to share with you– why should we take it back to basics in our photography, and why is it good to think like a beginner in our photography?
Dear friend,
A fun technique in street photography to use is to use the ‘fishing technique‘ (pre-frame your photograph composition, and wait for the right person to enter your frame), combined with leading-lines. You can create leading lines by finding architectural lines, and then identify where you want your subject to enter the frame. Then once they’ve entered your frame, you start to make photos.
Also, crouching down low (lower perspective) is a good technique in street photography, because it makes you look less intimidating to your subject, and also it gives you a unique perspective that makes your subjects look larger than life (the ‘superman effect’).
In this video I demonstrate the two techniques in action. Learn more how you can integrate these techniques (in your ‘real life’ street photography) by joining me at one of my upcoming workshops.
See all YouTube Videos by ERIC KIM
JUST SHOOT IT.
If you’re new to street photography, start here:
Become the best street photographer possible by picking up a copy of Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Mastering Street Photography. This book is full of all my distilled knowledge and wisdom on street photography over the last 10 years, crafted specifically to empower you in street photography.
For more free resources, presets, and PDF visualizations on street photography, join my free ERIC KIM NEWSLETTER to stay inspired and empowered.
Also join ERIC KIM EXPERIENCE if you want to take your street photography to the next level and conquer your fears and meet new peers.
To join a positive and passionate community, share your photos in ERIC KIM FORUM. Look forward to having you friend :)
See HENRI NECK STRAP on AMAZON >
Push yourself out of your comfort zone with STREET NOTES: Mobile Edition.
STREET NOTES PAPER EDITION ON AMAZON >
Timeless wisdom from the masters of street photography.
Get started in street photography:
See all articles to conquer your fears >
Take your street photography to the next level:
Find deeper meaning in your street photography:
Learn how to shoot on the streets:
See all street photography tips and techniques >
In-depth guides on street photography:
The best equipment for street photography:
“He without a past has no future.”
Start here:
Classics never die:
Distilled information on street photography:
For more resources on photography, Start Here >
Dear friend, if you want to learn how to shoot layers in street photography, I made this new YouTube video demonstrating me shooting layers with a GoPro POV video in the streets of Kyoto.
Dear friend,
A thought: Street Photography is like fishing. Fishing isn’t about catching fish, it is about enjoying the process of preparing your bait and tackle (equipment), relaxing/zenning out by the water, and the eager anticipation of the possibility of catching a fish (not the expectation).
Dear friend,
Ever since my RICOH GR II died (28mm lens), I’ve been shooting with Cindy’s Lumix LX 100 with the 24mm on the streets of Kyoto and been having a ton of fun. I want to share with you some practical tips I’ve learned shooting with a 24mm lens in street photography:
Dear friend,
As a word of encouragement: it doesn’t matter what camera you shoot with. Why? No matter how “good†or “bad†your camera is, you will get used to it (what psychologists call ‘hedonic adaptation’).
Dear friend,
Do you remember the initial passion, enthusiasm, and excitement you had when you started photography? I do, and have been trying really hard to tap back into that mindset; the uninhibited genius of being a beginner photographer, without any preconceived notions or restrictions!
I recently stumbled upon an extremely thought-provoking talk by Jaron Lanier, describing social media as a ‘Behavior Modification Empire‘. This is precisely why it is a good idea for you to #DeleteInstagram — in order for you to not allow Facebook/Instagram/social media to modify your behavior as a photographer, artist, and creative.
Dear friend,
A recent thought I had: in order to empower others, you must (first) be selfish.
In my last article on the Cutoff Technique in Street Photography, I described this process of shooting head-on with a wide angle lens (like a 28mm or 35mm lens), while walking directly in front of people (cutting off their walking movement). I didn’t do a good job explaining the concept, thus I made this new GoPro POV Video for you; of me doing the cutoff technique in real life.
Dear friend,
In a world with so many nay-sayers, negative people and pessimistic people, we should GO OPPOSITE and be the change we wish to see in the world and become YAY SAYERS!
A physics and philosophical principle which can help empower us is this concept of “first principlesâ€â€”a concept leveraged by Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and other visionaries.
Currently super-inspired by Claude Monet, with his use of colors, his compositions, depictions of everyday life, people, nature, and how he was able to show his love of life through his paintings.
Dear friend,
I want to share with you the story of how I became a “location independent” “digital nomad”, why I prefer this lifestyle, and share some practical thoughts with you on how you too can become a digital nomad.
(more…)Dear friend,
If you want to live a more epic life, my simple suggestion: don’t ask for permission, JUST DO IT! knowing that you might piss off some people or upset other people. To be frank, the worst case scenario is that you might just “mildly annoy†others. And worst worst case scenario, you can always just ask/“beg†for forgiveness (most people will always forgive you, and even if they don’t forgive you, that is OK as well).
Dear friend,
A technique I learned from my good friend Charlie Kirk in street photography: what he calls the ‘cutoff technique’.
Dear friend,
An epiphany I had: NEVER STOP EVOLVING! Life is about evolution, constant experimenting, constantly learning, constant iteration. There is no point where you wish or desire to achieve ‘perfection’. Rather, treat life as always in a state of FLUX; in every moment you are in a ‘state of becoming‘ — becoming a greater version of yourself, and evolving into a higher form of yourself!
If you’re curious more about how to “work the scene” in street photography, download my full-resolution contact sheets for your own self-education and learning with the links below:
Dear friend,
A secret of entrepreneurial and personal thriving in life: seek to first please yourself, and whenever possible, spurn (scorn/reject) pleasing others.
Dear friend,
A thought: The productive photographer (the photographer who shoots and publishes a lot) is the happiest photographer!
Just arrived in Kyoto from Osaka, got a new apartment, and loving simple everyday living:
My RICOH GR II died a few days ago, and I’ve been shooting with the Lumix LX100 for the last few days, and actually found out that I quite like it for street photography!
Dear friend,
A philosophical idea: what if you lived life like a video game? Would life be more fun, exciting, challenging, and interesting?
GRIT AND GRAIN: photos shot in 2015 on Leica MP, Leica 35mm f/2 Summicron ASPH, Yellow B+W Filter, Kodak Tri-X 400 pushed to 1600, some photos shot on Leica SF 24D flash:
Lumix LX100 + GoPro Street Photography POV in Osaka:
Dear friend,
How do you live a fulfilling life? Easy: make the best of today– make today count!
My simple luxuries in life, which aren’t expensive yet bring me a lot of joy. Feel free to experiment with any of these simple luxuries, which might brighten your mood, and add more simple joy to your life:
Dear friend,
A recent thought: let us seek to make photography a stimulus in our lives. Let us become “hyper photographers” — to urge and impel ourselves higher in life.
To promote our new book, 30 DAYS TO JUMPSTART YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY Mobile Edition, here are some practical tips to break through your photographers block:
Shot on Lumix LX100, with GoPro POV on top: