Woman with umbrella. Seoul, 2011 // ERIC KIM

The Uninhibited Genius of Being a Beginner Photographer

Woman with umbrella. Seoul, 2011 // ERIC KIM
Woman with umbrella. Seoul, 2011 // ERIC KIM

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!


YouTube: Photography Motivation: The Uninhibited Genius of Being a Beginner Photographer

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2009. Cindy // The spotlight.
2009. Cindy // The spotlight.

I recently looked at some of my old photos from 2007-2011, and I really enjoyed the experience. I remembered what it was like when I started photography, before social media existed, before the ‘like’ button existed, and when I just made photos for fun, for myself, and didn’t take myself or my photography too seriously.

The conductor. Downtown LA, 2009
The conductor. Downtown LA, 2009

I feel this is when I was the most creative, had the most fun, and was the most inspired/motivated in my photography.


Prague, 2009
Prague, 2009

In 2009 is when my photography and my passion for street photography really started to take off. It is amazing; it was around 9 years ago– and the photos still look good to me!

The faces. 2009
The faces. 2009

This is the point where I was pretty ignorant of most master photographers, and before I let dogma and ‘rules’ in photography silence my own inner-voice and vision as a photographer. I looked back, and even re-read an old essay I wrote in 2010, titled: “The Soul of the Street Photographer“, and was amazed on how on-point my thinking on street photography was.

Silhouette. 2009
Silhouette. 2009

Now, I am attempting to re-tap into that uninhibited beginner’s mind in photography; for me to keep shooting like a child, for me to have fun, and to only shoot what interests me, and to not worry on whether others will think my photos are any good or not.

I have discovered by being more ‘selfish‘ and self-centered in my photography, I have been thriving so much more! I think life and photography is much better when you focus on thriving — by pleasing yourself, before you try to maximize your like numbers, and your follower numbers on Instagram.


ERIC KIM with Contax II rangefinder, 2009
ERIC KIM with Contax II rangefinder, 2009.

If you want to tap into your inner-child and to re-tap into that initial passion/enthusiasm you had in your photography, some suggestions:

  1. Delete your Instagram, or perhaps clear our your photos and start again from scratch. There is a certain lightness in being a beginner– just like how Steve Jobs was ousted from Apple, and felt the ‘lightness of being a beginner again’, starting NeXT– his second computer company.
  2. Only make photos that put a smile on your face, and don’t feel pressured to have to upload all your photos.
  3. Start your own photography website/blog, and only upload/share/publish photos that bring you joy.
  4. No genres in your photography. Shoot anything and everything!
  5. Have fun: Remember, the point of photography isn’t to be the world’s best photographer, but to live a happier/more exciting/fulfilling and fun life.

JUST SHOOT IT.
ERIC


Photos from 2009

Some of my favorite photos from 2009:

"The Eiffel" - Paris, 2009
“The Eiffel” – Paris, 2009
"Together in the Rain" - Korea, 2009
“Together in the Rain” – Korea, 2009
Piano Keys
“Piano Keys.” Korea, 2009.
Sparking Coins. Korea, 2009
Sparking Coins. Korea, 2009
Reflecting on Life. Los Angeles, 2009
Reflecting on Life. Los Angeles, 2009
A Lone Dinner
“A Lone Dinner” – Los Angeles 2009
Patiently Waiting. Paris, 2009
Patiently Waiting. Paris, 2009
Thirst. Venice, 2009
Thirst. Venice, 2009
Sunbathing. Prague, 2009
Sunbathing. Prague, 2009
The Entrance. Paris, 2009
The Entrance. Paris, 2009
Mime at St. Pancras. London, 2009
Mime at St. Pancras. London, 2009
Skating. Paris, 2009
Skating. Paris, 2009

Re-tap into your beginner’s mind in photography

"Anchovies" - Korea, 2009.
“Anchovies” – Korea, 2009. Taken on the crowded Seoul Metro.

On April 23rd, I am launching a super exciting, first online video course (partnering with Udemy), titled: “Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Mastering Photography.” The course took Cindy and I about two months of intense, 12 hour days, while we were in Marseille and Lisbon. Don’t miss your opportunity to take it back to basics, to respark that initial passion and enthusiasm you had for photography by staying updated with my newsletter; you’ll be the first to know when the course drops!